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

By
SM Staff
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Chase Purdy: Driver, No. 4 Bama Buggies Chevrolet

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Overview:
Event: SpeedyCash.com 250, Race 5 of 23, 167 Laps – 77/45/45; 250.5 Miles
Location: Texas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile, quad-oval)
Date/Broadcast: April 1, 2023, at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

‘Chase’n Checkers:

Chase Purdy and the No. 4 Bama Buggies team head to Texas Motor Speedway Saturday for the SpeedyCash.com 250. Purdy will be looking to rebound from a tough day at Circuit of the Americas where he was relegated to a 27th-place finish after getting spun late. Taking to a mile-and-a-half track could be just what the doctor ordered for Purdy, who is one of just three drivers to finish inside the top 10 in the Truck Series first two events at mile-and-a-half tracks this season. Most recently, he started ninth, led two laps and finished seventh at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Earlier this season he started third and finished eighth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 23-year-old driver enters this week’s race at Texas 11th in the Craftsman Truck Series point standings, 61 tallies behind points leader Zane Smith.

The Mississippi native is in his third full-time season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and first with KBM. He enters Saturday’s race having totaled seven top-10 finishes and 18 laps led across his 56 career Truck Series starts. He posted a career-best sixth-place result in 2021 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. Purdy finished 16th in the Truck Series standings in 2022 after competing in 22 of the 23 events. He posted two top-10 finishes and nine laps led, with a season-best finish of seventh coming at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in October.

In his three prior Truck Series starts at Texas, Purdy has compiled an average finish of 16.7, achieving a track-best 12th-place finish in 2020. KBM’s nine Texas wins are the most the organization has at any track they’ve raced at. Owner-driver Kyle Busch has four Texas wins (2010, 2014, 2019 & 2020), while John Hunter Nemechek (2021), Greg Biffle (2019), Christopher Bell (2017), William Byron (2016) and Erik Jones (2015) all have one Texas triumph. Martinsville ranks second on the KBM track wins list, with the organization collecting eight victories at the Virginia venue.

Purdy will be looking to etch his mark in the KBM historical archives this weekend at Texas as he looks to collect the organization’s 100th NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory. KBM-owner driver Kyle Busch collected the KBM’s record-extending 99th-career victory with his dominant victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway leaving his organization one shy of the century mark. William Byron collected KBM’s record-breaking 51st Truck Series victory in July of 2016. 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: Byron, Christopher Bell, Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek.

Jimmy Villeneuve is atop the pit box for Purdy and the No. 4 Chevrolet team this season. Prior to being promoted to crew chief for the 2023 season, Villeneuve served as a Truck Chief at KBM since the 2017 season and in that role was a part of 18 wins, a driver’s championship with Christopher Bell in 2017 and the 2019 owner’s championship with the No. 51 team. Prior to joining KBM the New Hampshire native served as a truck chief at Athenian Motorsports in 2015 when the team won with John Wes Townley at Las Vegas. He was promoted to crew chief five races into the 2016 season. Saturday’s race will be Villeneuve’s third race atop the pit box at Texas. His best result was a 17th-place finish with Townley in 2016.

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

With the speed you’ve shown at the mile-and-a-half tracks are you looking forward to Texas this weekend?
“We’ve had really good speed at the first two races this year on mile-and-a-half tracks. KBM has done a really good job of bringing really dominant trucks to those places, not just this year, but years prior. I think this will be an opportunity for me to correct the mistakes I’ve made in the first two mile-and-a-half races and really put it all together and show that our Bama Buggies team can go out and starting contending for wins.”

How does racing at Texas compare to the other mile-and-a-half tracks on the Truck Series schedule?
“It’s less wide open. Turns Three and Four if your stuff is good you are going to want to be wide open, but Turns One and Two you are going to have to lift and with no substance down in the other lanes I feel like it is going to be one-lane dominant. Traditionally at mile-and-a-half tracks you can move around, but this one not so much. I think that is something to be aware of. With no live pit stops, track position is going to be more important so that will make qualifying even more important than it usually is.”

Will the earlier start time affect the handling of the trucks?
“It’s not going to be as hot as it would be if we were racing there in June, so I’m not sure that starting earlier will affect it that much. Normally when it is hot it makes it slicker. I think it will still be slick because nobody has been racing on it and we are going to be the first ones on track. I think that causes people to wreck when they try to get off the bottom and run up a little bit into the old substance that is there from before, but we won’t know until we get there.”

Chase Purdy Career Highlights:

  • Across 56 career Truck Series starts, has produced 18 laps led and seven top-10 finishes. Posted career-best sixth-place result at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway in 2021.
  • Finished 16th in Truck Series championship standings in 2022.
  • Finished fourth in the 2018 ARCA Menard’s Series championship standings after recording 84 laps led, 10 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes.
  • Earned the 2017 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East rookie of the year honors and finished fourth in the championship standings after posting four poles, 200 laps led, five top-five and eight top-10 finishes across 14 starts.
  • Won the prestigious Snowflake 100 Pro Late Model race at 5 Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla., in Dec. of 2018.

Chase Purdy’s No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado RST:

KBM-73: The No. 4 Bama Buggies team will unload KBM-73 for Saturday’s Speedycash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway. KBM-73 has two prior starts, both with John Hunter Nemechek last season. Nemechek finished third with the truck last year at Charlotte and then was relegated to a 35th-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

KBM-73 Performance Profile:
KBM Notes of Interest:

  • KBM drivers have collected nine wins, four poles, 1065 laps led, 20 top-five and 38 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 10.8 across 59 starts in the Lone Star State. KBM’s nine Texas wins are the most the organization has at any track.
  • Owner-driver Kyle Busch’s has four Texas wins for his organization (2010, 2014, 2019 & 2020). John Hunter Nemechek (2021), Greg Biffle (2019), Christopher Bell (2017), William Byron (2016) and Erik Jones (2015) all have one Texas triumph.
  • 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).
  • The No. 4 has 18 career victories at KBM and was the number for both of the organization’s driver championships.

