Kaulig Racing Weekly Advance | Circuit of the Americas (COTA) EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix Circuit of the Americas (COTA) NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Sunday, March 26 at 3:30 p.m. EST on FOX
Kaulig Racing has made three starts at COTA in the NCS.
The team’s best finish at COTA came in 2021, when AJ Allmendinger placed fifth in 2021 Echopark Texas Grand Prix
AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions FARMSMART Camaro ZL1
AJ Allmendinger has two NCS starts at COTA.
Allmendinger led two laps in the 2022 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix and was in contention for the win before last-lap contact while fighting for the lead resulted in a 33rd place finish.
“Obviously last year we had a really good shot to win the race. It’s a completely different year with a completely different package. Hopefully we’ll unload close to what we had last year and just build off of that as the weekend goes on. New way of racing without stages there, so you have to qualify well and try to run up front because there isn’t much you can do strategy wise. We know this is a weekend we can run up front, score good points and hopefully give ourselves the chance to win which is the ultimate goal.” – AJ Allmendinger on Circuit of the Americas
Justin Haley, No. 31 Celsius Camaro ZL1
Justin Haley has made two starts at COTA, recording his best start of ninth last year with Kaulig Racing.
Haley’s best finish at COTA is 15th.
“I’m looking forward to the first road course of the year. COTA was the first track that we made the final round of qualifying at last year. We showed a ton of speed in both qualifying and the race along with my teammate, AJ (Allmendinger). It’s one of those tracks I’ve enjoyed racing at in other series and have some confidence going into the weekend.” – Justin Haley on Circuit of the Americas Pit Boss 250 presented by USA Today
Circuit of the Americas (COTA) NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) Saturday, March 25 at 5:00 p.m. EST on FS1
Kaulig Racing has made six starts at COTA in the NXS, earning one win, one runner-up finish, four top-10 finishes and 33 laps led.
AJ Allmendinger, No. 10 Celsius Chevrolet Camaro
AJ Allmendinger has two NXS starts at COTA.
With a win in the 2022 season and a runner up finish in 2021, Allmendinger has led 33 total laps and has an average finish of 1.5 at the 3.41 mile racetrack.
COTA will be Allmendinger’s first NXS start of the 2023 season.
“I’m excited to get back in the Xfinity car at a track we won at last year. COTA is a racetrack I have enjoyed; hopefully we can go there and be good in the Xfinity car and give ourselves a chance to win. It’s a stacked field with who is entered for this race, so we have to be on our A-game, but feel like we’ll have a good chance.” – AJ Allmendinger on Circuit of the Americas
Daniel Hemric, No. 11 Chevy Accessories Chevrolet Camaro
Daniel Hemric has made two starts at COTA in the NXS.
So far in the 2023 NXS Season, Hemric has recorded one top five, three top-10 finishes and has an average start of 12.6 and average finish of 14 across five starts.
“Road-course racing time is here, and it’s such a vital part of putting a complete season together as a race team. With stage racing still in effect, but no stage breaks to go with it, there’s a lot more on the drivers and teams this week in my opinion from a preparation standpoint, as well as the additional strategy involved in trying to strategically approach the weekend. We are excited for the challenge.” – Daniel Hemric on Circuit of the Americas
Chandler Smith, No. 16 Quick Tie Chevrolet Camaro
The Pit Boss 250 Presented by USA Today will be Chandler Smith’s first road course race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Smith made two starts at COTA in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS), with a best finish of fifth.
“I’ve really improved on road courses over the last few years, but it’s still a discipline I am trying to get better at. It helps having a teammate this weekend that’s one of the best road-course racers in NASCAR today in AJ (Allmendinger). I’ll definitely lean on him a good bit. We had a good run last year at COTA, but it’ll be a different experience being in the Xfinity car compared to a Truck. Hopefully we can rebound this week and get some of that positive momentum back.” – Chandler Smith on Circuit of the Americas
About Kaulig Racing™
Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started and has won back-to-back regular-season championships. Before becoming a full-time NCS team, Kaulig Racing made multiple starts in the 2021 NCS season and won in its seventh-ever start with AJ Allmendinger’s victory at “The Brickyard” for the Verizon 200 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The team expanded to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 with Justin Haley piloting the No. 31 Camaro ZL1, and an all-star lineup featured in the No. 16 Camaro ZL1. Haley will continue to drive the No. 31 full-time in 2023, alongside AJ Allmendinger, who will drive the No. 16 Camaro ZL1. The team will continue to field three, full-time NXS entries; the No. 10 Chevrolet driven by an all-star lineup that will be announced at a later date, the No. 11 Chevrolet driven by Daniel Hemric, and the No. 16 Chevrolet driven by Chandler Smith. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.