RFK Advance | Richmond I

By
Official Release
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Richmond Event Info:
Track Info: Richmond Raceway, 3/4-mile D-shaped
Date: Sunday, April 2
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Richmond, Virginia
Format: 400 laps, 300 miles, Stages: 70-160-170
TV: FS1
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Weekend Schedule:
Saturday: 10:05 a.m. ET, Practice (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 10:50 a.m. ET, Qualifying (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 3:30 p.m. ET, Race (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

6 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Partner: Solomon Plumbing

  • 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 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 Finn Kilbourne.

17 Team Info:
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: Castrol Edge

Pace Laps:

  • The Cup Series heads to Richmond for its first of two dates in 2023, a track where Jack Roush has 15 wins all-time with five in the Cup Series.
  • Brad Keselowski has 14-straight top-15s at Richmond, while Chris Buescher is coming off his career-best performance of third last fall.

Keselowski at Richmond
Starts: 26
Wins: 2 (2014, 2020)
Top-10s: 12
Poles: 2

  • Keselowski, a two-time winner at Richmond, makes his 27th Cup start at the ¾-mile track on Sunday. He won the lone race at Richmond in 2020 after leading 192 laps.
  • More recently, Keselowski finished 15th last fall and 13th last spring. He’s finished inside the top-15 in every race since the spring of 2015, and in that stretch has led laps in nine different races. In total he’s led 1177 laps at Richmond in 12 different races, his most of any track on the circuit.
  • Keselowski won back in 2014 after starting on the pole, leading 383 of the 400 laps.
  • His 12.4 average finish holds as one of his best among all tracks with 12 top-10s overall and six finishes inside the top five.
  • He also has two poles – 2014 and 2019 – for an average starting position of 10.5, also one of his best marks.
  • Keselowski made 17 Xfinity Series starts from 2006-17 earning four victories and 10 top-10s. He won his last NXS start there in 2017 and also went to victory lane in 2010 once and 2013 twice.

Buescher at Richmond
Starts: 13
Wins: —
Top-10s: 1
Poles: —

  • Buescher makes his 14th start at Richmond on Sunday where he has a 23.6 average finish. But, he’s coming off a career performance there last fall where he finished third, by far his career best at Richmond.
  • Last spring he ran 15th as his two best career results at the track have come in the last two races.
  • Buescher’s best qualifying effort came back in the 2019 spring race when he lined up seventh. Last season he started 18th in both races.
  • Buescher made five NXS starts for Jack Roush from 2011-15, earning three top-10s with a best finish of seventh (2014).

RFK Historically at Richmond
Cup Wins: 5 (Mark Martin, 1990; Jeff Burton, 1998; Matt Kenseth, 2002; Kurt Busch, 2005; Carl Edwards, 2013)

  • History in the Commonwealth of Virginia: Overall, RFK has 362 starts at Richmond Raceway, earning a total of 15 wins, 90 top-five and 151 top-10 finishes. RFK Fords have sat on the pole 14 times and led 4,960 laps across NASCAR’s three major touring series.
  • To Xfinity and Beyond.: RFK has earned nine victories, 43 top-five finishes, 66 top-10 finishes and an average finish of 11.8 at Richmond in the Xfinity Series. All in all, three different drivers are responsible for the nine victories at the Virginia short track (Edwards, Mark Martin and Jeff Burton).
  • Nine and Counting: RFK’s nine victories at Richmond rank fourth among all tracks the organization has competed on in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, trailing Darlington Raceway (15), Charlotte Motor Speedway (12) and North Carolina Speedway – formerly known as Rockingham – (11).
  • Tale of the Tape: RFK has started 221 NCS races at Richmond with 74 top-10 and 38 top-five finishes along with seven poles. Former drivers Mark Martin (1990), Jeff Burton (1998), Matt Kenseth (2002), Kurt Busch (2005), and Carl Edwards (2013) are responsible for RFK’s five Cup wins, and a Jack Roush Cup Series Ford has led 2,442 laps at the .75-mile track.

RFK Richmond Wins

1990-1 Martin Cup

1993-1 Martin NXS

1993-2 Martin NXS

1997-1 Martin NXS

1998-1 Burton NXS

1998-2 Burton Cup

1999-1 Martin NXS

1999 Biffle Truck

2000-2 Burton NXS

2002-2 Kenseth Cup

2005-1 Edwards NXS

2005-2 Busch Cup

2008-2 Edwards NXS

2009-2 Edwards NXS

2013-2 Edwards Cup

Last Time Out & Where They Stand
COTA: Chris Buescher powered through the field to finish eighth, his sixth-straight top-10 in road course racing, driving from the 32nd starting position. Brad Keselowski was en route to a solid result before a mechanical failure ended his day prematurely.

Points Standings (6: 9th, 17: 13th): Despite the negative ending, Keselowski still maintains his top-10 standing while Buescher sits just four points out of the top-10.

By the Numbers at Richmond

Race      Win       T5           T10         Pole       Laps       Led        AvSt      AvFn     Miles

221         5              38           74           7              85770    2442       17.5        16.8        64327.5
121         9              43           66           5              28923    2341       12.1        11.8        21692.3
20           1              9              11           2              3743       177         11.7        11.1        2807.3
362         15           90           151         14           118436  4960       15.2        14.9        88827.1

GMS Racing NCTS Race Preview: Texas Motor Speedway

By
Official Release
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Race Information

  • Round: NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race No. 5 of 23
  • Track Location: Texas Motor Speedway – Fort Worth, Texas
  • Race Name: Speedy Cash 250
  • Broadcast: Saturday, April 1st at 4:30 PM ET live on FS1 (TV), MRN (Radio), and Sirius XM NASCAR Channel 90
  • Team Entrants:

No. 23 | Grant Enfinger & Jeff Hensley – Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet
No. 24 | Rajah Caruth & Chad Walter – Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet
No. 43 | Daniel Dye & Travis Sharpe – KIX Country 98.7 / RaceToStopSuicide.com Chevrolet

Grant Enfinger, No. 23 Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet Silverado RST

Texas Motor Speedway Stats

  • NCTS Starts: 10; Poles: 1 (2019); Best finish: 3rd (twice); Top 5s: 5; Top 10s: 7; Laps led: 60
  • ARCA Starts: 1; Best start: 14th; Best finish: 3rd (2010); Top 5s: 1; Top 10s: 1; Laps led: 22

2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season Stats

  • Starts: 4; Best start: 7th; Best finish: 5th (Daytona); Top 5s: 1; Top 10s: 2; Laps led: 3; Current points position: 5th
  • About Champion Power Equipment: Since 2003, Champion Power Equipment has earned a reputation for designing and producing the market’s finest power equipment. From our original headquarters in Santa Fe Springs, California, Champion has expanded its North American footprint to include facilities in Jackson, Tennessee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Toronto Canada. Today, Champion’s product line has expanded to include portable generators, home standby generators, inverter generators, engines, winches and log splitters. With over 2.5 million generators sold in North America, Champion is a market leader in the power equipment field. Visit ChampionPowerEquipment.com for more information.
  • About Arlon Graphics: The history of Arlon is rooted in its customer-centric approach. What was founded in 1958 as a manufacturer of flexible materials (producing products like cork, rubber, and foam) has evolved into a global company manufacturing millions of feet of cast films. Today, Arlon Graphics is owned by FHT, a family-owned investment firm. Headquartered in Southern California, Arlon supplies the wide-format graphics industry around the world. For more information, visit Arlon.com/NA_EN.
  • Chassis History/Info: Grant Enfinger and the No. 23 team will compete with GMS Racing chassis no. 344 at Texas Motor Speedway. This chassis has been driven by Enfinger twice before, once at Homestead-Miami Speedway last year, and most recently just a couple of weeks ago in Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he finished in 19th position after cutting down a tire under green.
  • Texas Two Step: Enfinger has found a lot of past success at Texas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The stats don’t lie; he has a top-10 rate of 70% at the 1.5-mile intermediate track and has finished in the top-five in exactly half of his starts at the facility. In 2019, Enfinger won his fourth-career pole award in a Champion Power Equipment truck that was crew chiefed by Jeff Hensley.
  • Hensley’s Qualifying Record: When it comes to qualifying at Texas Motor Speedway, nobody comes close to Jeff Hensley. The veteran has won seven – yes, you read that right, seven – pole awards during his career as a crew chief in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (four with Mike Skinner, and one a piece with Justin Lofton, Spencer Gallagher, and Grant Enfinger). Hensley owns the record for the most poles at TMS, more than double the amount of his nearest competitors. In 2011, Jeff went to victory lane with Ron Hornaday, and looks to return there this weekend with Enfinger.
  • GE Appearances: Fans attending the Speedy Cash 250 will have an opportunity to meet Grant Enfinger on race day:

Saturday, April 1st | NCTS Autograph Session: Located in a tent just outside of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series garage area, fans can meet all three GMS Racing drivers in an autograph session from 12:30 PM to 1:15 PM local time.
- From The Drivers Seat: Texas Motor Speedway has been a good track for you in the past, what are some of the key factors to take into consideration to stay up front this weekend?

“I am ready to get back to Texas Motor Speedway. Last year at Texas we did not have enough to contend with, but I feel like our trucks are better this year. Texas is pretty unique, with it being so flat into turn one and two, but has so much banking in turns three and four. We need to stay ahead of the track and unload close, because it’s pretty difficult to pass there. I think our No. 23 Champion Power Equipment team has a lot of things going our way, and I feel if we do our job as a team we can contend for a win on Saturday.”

Rajah Caruth, No. 24 Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet Silverado RST

Texas Motor Speedway Stats

  • Rajah Caruth will be making his first start in any series at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday.

2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season Stats

  • Starts: 4; Best start: 17th; Best finish: 13th (COTA); Current points position: 20th
  • About the Wendell Scott Foundation: Founded in 2011, The Wendell Scott Foundation, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization inspired by Wendell Scott, Sr. and provides services such as job-skill training, STEM education opportunities, mentoring, and other supportive services to at-risk, underserved youth between the ages of 8-18 years in Danville, Virginia and surrounding areas.

The Foundation’s mission of using educational attainment to end racial disparities in education and health is vital in addressing economic inequality and improving future success in African-American communities. For more information, please visit www.wendellscott.org.

  • Chassis History/Info: Rajah Caruth and the No. 24 team will compete with GMS Racing chassis no. 323 in Fort Worth. This Chevrolet has made two starts in competition, once at Pocono Raceway last year with Grant Enfinger, and once at Las Vegas Motor Speedway earlier this season with Caruth at the wheel, where it finished 29th due to an incident on a green flag pit stop.
  • Best Finish of the Season: Rajah Caruth was in the thick of things for his road course debut at COTA. Despite being dealt a penalty for shortcutting the esses early in the 42-lap race, Caruth was able to take advantage of a strategy call that gained track position during the final run of the event, resulting in a 13th place finish. The end result promoted Caruth two positions in the points standings, with the rookie now holding it down in 20th.
  • Sunoco Rookie Battle: Caruth’s 13th place finish at the Circuit Of The Americas last Saturday was the third highest result of a rookie. Taking a look at the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings heading into Texas, Rajah ranks fourth, 36 points behind leading candidate Nick Sanchez, and three points behind Daniel Dye in third place.
  • RC Appearances: Fans attending the Speedy Cash 250 will have an opportunity to meet Rajah Caruth on race day:

Saturday, April 1st | NCTS Autograph Session: Located in a tent just outside of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series garage area, fans can meet all three GMS Racing drivers in an autograph session from 12:30 PM to 1:15 PM local time.

  • From The Driver’s Seat: Rajah’s thoughts on competing at Texas Motor Speedway for the first time:

“I’m excited to hit up another new venue this weekend in Texas Motor Speedway. I enjoy the high-speed facilities, and know our No. 24 Wendell Scott Foundation Chevy Silverado will have the speed to contend all race long! We are hoping to continue the start of the momentum that we’ve gained from last race in Austin. I think we can have ourselves a fun weekend with GMS Racing.”

Daniel Dye, No. 43 KIX Country / Race To Stop Suicide Chevrolet Silverado RST

Texas Motor Speedway Stats

  • Daniel Dye will be making his first start in any series at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday.