2023 NHRA Arizona Nationals Chandler, Arizona March 24-26, 2023
ONE LAST SHOOTOUT AT WILD HORSE PASS
For the final time, the horsepower-filled field of the NHRA will take to the track at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park near Phoenix, Arizona. As the sun sets on the Southwest staple, Team Chevy drivers and teams look to rebound after NHRA’s Gatornationals in Gainesville while also capitalizing on 2022’s victories in Pro Stock (Elite Motorsports’ Aaron Stanfield) and Stock Eliminator (Leo Glasbrenner).
Featuring Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock categories in competition this weekend, Troy Coughlin, Jr. looks to extend his streak of victory after capturing the 2023 season-opening Wally in Pro Stock in his JEGS.com/Elite Performance Chevrolet Camaro SS. Coughlin, Jr.’s Elite Motorsports teammate Aaron Stanfield heads into the race defending his 2022 NHRA Arizona Nationals Pro Stock win. Facing redemption from a Round 1 elimination in Gainesville, five-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders enters the event weekend with a clear vision of her potential 44th career victory.
With KB Titan Racing’s Greg Anderson and Dallas Glenn racing to the semifinals in Gainesville, they hunt for their first Wally of the year alongside teammates Camrie Caruso, Kyle Koretsky, Deric Kramer, and Matt Hartford. With 115 Pro Stock victories – 101 career for Anderson, four Pro Stock wins notched by Glenn, four career wins by Kramer, five credited to Hartford, and one Pro Stock win to Koretsky, the team continues to seek the NHRA Winner’s Circle as Anderson looks to continue his drive for a sixth championship.
Prepared to battle for more championships and adding to their legendary winning history, the quartet at John Force Racing looks to reverse Gainesville’s results and sets sights on building momentum at Phoenix and beyond. Looking to match Shirley Muldowney (Top Fuel) and Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle) for second on the NHRA all-time championship list by females with another title in 2023, Brittany Force, in her Monster Energy Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster, also seeks her 44th No. 1 qualifier at Phoenix as well as her 17th career victory. Austin Prock, in his Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster, seeks his fourth career NHRA Top Fuel victory, building on his 52 round wins and one No. 1 qualifier in his 50-race career. On the Funny Car side of the nitro ladders, John Force, in his PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, enters his 834th NHRA race seeking to build on his 1,423 round wins, 155 victories, and 16 championships. Robert Hight, in his Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, also looks to build on 398 events with 61 victories, 77 No. 1 qualifiers, and 593 round wins.
NHRA Arizona Nationals action from Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park airs first with Friday qualifying on Friday, March 24 at 10:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Saturday qualifying from Phoenix airs Sunday, March 25 at 12 p.m. ET on FS1. Sunday’s Finals also air on FS1, starting at 7 p.m. ET. Coverage streaming live throughout the weekend can be found through NHRA.tv, available via AppleTV, Android TV, and Roku devices.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Brittany Force, driver of the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pack Chevrolet Top Fuel Dragster for John Force Racing:
“Heading into race two on the NHRA circuit this weekend in Phoenix and we plan to come out with a win. With this being the final NHRA national event at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, this Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team wants to leave on a strong note,” Force said. “We plan to qualify in the top three and go four rounds on race day. We’ve set both ends of the track record with our No. 1 qualifier from 2020 but it wasn’t enough on race day. Hoping to turn things around this year and get our first win of the 2023 season.”
Austin Prock, driver of the Montana Brand/Rock Mountain Chevrolet Top Fuel Dragster for John Force Racing:
“I’m ready to get back into action with my Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team at the Arizona Nationals. Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park is where I made my first pass in a Top Fuel Car and there’s just something about being out west early in the year that feels right,” Prock said. “We are going to come out strong this weekend and put the Gatornationals behind us. We’ve got a great team and car that can run with the best of them.”