2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season Stats

  • Starts: 4; Best start: 19th; Best finish: 16th (Atlanta); Laps led: 5; Current points position: 19th
  • About KIX Country 98.7: WAKX (98.7 FM, “KIX Country 98.7”) is a radio station licensed to serve the community of Palm Coast, Florida. The station is owned by Flagler County Broadcasting and the broadcast license is held by Flagler Broadcasting, LLC. WAKX shares radio studios in Bunnell, Florida, with sister stations WBHQ (92.7 FM) and WNZF (1550 AM).
  • Chassis History/Info: Dye and the No. 43 team will compete with GMS Racing chassis no. 330 in the Lone Star state. The chassis has raced one time previously at Texas Motor Speedway in 2020, where Zane Smith led 26 laps with it before finishing in 19th. The truck has one win to its credit, coming at Dover Motor Speedway in 2020 driven by Smith. Dye last drove this Chevrolet in Atlanta Motor Speedway in March, where he finished in 16th.
  • Sunoco Rookie Battle: A respectable 18th place finish at COTA was salvaged by Daniel Dye after suffering a catastrophic setback in practice that forced the No. 43 team to replace his engine, transmission, rear gear, and more. Dye would start shotgun on the field in Saturday’s XPEL 225, but worked his way through the field methodically, climbing 18 spots in the process to earn a top-20 finish. Dye is now tied for second in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings with Jake Garcia, 33 markers behind Nick Sanchez.
  • Quarter Midgets to Trucks: This weekend might be the first time that Dye races on the 1.5-mile intermediate track layout on the property, but he has raced at Texas Motor Speedway once before in a different capacity. On June 9th, 2018, Daniel competed in a quarter midget race held in the parking lot of TMS, and even went home with the trophy. Dye continues to show his support for quarter midget racing, often spending his time with his eight-year-old nephew, Jet Risley, who currently races in the same class Dye began his career in.
  • DD Appearances: Fans attending the Speedy Cash 250 will have an opportunity to meet Daniel Dye on race day:

Saturday, April 1st | NCTS Autograph Session: Located in a tent just outside of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series garage area, fans can meet all three GMS Racing drivers in an autograph session from 12:30 PM to 1:15 PM local time.

  • From the Driver’s Seat: Daniel’s thoughts on competing at Texas Motor Speedway:

“I’m looking forward to going to Texas with our No. 43 team this weekend, it’s another intermediate track on our schedule but quite a bit different than what we had in Las Vegas and Atlanta. It will be a new challenge for us, but I’m going to learn all day throughout practice, qualifying, and through the first stage of the race. I haven’t been to that track since I raced quarter midgets out in the parking lot a few years ago, so I think it will be a fun experience to come full-circle by racing at the big track.”

ABOUT GMS RACING:

GMS Racing competes full-time in the NASCAR Truck Series operating the No. 23, No. 24, and No. 43 Chevrolet Silverado RSTs for drivers Grant Enfinger, Rajah Caruth, and Daniel Dye. Since the team was formed in 2012, GMS Racing has won five titles across multiple series, including the 2016 and 2020 NASCAR Truck Series championship, the 2015 ARCA Racing Series championship, as well as the 2019 & 2020 ARCA East championships. GMS has grown to occupy several buildings located in Statesville, N.C. including operations for GMS Fabrication. The GMS Racing campus also houses operations for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, a team that competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow GMS Racing on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Mahindra Tractors Racing: Chase Briscoe Richmond Advance

By
Official Release
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CHASE BRISCOE
Richmond Advance
No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Richmond 400 (Round 7 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 2
● Location: Richmond (Va.) Raceway
● Layout: .75-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 400 laps/300 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 70 laps / Stage 2: 160 laps / Final Stage: 170 laps
● TV/Radio: FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Chase Briscoe makes his fifth start at Richmond (Va.) Raceway this Sunday in the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang. He has a best start of fourth and a best finish of 11th, both earned last April.

● When he returned to Richmond last August, Briscoe looked like he would have the opportunity to earn his first top-10 at the track. He was running as high as fourth before his final scheduled green-flag pit stop with just over 100 laps to go. He was running 19th as other teams continued to make their pit stops when his rocker box caught fire, forcing him to pit road. Briscoe was able to continue, but ultimately finished 23rd.

● Since his 2022 win at Phoenix, Briscoe has finished no worse than 15th in nine of 11 points-paying starts on tracks 1 mile or shorter. The exceptions are his 22nd-place result in last year’s race on the dirt at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, when he led 59 laps but spun on the final lap while attempting a pass for the win, and the 23rd-place finish at Richmond last August. In 2021, Briscoe’s best finish on the shorter tracks on the NASCAR schedule was a 13th-place result earned in the fall at Bristol.

● Briscoe has five NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Richmond with a best finish of fifth in September 2019.

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

It seems the No. 14 team has really found something that works on the short tracks. Can we see that continue this weekend at Richmond?

“I really hope so. I was happy to see that we had something to work with at Phoenix and I’m excited to get to Richmond and have a shot to come out with a good finish. We were really strong there last spring, and even better when we went back for the second race, so I think we can definitely come out with a top-10 finish, if not better.”

Why is Richmond such a tough track to figure out?

“I’m not really sure. I was never really a short-track racer, so I felt like that was a big part of it, but Richmond doesn’t really drive like a lot of the other short tracks. The corners aren’t as tight as what we see at some other places. It is more like Phoenix, I think, so being good there probably helped when it came to the Richmond races last year. It’s such a unique track and it’s a lot more fun when you have a car capable of running up front.”

It’s been a slow start to the season. Is there anything that you can pinpoint as the major thing you and the team need to figure out?

“It’s hard to say. We’ve had races where we’ve just been off, some where we’ve got a car that is good, but we get too far behind to start and can’t make up ground. Then, we’ve just had some races where we get caught up in someone else’s problem. It’s frustrating, but it’s nothing we haven’t dealt with before. There are always ups and downs in this sport and, in the end, it comes down to who is able to keep pushing forward to find a way to be better. I know we’ve got the team that can do that, so we’ll keep working hard and hopefully it turns around for us soon.”