TEAM CHEVY BY THE NUMBERS
1,423: Round wins for John Force (1st all-time)
593: Round wins for Robert Hight (14th all-time)
367: Number of wins in Pro Stock since 1970; 247 won in the Chevrolet Camaro body
264: Final Round wins by John Force (the last coming in Topeka, runner-up)
165: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for John Force (1st all-time)
155: Number of Chevrolet Racing Funny Car wins since 1967
77: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for Robert Hight (6th all-time)
75: Number of Chevrolet Racing Funny Car wins with the Camaro body
43: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for Brittany Force
27: Number of NHRA championships Chevrolet holds as a manufacturer since entering the first in 1966. No other manufacturer has won it more than Chevrolet.
24: Wins by John Force in a Chevrolet-bodied Funny Car
18: Number of Pro Stock championships
16: Chevrolet career Top Fuel wins in NHRA
16: Number of Chevrolet career wins by Brittany Force
7: Number of Funny Car driver championships
2: Number of Top Fuel driver championships
MOST RECENT WIN IN NHRA BY CHEVROLET
Gainesville, 2023: Troy Coughlin, Jr., Pro Stock
MOST RECENT DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIPS IN NHRA BY CHEVROLET
2022: Brittany Force, Top Fuel
2022: Erica Enders, Pro Stock
2022: David Barton, Factory Stock Showdown
2019: Robert Hight, Funny Car
UPCOMING NHRA MILESTONES
950: Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) is second all-time with 914 elimination round wins. He could reach 950 round wins with a decent run in the 18-race schedule.
600: Robert Hight has 593 Funny Car elimination round victories to rank 14th on the all-time NHRA list. Reaching 600 round wins would put him 13th all time.
437: By qualifying for his next race, Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) will extend his NHRA record to 437 consecutive race day appearances.
138: Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) ranks third on the NHRA all-time list with 121 No. 1 qualifiers. He will tie Warren Johnson (Pro Stock, 138) for second to John Force (165) on the list.
62: Robert Hight will move into the top 10 on the all-time NHRA victory list with his next win, tying the retired Larry Dixon (Top Fuel) with 62 wins. Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock, retired) is ninth on list with 65.
46: Erica Enders has 43 career Pro Stock victories (all with Chevrolet). Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle) is the all-time NHRA female leader with 46.
18: Brittany Force (16 Top Fuel career wins) will move past Shirley Muldowney (18 wins) into third on the NHRA all-time victory list for females. Erica Enders (Pro Stock, 43) and Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle, 46) are ahead.
6: Erica Enders (Pro Stock) could tie Warren Johnson (6 Pro Stock championships) for second on the class list. The same holds for Greg Anderson. Bob Glidden is the leader with 10.
3: Brittany Force (Top Fuel, 2 championships) would tie Shirley Muldowney (Top Fuel) and Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle) for second on the NHRA all-time championship list by females with another title in 2023. Erica Enders (Pro Stock, 5) is the leader.
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with 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.
CHASE BRISCOE COTA Advance No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing
Event Overview
● Event: EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix (Round 6 of 36) ● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, March 26 ● Location: Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas ● Layout: 3.426-mile, 20-turn road course ● Laps/Miles: 68 laps/231.88 miles ● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 15 laps / Stage 2: 15 laps / Final Stage: 38 laps ● TV/Radio: FOX / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Notes of Interest
● Chase Briscoe will make his third start at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, this Sunday in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. Briscoe earned his first NASCAR Cup Series top-10 with his sixth-place in the inaugural race there in 2021. It was his first of three top-10 finishes earned in his Rookie of the Year season, all on road courses. Though the introduction of the NextGen car leveled the playing field on road courses during the 2022 season, Briscoe’s team showed speed on road courses. He’s focused this year on finding the areas where he can gain advantages over his competitors through intense prep work during the offseason.
● Beginning this weekend at COTA, teams will no longer see mandatory cautions at the conclusion of the first and second stages at road-course events. Drivers will still earn stage points based on their running position at the completion of the designated lap, but there will be no break in racing action.