No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Chase Briscoe
Hometown: Mitchell, Indiana

Crew Chief: John Klausmeier
Hometown: Perry Hall, Maryland

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

Engineer: Mike Cook
Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Spotter: Joey Campbell
Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Over-The-Wall Members

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

Rear Tire Changer: Dakota Ratcliff
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

Tire Carrier: Jon Bernal
Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Jack Man: Dylan Moser
Hometown: Monroe, North Carolina

Fuel Man: Corey Coppola
Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Stephen Gonzalez
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Interior Mechanic: Trevor Adams
Hometown: Naples, Florida

Tire Specialist: Keith Eads
Hometown: Arlington, Virginia

Engine Tuner: Jon Phillips
Hometown: Jefferson City, Missouri

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

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

Todd Gilliland and the No. 38 Quincy Compressor Ford Team Richmond Raceway Competition Notes

By
Official Release
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Todd Gilliland and the No. 38 Quincy Compressor Ford Team
Richmond Raceway Competition Notes

TEAM AND RACE NOTES:

Todd Gilliland heads into the Richmond (Va.) Raceway debuting the Quincy Compressor colors on his No. 38 Ford Mustang.

Quincy Compressor, a Bay Minette, Alabama-based compressor manufacturer, is partnering with Gilliland for the first of three races this season. Founded in 1920, Quincy Compressor is a leading designer and manufacturer of reciprocating and rotary screw air compressors, vacuum pumps, and a full line of air treatment components. Quincy has built its reputation on quality and rugged reliability, building tough air compressors for the most demanding applications.

Richmond Raceway first hosted the NASCAR Cup Series in 1953 and over 100 Cup races have been contested on the short track.

Sunday’s race will be televised live at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

COMPETITION NOTES:

Gilliland and the Quincy Compressor team comes into Richmond fresh off their first top-10 finish of the season last weekend at the Circuit of the Americas. This comes after a 15th-place finish at the Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway.

The team has moved to 24th in the championship standings and are hoping to gain more spots this weekend.

Gilliland has a best finish of sixth at the track for Front Row Motorsports in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.

CREW CHIEF RYAN BERGENTY:

“I will not say that we are happy, but we do like the direction that we’re heading in. Todd keeps saying this is a foundation to build upon and he is right. We’ve had two top-15 finishes with the top-10 last weekend. We need to keep it going and get more top-10 results.”

DRIVER TODD GILLILAND:

“Ryan and the team are working hard. It is nice to see some of the results of the past few weeks. The guys in the shop are putting together good cars and we’ve executed at the track. These races are long, so many things happen, but we need to keep being in the right position in the end to maximize the day. We have been doing that here lately.”

“It is going to be cool to be racing the Quincy Compressor colors this weekend. Michael (McDowell) debuted the colors at Las Vegas earlier this year and now we get to race it. It is a great looking car and I love that Quincy Compressor is getting into the sport. We’re debuting a new t-shirt soon and I know there will be more to come off the track. I’m going to try and get it done for them on the track this weekend.”

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.

Richmond Raceway 1 / Texas Motor Speedway Advance

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Official Release
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RICHMOND RACEWAY / TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY NOTES

Saturday, April 1 – NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series @ Texas, 4:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Saturday, April 1 – NASCAR Xfinity Series @ Richmond, 1 p.m. ET (FS1)
Sunday, April 2 – NASCAR Cup Series @ Richmond, 3:30 p.m. ET (FS1)

NASCAR’s top three series will split states this weekend, as the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series will share driving duties at Richmond Raceway. The Craftsman Truck Series will make a jaunt up I-35 from Austin to Fort Worth for Saturday’s race to Texas Motor Speedway.

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Joey Logano: “Not much different than what we’ve had in the past. Tires are going to wear out there a lot. Smart racers will prevail. We’ll have some interesting setup decisions to make, to make sure we’re good in the long-haul, as well as the short run. We’ll try to adjust to that. I don’t think it’ll be different from the Richmonds we’ve seen – it may widen-out some — but, like usual, the smart racers will be strong.”

Ryan Blaney: “Going there with the new package… hopefully it’s a step in the right direction for the traffic side of it. The tire fall-off there is already pretty large, and I think it’s going to be even bigger this year with the low spoiler. You’re going to have your hands a little more full, I feel like, than what it was in the past. That’s going to make it more difficult to kind of save your tires – it may make the race even better. It’ll be a challenge, that’s for sure, but hopefully we hit it right.”

Austin Cindric: “I certainly expect, talking about the package, it’ll probably be the most extreme example of how much downforce we took off the cars. I think as far as race tracks that are knife-edge and you pay a penalty for having weaknesses, Richmond there is certainly nowhere to hide.”

Brad Keselowski: “I’m excited about Richmond. It’ll be nice to have the cars really difficult to drive. You’re going to see the cars move around a lot. Last year, we saw the cars race all the way up against the wall, and all into the bottom of the track – it’s a really exciting race, to me personally, inside the car. I thought it was thrilling. I would expect it to another degree.”

RICHMOND ONE OF LOGANO’S BEST

It would be easy to look at Joey Logano’s two career wins at Richmond and say it’s got to be one of his best tracks on the circuit, but the statistics provide further proof. In 27 career starts, Logano has 12 top 5 and 16 top 10 finishes, which gives him an average finish of 10.3. That’s his second-best average finish on tracks where he’s run more than five races. The only track where Logano has a better average finish is Las Vegas, where his three wins and 12 top-10 finishes in 20 starts works out to a 9.9 average finish.

HARVICK A CAREER TOP-10 FINISHER AT RICHMOND

Another Ford driver who has experienced consistent success at Richmond is Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick. This weekend will mark his 44th career Cup Series start at the track in which his 9.7 average finish is fourth-best among tracks currently on the circuit in which he has more than five starts. The other three tracks that statistically are Harvick’s best include: Homestead (7.3), Phoenix (8.6), and Indianapolis (8.6).

KESELOWSKI SOLE RICHMOND WINNER IN 2020

Richmond Raceway hosted two NASCAR Cup Series events a year from 1959-2019, but in 2020 the track had only one event due to COVID and Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski took the checkered flag in dominating fashion. Keselowski led 192-of-400 laps in recording his second career Cup win at the Virginia short track, and automatically advanced to the Round of 12. Overall, Ford led 297 laps on the night and had five drivers finish in the top 10, including Joey Logano (3rd), Kevin Harvick (7th), Aric Almirola (8th) and Clint Bowyer (10th).

RILEY RIVALING FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP

The consistency of Riley Herbst has been in the spotlight since the latter part of the 2022 season. Herbst earned his sixth consecutive top-10 finish to start the 2023 campaign after a 10th-place run at Circuit of The Americas last weekend – his ninth since October 2022 (Homestead). The streak this season has helped Herbst climb to second in the driver rankings (234), trailing by only 15 points for the lead into Richmond.

RICHMOND RAPPORT

Mark Martin climbed 16 spots and led 16 laps to give Ford its first series victory at Richmond in 1987. Martin, who has five career series wins there, is one of three Ford drivers to win consecutive races at the track after sweeping both events in 1993. The others are Kenny Wallace (1994-1995) and Brad Keselowski (2013 Sweep).

FOLLOW THE LEADER

Zane Smith earned his second win of the season last weekend at Circuit of The Americas – his second-consecutive victory at the road course and a series-leading second of the season. The returning series champion currently leads this year’s points (168). Two Ford F-150s round-out the top-three spots, with Ty Majeski (166) and Ben Rhodes (150) closely behind.

BACK TO BACK

Ford made its early impressions in the Truck Series at Texas Motor Speedway, which made its debut on the NASCAR schedule in 1997. Kenny Irwin Jr. led 55 of the 167 laps in 1997, to score the win in the track’s inaugural season as Ford swept the top five spots. Tony Raines and Ford followed up the strong performance the following season, not only winning the race, but also placing three F-150 trucks in the top-five.

SHARING SUCCESS

Greg Biffle started the 2000 race on pole, leading 120 laps en route to a dominating victory. Mike Wallace, who finished runner-up, led 29 – giving Ford the top-spot for 149 of the 167 total laps of the race.

FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS

AT RICHMOND

1957 – Paul Goldsmith

1959 – Tom Pistone and Cotton Owens

1960 – Speedy Thompson (2)

1963 – Ned Jarrett (2)

1965 – Junior Johnson (1)

1968 – David Pearson (1)

1969 – David Pearson (1)

1970 – James Hylton (1)

1979 – Bobby Allison (2)

1980 – Bobby Allison (2)

1981 – Benny Parsons (2)

1984 – Ricky Rudd (1)

1986 – Kyle Petty (1)

1988 – Davey Allison (2)

1990 – Mark Martin (1)

1992 – Bill Elliott (1)

1993 – Davey Allison (1)

1994 – Ernie Irvan (1)

1995 – Rusty Wallace (2)

1996 – Ernie Irvan (2)

1997 – Rusty Wallace and Dale Jarrett

1998 – Jeff Burton (2)

1999 – Dale Jarrett (1)

2001 – Ricky Rudd (2)

2002 – Matt Kenseth (2)

2005 – Kurt Busch (2)

2013 – Carl Edwards (2)

2014 – Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski

2017 – Joey Logano (1)

2020 – Brad Keselowski

2022 – Kevin Harvick (2)

FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS AT RICHMOND

1987 – Mark Martin

1993 – Mark Martin (Sweep)

1994 – Kenny Wallace

1995 – Kenny Wallace and Dale Jarrett

1996 – Kenny Wallace (2)

1997 – Mark Martin (1)

1998 – Jeff Burton (1)

1999 – Mark Martin (1)

2000 – Jeff Burton (1)

2002 – Jason Keller (1)

2005 – Carl Edwards (1)

2008 – Carl Edwards (2)

2009 – Carl Edwards (2)

2013 – Brad Keselowski (Sweep)

2017 – Brad Keselowski (2)

2019 – Cole Custer (1)

FORD NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES WINNERS AT TEXAS

1997 – Kenny Irwin, Jr.

1998 – Tony Raines

2000 – Greg Biffle (1)

Michael McDowell and No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops/Speedco Team Spring Richmond Competition Notes

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Official Release
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Michael McDowell and No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Team
Richmond Raceway Competition Notes

TEAM AND RACE NOTES:

Michael McDowell takes the Love’s Travel Stops colors back to the track this weekend. The No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops team will compete at the Richmond (Va.) Raceway this Sunday.

Sunday’s race will be the first points-paying short track of the season.

The race is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

COMPETITION NOTES:

The Love’s Travel Stops team is looking to start collecting top-10 finishes beginning this weekend. The Love’s Travel Stops Ford was in the top-three and then top-six at the end of the race at the Circuit of the Americas before being spun. The team finished 12th.

McDowell has a 13th-place finish at the Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway and could have finished in the top-10 in the Daytona 500 this season. He is looking to start collecting top-10 and top-five results.

CREW CHIEF TRAVIS PETERSON:

“We should have two or three top-10 finishes right now and probably be three or four spots higher in the points. Michael and everyone on the team are doing a good job and these better finishes will come to us.”

DRIVER MICHAEL MCDOWELL:

“We just need to continue to execute properly and keep showing the speed. The season is young and we’re still coming together as a team. I am encouraged by what we’re doing and how we’re communicating during the week in the shop and at the track.

“There is a lot of potential with this group this season. It is not easy, but everyone is working hard. We will see the top-10 and top-five finishes come to us if we keep it up.”

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.

GEARWRENCH Racing: Kevin Harvick Richmond Advance

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Official Release
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KEVIN HARVICK
Richmond Advance
No. 4 GEARWRENCH® Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Richmond 400 (Round 7 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 2
● Location: Richmond (Va.) Raceway
● Layout: .75-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 400 laps/300 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 70 laps / Stage 2: 160 laps / Final Stage: 170 laps
● TV/Radio: FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 GEARWRENCH® Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), has made 796 career NASCAR Cup Series starts, with 128 of those starts coming on short tracks. And of his 60 Cup Series wins, eight have been on short tracks, with Richmond accounting for four of those victories. Harvick scored his first Richmond win in September 2006, his second in September 2011, his third in April 2013 and his fourth last August. His August win, however, was Harvick’s first with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR). Despite being winless in his 16 prior starts at Richmond as a member of SHR, Harvick remained stout. He had three runner-up drives, nine top-five and 12 top-10 finishes, and only one result outside of the top-15.

● Harvick joined SHR in 2014 and has since recorded 37 of his 60 career NASCAR Cup Series wins, the most recent of which came at Richmond. In the Federated Auto Parts 400 last August, Harvick started 13th and drove into the lead for the first time on lap 334. He wound up leading twice for 55 laps, including the final 48 where Harvick legged out a margin of .441 of a second over second-place Christopher Bell.