● Two of Briscoe’s biggest wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series came on road courses. The first, earned on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval in 2018, has been credited as the win that saved his career. In 2020, when the Xfinity Series ran its inaugural race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway grand prix circuit, the Mitchell, Indiana, native led a race-high 30 of 62 laps en route to a dominating win in front of his hometown crowd.
● Sunday’s race is as a home event for Mahindra Tractors, a brand of Houston-based Mahindra Ag North America. Part of Mahindra Group’s Automotive and Farm Sector, Mahindra Ag North America is the No. 1-selling farm tractor company in the world, based on volumes across all company brands. Mahindra farm equipment is engineered to be easy to operate by first-time tractor or side-by-side owners, and heavy duty to tackle the tough jobs of rural living, farming and ranching. Steel-framed Mahindra tractors and side-by-sides are ideal for customers who demand performance, reliability and comfort at a great value. Mahindra dealers are independent, family-owned businesses located throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
In 2021, all of your top-10 finishes came on road courses. With the introduction of the NextGen car, we saw more parity. Is it more difficult to find those areas on track where you can gain an advantage over other teams?
“I think the whole field has elevated their ability on road courses, between the teams putting in work to figure out what to do with the new car and the driver getting more comfortable. So, it’s going to be hard to have a big advantage where you would typically find it, in a braking zone or with straightaway speed, but the lower downforce will hopefully help some and allow us to find something we can work with to gain that advantage.”
You got to spend time with Jenson Button last week. Did you have any advice for the Formula One champion before his first NASCAR start?
“I don’t know that he needs any advice from me. These Formula One guys are unbelievable road-course racers. Last year, I kind of did a seat swap with Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen at the Charlotte Roval, and they only ran like five laps apiece before they were within a second of what I was running at pretty much 100 percent. So, Jenson is going to bring a lot to the table just as far as knowing what to look for as an opportunity to maximize what he’s getting from the car. I’m really excited for the opportunity to race against him and learn from him. I don’t think it will take long for him to catch on, just from talking to him and seeing how he prepares for these races.”
Primary Team Members Driver: Chase BriscoeHometown: Mitchell, Indiana Crew Chief: John KlausmeierHometown: Perry Hall, Maryland Car Chief: J.D. FreyHometown: Ferndale, California Engineer: Mike CookHometown: Annapolis, Maryland Spotter: Joey CampbellHometown: Berlin, Connecticut
Over-The-Wall Members Front Tire Changer: Shayne PipalaHometown: Frankfort Square, Illinois Rear Tire Changer: Dakota Ratcliff Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee Tire Carrier: Jon Bernal Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina Jack Man: Dylan MoserHometown: Monroe, North Carolina Fuel Man: Corey CoppolaHometown: 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 FinkHometown: Mocksville, North Carolina
Round: NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race No. 4 of 23
Track Location: Circuit Of The Americas (COTA) – Austin, Texas
Race Name: XPEL 225
Broadcast: Saturday, March 25th at 1:30 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 – Dell Children’s Medical Center / Nyle Maxwell Supercenter Chevrolet
Grant Enfinger, No. 23 Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet Silverado RST
Circuit Of The Americas Stats
NCTS Starts: 2; Best start: 16th; Best finish: 4th (2021); Top 5s: 1; Top 10s: 2
Combined Starts: 8; Best start: 8th; Best finish: 4th (COTA, 2021); Top 5s: 1; Top 10s: 3, Laps led: 1
2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season Stats
Starts: 3; Best start: 7th; Best finish: 5th (Daytona); Top 5s: 1; Top 10s: 2; Laps led: 3; Current points position: 6th
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.
Chassis History/Info: Grant Enfinger and the No. 23 team will compete with GMS Racing chassis no. 145 at the Circuit Of The Americas this weekend. This will be a brand new chassis for Enfinger, purpose built specifically for road course racing.
Consistency on the Road: In 2022, Grant Enfinger’s road course outings could be summed up by one word: consistent. The driver of the Champion Power Equipment Silverado RST had finishes of 10th (COTA), 11th (Sonoma), and 11th again (Mid-Ohio). This weekend will be the third time that Enfinger has competed at COTA, and if his past two races are of any indication, you might see that No. 23 Chevy up near the front on Saturday. In both races, Grant earned top-10 results, with a best showing of fourth in 2021, a race that included racing action in the rain.
Stage Points: In Atlanta, Enfinger continued his streak of gaining stage points in all six of the stages that have been completed this season. In total, the driver of the No. 23 Chevy has earned 28 stage points this season (four in Daytona, 13 in Las Vegas, and 11 in Atlanta). He looks to continue that streak this weekend on the road course in Austin.
GE Appearances: Fans attending the XPEL 225 will have an opportunity to meet Grant Enfinger on Saturday, March 25th:
Team Chevy Stage: All three GMS Racing drivers will participate in a Q&A session at the Team Chevy stage located in the Circuit Of The Americas Fan Zone from 9:45 AM to 10:00 AM local time. - From The Drivers Seat: Though you don’t necessarily consider yourself a road course racer at heart, your COTA track record may say otherwise. How well do you enjoy racing at this facility?
“I would say that I’ve definitely put a lot of effort into my road course racing over the last couple of years, and I think COTA is one of those tracks that has a little bit of everything – there are some technical sections, there are some slow-speed corners and high speed corners. Obviously, that back straightaway is really, really fast, and it forces you to almost have to get the truck completely stopped at the end of it. But yeah, it’s a place I really enjoy; I enjoy the challenge of it and I’ve worked really hard at learning the layout. I know [Jeff] Hensley and the rest of my guys at GMS Racing have put a lot of effort into this Champion Power Equipment Chevrolet, so hopefully we will have something to contend with.”
Rajah Caruth, No. 24 Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet Silverado RST
Circuit Of The Americas Stats
Rajah Caruth will be making his first start in any series at COTA on Saturday.
ARCA Road Course Stats (Mid-Ohio & Watkins Glen)
Combined Starts: 2; Best start: 5th; Best finish: 9th (Mid-Ohio, 2022); Top 10s: 1
2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season Stats
Starts: 3; Best start: 17th; Best finish: 25th (Atlanta); Current points position: 22nd
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: Caruth and the No. 24 team will compete with GMS Racing chassis no. 138 in Austin on Saturday. This chassis has been raced in five prior events by Sheldon Creed in 2021 and Grant Enfinger in 2022. Overall, the truck has earned two top-fives and three top-10 finishes, with a best result of third at Watkins Glen, delivered by Creed in 2021. At COTA, the truck has finished in the top-10 on both occasions that it’s been ran, with a best finish of fifth, also earned by Creed in 2021, where it led 14 laps.
Sunoco Rookie Battle: Though it appeared as if Caruth was on his way to his first top-10 result of the season in Atlanta, a blown right front tire on the white flag dropped him to a disappointing result of 25th place. Heading into COTA, Rajah sits fourth in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings, 29 points behind leader Nick Sanchez and eight points behind his teammate, Daniel Dye, who is in third.
RC Appearances: Fans attending the XPEL 225 will have an opportunity to meet Rajah Caruth on Saturday, March 25th:
Team Chevy Stage: All three GMS Racing drivers will participate in a Q&A session at the Team Chevy stage located in the Circuit Of The Americas Fan Zone from 9:45 AM to 10:00 AM local time.
From The Driver’s Seat: You’ve never seen the racetrack at COTA before, so how big of a help has iRacing been to you in preparing for this weekend?
“So since I’ve never been to COTA before, iRacing is going to be so pivotal to me this weekend. Albeit, I’m pretty much on the service all the time for any of the tracks that we go to, but for COTA, since I’ve never raced there before, it’s going to be even more useful for me before I hop in my actual Wendell Scott Foundation Silverado RST. I’m excited to give it a whirl, and I think we will have a strong weekend, especially with all of the prep that Josh Wise and Scott Speed have us Chevrolet athletes doing, and I think the GMS Racing trucks should be pretty sporty across the board.”
Daniel Dye, No. 43 Dell Children’s Medical Center / Nyle Maxwell Supercenter Chevrolet Silverado RST
Circuit Of The Americas Stats
Daniel Dye will be making his first start in any series at COTA on Saturday.