● Harvick’s win last August at Richmond gave him 29 top-10s at the .75-mile oval, the most among active NASCAR Cup Series drivers. Next best is Kyle Busch with 27 top-10s. Who is the all-time leader in top-10s at Richmond? None other than “The King,” seven-time Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty. He earned 41 top-10s at Richmond in 63 career starts.

● Harvick has led 15,944 total laps in his NASCAR Cup Series career, with 1,235 of those laps coming at Richmond.

● The Richmond 400 will mark Harvick’s 44th NASCAR Cup Series start at the Virginia short track. His first start at Richmond came on May 5, 2001. That race was won by SHR co-owner Tony Stewart, who beat then three-time champion Jeff Gordon by .372 of a second. Harvick finished 17th in what was his 10th career Cup Series start. Eleven of the 43 drivers in that race have since been inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame – Stewart, Gordon, Rusty Wallace, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Bobby Labonte, Mark Martin, Dale Jarrett, Ron Hornaday Jr., Bill Elliott and Terry Labonte.

● Harvick is the winningest NASCAR Xfinity Series driver at Richmond with seven victories. Kyle Busch is next best with six wins. Harvick finished among the top-10 in all but six of his 21 career Xfinity Series starts at Richmond.

● Harvick has also competed at Richmond in the NASCAR Truck Series and in IROC. He has made five Truck Series starts, the last three of which saw him finish second (2001), second (2002) and third (2005). And in his lone IROC start in 2004, Harvick finished fifth.

● GEARWRENCH is the No. 1 worldwide professional-grade mechanics’ hand tool brand, and the 90T reversible ratcheting wrench set is a prime example of its innovative tool lineup. GEARWRENCH flips the competition in this category by allowing users to engage a forward or reverse position without having to flip over the wrench. And with a 15 degree offset box end, there’s still plenty of clearance for one’s hands and knuckles. They’re the same ratcheting wrenches used by SHR, and they’re available in a 16-piece metric set and a 14-piece SAE set. Each wrench features color-filled markings, with molten orange for metric sizes and black for standard sizes.

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 GEARWRENCH Ford Mustang

We just came out of a bump-and-bang race on the road course at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, where some of the new-to-NASCAR drivers – Jenson Button, Kimi Räikkönen and Jordan Taylor – were surprised at how much contact there was out on the racetrack. Is there a driver code when it comes to competing in these races?

“Well, the driver code is not what it used to be when I first started – when you would run into the back of somebody on a restart and lift their tires up off the ground because the nose was only 8, 9, 10 inches off the ground. It was much different then because there was a race etiquette that Ken Schrader and Bobby Hamilton and Dale Earnhardt and Mark Martin made sure that you understood. Usually, it came in ways of not being able to get your lap back when the caution came out. They would race you back to the yellow (flag) if you weren’t doing things appropriately on the racetrack. You also have to remember that the consequences were much different without the SAFER Barriers and the things that had happened at that particular point of time. You’re talking about hurting guys in a pretty serious way. The cars were less durable than what they are now, so a lot of times when you had stuff happen and you roughed people up and you were being rambunctious and it ended their day, it was looked upon as careless behavior and the car wasn’t able to handle it. Today, I really see it at the go-kart tracks. The things you currently see on the racetrack are exactly how all of them are taught to race. They’re taught to block, they’re taught to race in the rain, they’re taught to run into you and they’re taught to gouge on the restarts, and that’s just the way it is. It’s just a different upbringing as far as how you teach them to race compared to how I was taught to race, and there are a lot more situations where everybody has the resources and cars to get to the racetrack than putting your car together on a week-to-week basis where if you didn’t finish, you didn’t get to go for a few weeks. It’s a much different era of racing than what it used to be.”

This current-generation car does seem to be a little more forgiving than the previous-generation car when it comes to beating and banging. Those composite body panels don’t cut tires like the sheet metal of past cars used to. Does that give drivers a green light to lean on one another a bit more?

“You still have to be careful. Front-to-rear is fine with the foam and everything in the back of the car, but you still have to take care of the racecar. You still have a little more leeway than what you used to. You just don’t want to hit the wheels really hard because those parts will break.”

What’s OK and what isn’t when it comes to car-to-car contact at a short track?

“You can pretty much tell if it’s on purpose or not on purpose. You just have to be mentally prepared to know that there is going to be contact as you go through that race. You just have to try and stay as calm as possible. But, usually, if it’s the same guy that keeps having contact, then you know you have to do something different.”

When you won at Richmond last August, it was your second straight victory after winning the weekend before at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. How satisfying were those back-to-back wins?

“I think the most gratifying part of it all was the fact that we all worked through it together. Last year, this car was so drastically different from what we had before, and it forced you to look at things a lot differently than what you did before. For myself and Rodney (Childers, crew chief), we’ve been around this for a long time, and having to forget all of the stuff that you’ve done – you’re going to the same racetracks, but it’s a different thought process. It’s a different process of how you get to that answer than what it used to be. You had to be open-minded.”

When you have a car that isn’t capable of winning the race, how do you change your mindset to get the best out of your racecar on that particular day?

“That’s just something from when I wrestled in high school and raced our Late Models, it was always pounded into my head that it’s OK to not be good, but it’s not OK to quit. It’s never OK to not give it 100 percent. It’s never OK to quit grinding away for every single second of whatever it is you’re doing because you’re letting yourself down. And in this deal, you’re not only letting yourself down, you’re letting your whole team down, and I think that’s contagious, because nobody ever lets down. We can be off and struggling in a race, but we can keep ourselves on the lead lap and have a good pit stop and all of a sudden show up and finish fourth or fifth at the end of a race just because five or six of them have crashed and we’ve ground away all day at the little things and made our car a little bit better and hung in there and all of a sudden here we are. Sometimes it’s just about grinding away and doing the little things right. You don’t have to be the fastest, but if you just do more right than everybody else, you’re probably going to be pretty successful. There’s a lot of details that go into what we do to be good. Even with a slow car you can still find 100 details to make a slow car faster, and sometimes making a slow car faster is OK on certain days. Every day is different. Every day you have to find something to improve on and it’s a constant improvement.”