ARCA Road Course Stats (Mid-Ohio & Watkins Glen)
Combined Starts: 2; Best start: 8th; Best finish: 4th (Watkins Glen, 2022); Top 5s: 1, Top 10s: 2
ARCA West Road Course Stats (Portland)
Starts: 1; Poles: 1 (Portland, 2022); Best finish: 4th (Portland, 2022); Top 5s: 1; Top 10s: 1
2023 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Season Stats
Starts: 3; Best start: 19th; Best finish: 16th (Atlanta); Laps led: 5; Current points position: 19th
About Dell Children’s Medical Center: Dell Children’s Medical Center at Ascension Seton is a full-service pediatric medical center dedicated to the needs of children and families. When you choose Dell Children’s, your child’s care is connected across care teams – from 24/7 pediatric emergency care and level I trauma care to primary care, mental health care and specialty care. With the most comprehensive pediatric specialty care in Central Texas, you’ll find all the care your child and family need. Only in Austin. Only at Dell Children’s.
Our doctors are delivering medical breakthroughs every day. Your child’s pediatrician, specialists and care teams are part of an integrated community of experienced doctors who work together as one team. Share your concerns and ask us your questions – big and small. We start by listening to you and your child. Then, we work with you to create a care plan that’s right for your child. For more information, visit here.
Dell Children’s Medical Center Visit: On Thursday, March 23rd, Daniel Dye will make a visit to Dell Children’s Medical Center to spend time with patients and their families. As a big supporter of The NASCAR Foundation, Dye will deliver the patients with “Speedy Bears” provided by the foundation, as well as tee shirts to commemorate this weekend’s race in Austin. For any media members that would like to attend the event, Daniel will be available for one-on-one interviews during his visit from 2:45 PM to 3:45 PM local time at 4900 Mueller Blvd, Austin, TX.
Chassis History/Info: Dye and the No. 43 team will compete with GMS Racing chassis no. 140 at COTA. This Silverado RST has been driven in five races over the course of the past two seasons by Zane Smith and Jack Wood. Overall, the chassis has two top-10 finishes, with a best result of sixth at Watkins Glen in 2021 driven by Smith. Specifically in Austin, this truck has been ran twice before, earning a best finish of eighth place earned by Smith in 2021.
Sunoco Rookie Battle: Dye overcame early mechanical gremlins in Atlanta to earn his best finish of the season with a 16th place run. Entering this weekend’s race in Austin, Dye is third in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings, 21 points behind leader Nick Sanchez and one point behind second place’s Jake Garcia.
DD Appearances: Fans attending the XPEL 225 will have an opportunity to meet Daniel Dye on Saturday, March 25th:
Team Chevy Stage: All three GMS Racing drivers will participate in a Q&A session at the Team Chevy stage located in the Circuit Of The Americas Fan Zone from 9:45 AM to 10:00 AM local time.
From the Driver’s Seat: COTA will be the first road course that you run with in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, can you tell us a little more about your previous road racing experiences?
“Yeah, I’m looking forward to it. I mean, COTA is a whole different beast compared to Mid-Ohio, Watkins Glen, and Portland that I’ve raced at before. I loved road course racing last year in the ARCA Series. It’s going to be fun to try it out in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series; there’s a lot more trucks and competition out there, but to go to a huge place like COTA with 20 turns is going to be super cool. It’s going to be fun, we’re just going to stay on our toes and learn all day to be the best we can be by the end of it with our No. 43 Chevy.”
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.
RYAN PREECE COTA Advance No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing
Event Overview
● Event: EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix (Round 6 of 36) ● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, March 26 ● Location: Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas ● Layout: 3.426-mile, 20-turn road course ● Laps/Miles: 68 laps / 231.88 mile ● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 15 laps / Stage 2: 15 laps / Final Stage: 38 laps ● TV/Radio: FOX / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Notes of Interest
● The NASCAR Cup Series is going left and right this weekend at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. This will be the series’ third visit to COTA, the 3.426-mile, 20-turn road course. Ryan Preece made his first and only start at the track on the outskirts of the Texas state capital in 2021 for JTG-Daugherty Racing. He started 36th and finished 15th, leading two laps and completing all 54 laps. Sunday will mark Preece’s first start at the track with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR).