No. 4 GEARWRENCH Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Kevin Harvick

Hometown: Bakersfield, California

Crew Chief: Rodney Childers

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Car Chief: Robert “Cheddar” Smith

Hometown: Whitewater, Wisconsin

Engineer: Stephen Doran

Hometown: Butler, Pennsylvania

Engineer: Dax Gerringer

Hometown: Gibsonville, North Carolina

Spotter: Tim Fedewa

Hometown: Holt, Michigan

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Daniel Coffey

Hometown: Granite Falls, North Carolina

Rear Tire Changer: Daniel Smith

Hometown: Concord, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Jeremy Howard

Hometown: Delhart, Texas

Jack Man: Brandon Banks

Hometown: High Point, North Carolina

Fuel Man: Evan Marchal

Hometown: Westfield, Indiana

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Tyler Trosper

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Mechanic: Nick DeFazio

Hometown: Orange, California

Tire Specialist: Jamie Turski

Hometown: Trumbull, Connecticut

Engine Tuner: Robert Brandt

Hometown: Mobile, Alabama

Transporter Co-Driver: Rick Hodges

Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Stephen Mitchell

Hometown: Woodville, Ohio

New “NASCAR Legends Presented by GEICO” Campaign Celebrates Legendary People, Places and Moments Throughout NASCAR’s 75 Years

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Official Release
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Campaign will come to life over four weeks through original social/digital content, advertising and at-track integrations, culminating with the launch of a fan sweepstakes

Daytona Beach, Fla. (March 28, 2023) – NASCAR this week is launching a new marketing campaign in conjunction with one of its Premier Partners as the sport continues celebrating its 75th anniversary. “NASCAR Legends Presented by GEICO” centers on telling stories of notable traditions and prominent pieces of NASCAR history across multiple touchpoints, from drivers and tracks to fans, moments and more.

The four-week window kicked off with a new television spot called “Mean It” that aired during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of The Americas. The spot showcases examples of legendary drivers, tracks and fans in the sport. The media plan also includes a radio spot and digital advertising.

The campaign will come to an exciting conclusion during the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 23 with the launch of a sweepstakes offering fans the chance to be the Honorary Starter as part of a legendary VIP experience of their own at the 2024 GEICO 500 at Talladega.

“You don’t grow from backroads and beaches to become the No. 1 motorsport in America without amassing plenty of legendary figures and memories along the way,” said Pete Jung, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at NASCAR. “We’re ecstatic about teaming up with our partners at GEICO to celebrate more of those stories with our fans and continue connecting NASCAR’s past, present and future through this campaign.”

Throughout its run, NASCAR Legends Presented by GEICO will be anchored by original social and digital content produced by NASCAR Studios, including the series: Photo Memories, Untold Stories, NASCAR Classics and NASCAR Rewind. Multiple pieces of content will roll out across NASCAR platforms each week, offering fans unparalleled perspective on some of their favorite moments and others they may be hearing about for the first time.

Fans can visit www.nascar.com/legends to see it all in one dedicated digital hub.

Content and additional campaign elements will be part of the NASCAR Experience midway activation at Richmond Raceway, Martinsville Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, including branded giveaway items for fans and on-stage interviews with legendary NASCAR personalities.

GEICO will incorporate the campaign into their own at-track activations during the GEICO 500 weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, and there will be official integrations with the NASCAR Hall of Fame as well.

The NASCAR season rolls into Richmond Raceway this weekend. Fans can tune in to the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 this Sunday, April 2, at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Tickets are available for purchase at www.nascar.com/tickets.

About NASCAR

Celebrating its 75th Anniversary in 2023, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race, NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Pinty’s Series (Canada), NASCAR Whelen Euro Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 12 countries and more than 30 U.S. states. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).

About GEICO

GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) was founded in 1936 and insures more than 28 million vehicles in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. A member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies, GEICO constantly strives to make lives better by protecting people against unexpected events while saving them money and providing an outstanding customer experience. Along with personal auto insurance, commercial auto and personal umbrella coverages are also available. Homeowners, renters, condo, flood, identity theft, term life, and more coverages are written through non-affiliated insurance companies and are secured through the GEICO Insurance Agency, Inc. Visit geico.com for a quote or to learn more.

Zane Smith and No. 38 Speedy Cash Ford F-150 Team Texas Motor Speedway Competition Notes

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Official Release
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Zane Smith and the No. 38 Speedy Cash Ford F-150 Team
Texas Motor Speedway Competition Notes

TEAM AND RACE NOTES:

Continuing their streak of consecutive races, Zane Smith and the No. 38 Speedy Cash Ford F-150 team will roll into the Texas Motor Speedway this weekend for Saturday’s SpeedyCash.com 250.

Racing with the Speedy Cash colors, Smith will be looking to get his third win of the season and park his F-150 in Speedy Cash victory lane at the mile-and-a-half oval.

Speedy Cash is an omni-channel lender that specializes in financial services such as installment loans, title loans, payday loans, personal lines of credit, check cashing, money transfers and money orders. Speedy Cash is a part of the Community Choice Financial family of brands which includes CheckSmart, easymoney, Check Into Cash, California Check Cashing Stores, and more. The Community Choice Financial family of brands provides personal lending and ancillary services at over 700 stores nationwide and online.

Smith is looking to get his first win at the track.

The SpeedyCash.com 250 will be held on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

COMPETITION NOTES:

The SpeedyCash.com team is the team to beat right now. Smith led the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports (FRM) NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team to its second win of the season last weekend at the Circuit of the Americas. Smith took over the regular season and playoff points lead, too.

The team brings chassis 151 to the track. It will see its first track time this season. It raced at other mile-and-a-half tracks last season, including the Texas Motor Speedway.

CREW CHIEF CHRIS LAWSON:

“We have some unfinished business to take care of in Texas. We’ve been friends with SpeedyCash.com for several seasons and it’s time we get them into Speedy Cash victory lane with us.

“This truck has shown great speed and we just need to make sure that we do the right things in preparation before we leave the shop. On the track, Zane is making the results speak for themselves.”

DRIVER ZANE SMITH:

“Texas is a tough track. You need to be out front at these mile-and-a-half tracks to have clean air. It makes a huge difference. That makes qualifying important and then staying up front. It’s tough to move back up through the field.

“I want to win every race at every track, but it’s special when you can win when your sponsor is the race sponsor, too. They have an awesome Speedy Cash victory lane. I want to raise a cowboy hat at the end of Saturday.”

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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