● Preece’s road-course racing background is not extensive. In his Cup Series career, he’s made 12 road-course starts. His best road-course outing was in 2021 at the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway road course, where he started sixth and finished ninth.
● In six NASCAR Xfinity Series road-course starts, Preece has two top-five finishes and three top 10s. He has a best finish of fourth, which occurred twice in 2018, at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval and Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, respectively.
● The Cup Series wrapped up the 2023 West Coast swing two weekends ago at Phoenix Raceway and returned to the Southeast last Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where Preece raced for the fifth time in his Cup Series career. He dropped a cylinder during Stage 2 and fell multiple laps off the pace. The No. 41 was credited with a 28th-place finish.
● Five races into the season, Preece is 26th in the driver standings with 63 points.
● Preece’s eighth career start at Phoenix two weekends ago ended with a 12th-place finish, his best points-paying finish of the season.
● Preece was a victim of circumstances in the second event of the season at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, getting caught up in a multicar accident on a lap-88 restart and ultimately finishing 33rd. The following weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Preece battled a tight racecar all day and was credited with a 23rd-place finish.
● Preece opened the 2023 season with a strong showing in the 65th running of the Daytona 500. He and the No. 41 Ford Mustang qualified 20th and logged the best 10-consecutive-lap average in final practice. On race day, Preece finished second in Stage 1 before getting caught up in a multicar accident on lap 181. He was unable to return to the race and finished 36th.
● Back again on the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) Ford Musting for 2023 is HaasTooling.com, the cutting tool division of Haas Automation led by SHR co-owner Gene Haas. HaasTooling.com was launched as a way for CNC machinists to purchase high-quality cutting tools at great prices. Haas cutting tools are sold exclusively online at HaasTooling.com and shipped directly to end users. HaasTooling.com products became available nationally in July 2020. Haas Automation, founded in 1983, is America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools. The company manufactures a complete line of vertical and horizontal machining centers, turning centers, rotaries and indexers, and automation solutions.
Ryan Preece, Driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
You had a tough day at Atlanta last weekend and fought the whole race while the team was diagnosing the problem, what happened?
“Yeah, that was a really bad day for our No. 41 Ford Mustang in Atlanta. We had an issue from the beginning and tried to limp our way through the first stage to make some adjustments. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to fix the issue with our car. We had to visit pit road multiple times and we just kept going laps down. Sunday was just a real struggle all around, all day. Looking forward to putting that one behind us.”
What are your thoughts on racing at COTA?
“Road-course racing has always been something that, when it compares to short-track racing, there are a lot of things that can certainly translate but there are also so many differences, too. I don’t have a ton of experience at COTA but I’m definitely looking forward to getting there. I feel like I’m as prepared as ever, so I’m excited for it.”
In general, what is it like to race on a road course in a stock car?
“I believe in the old stock car, at least when I drove the old car, it was a lot different from what I feel like this will be. Basically, we used to take a Cup car and convert them to be able to race on road courses. But now, with these cars, it’s almost natural for them to race on road courses. I think aggressive racing and track position is going to be everything this weekend. Practice and qualifying will be crucial.”
The number of road-course races on the schedule has doubled in recent years. How does that change the way you condition, and your mental preparation?
“There are a lot of similarities when it comes to road racing and short-track racing. The racing discipline of it is definitely still the same. But, there are a lot of other road-course ringers, or whatever you’d like to call them, that have the upper hand on a lot of things. For instance, when it comes to braking, there are a lot of differences. From a preparation standpoint, though, we’ve been given all the tools we need to be as prepared as possible and, at this point, I just want to show up and go do it.”
Primary Team Members Driver: Ryan Preece Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut Crew Chief: Chad JohnstonHometown: Cayuga, Indiana Car Chief: Tony CardamoneHometown: Bristol, Virginia Engineer: Lee DeeseHometown: Rockingham, North Carolina Engineer: Scott BinghamHometown: Lawrenceville, Georgia Spotter: Andy HoustonHometown: Hickory, North Carolina
Over-The-Wall Members Front Tire Changer: Devin LesterHometown: Bluefield, West Virginia Rear Tire Changer: Kevin TeafHometown: Tallahassee, Florida Tire Carrier: Chad EmmonsHometown: Tyler, Texas Jack Man: Kapil FletcherHometown: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Fuel Man: Dwayne MooreHometown: Griffin, Georgia
Road Crew Members Mechanic: Joe ZanoliniHometown: Sybertsville, Pennsylvania Underneath & Interior Mechanic: Clint LeatherwoodHometown: Rockmart, Georgia Shock Specialist: Aaron KuehnHometown: Kensington, Connecticut Tire Specialist: Matt RidgwayHometown: Carrollton, Georgia Engine Tuner: Jimmy FifeHometown: Orange County, California Transporter Co-Driver: David RodriguesHometown: Santa Clarita, California Transporter Co-Driver: Charlie SchleyerHometown: Youngsville, Pennsylvania
No. 18 Starkey/SoundGear Toyota Camry News and Notes:
SAWALICH AT FIVE FLAGS: William Sawalich will be making first ARCA Menards Series East (AMSE) start at Five Flags Speedway this weekend. The Toyota development driver is well-acquainted with the short track having three wins on his resume – a pro late model win in both 2021 and 2022 and a super late model win in 2022. This Saturday’s race will kick off the AMSE season as Sawalich competes for the 2023 AMSE championship.
LAST TIME OUT: Sawalich had an impressive ARCA Menards Series (AMS) debut at Phoenix Raceway on March 10. The 16-year-old qualified on the pole for his first race on the track and led a race-high 94 laps. On lap 55, the No. 18 spun, but did not receive any damage. Sawalich quickly charged back through the field and regained the lead. The caution flag flew near the end of the race to force a green-white-checkered finish. Sawalich restarted first in the inside lane and was spun in the dog leg coming to the white flag, resulting in a 13th-place finish.
2023 ARCA SEASON: Sawalich will run 20 races in the No. 18 Starkey/SoundGear Toyota Camry. He will compete for the AMSE Championship and the AMS Owner’s Championship for the No. 18.
JGR AT FIVE FLAGS: Joe Gibbs Racing has one previous win at Five Flags Speedway. That win came in the 2021 AMSE race with Sammy Smith behind the wheel.
FOLLOW ALONG: Follow along for updates and a behind-the-scenes look at Sawalich’s 2023 season. Twitter: @WilliamSawalich I Facebook: William Sawalich I Instagram: @williamsawalich
RACE INFO: The AMSE Pensacola 200 at Five Flags Speedway is scheduled for 9:00 PM EST on Saturday, March 25. The race will be broadcast live on FloRacing.
From the Driver’s Seat:
William Sawalich: “I’m excited to go race at Five Flags Speedway this weekend. It’s a track I feel comfortable at and think we have a good chance at a win. The No. 18 was fast at Phoenix and I know that the guys will bring a good car to Pensacola too. This weekend will be a good weekend to get ARCA East points and get started on the right foot to go chase a championship the rest of the year.”
Sawalich’s 2023 ARCA Menards Series Stats:
Starts
Wins
Top 5
Top 10
Poles
Laps Led
Avg. Start
Avg. Finish
1
0
0
0
1
94
1.0
13.0
About Starkey:
Starkey is a privately held, global hearing technology company headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Founded by Bill Austin in 1967, Starkey is known for its innovative design, development, and distribution of comprehensive digital hearing systems. Led today by President and CEO Brandon Sawalich, Starkey is the only American-owned provider of hearing technologies. The company has more than 5,000 employees, operates 29 facilities and does business in more than 100 markets worldwide. Learn more at starkey.com.
About SoundGear: Founded in 2010, SoundGear represents the latest advancements in hearing protection. SoundGear hearing protection and enhancement products are ideal for hunting, competitive shooting, law enforcement, construction, heavy industry, concerts and events, garages, motorsports, and much more. SoundGear engineers products that provide 100% digital sound enhancement to deliver superior environmental awareness, while still protecting your hearing. SoundGear products are manufactured by Starkey, a global leader in hearing technology and premier provider in hearing health care headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
About Joe Gibbs Racing:
Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is one of the premier organizations in NASCAR with four NASCAR Cup Series teams, three NASCAR Xfinity Series teams, and a driver development program. JGR is based in Huntersville, N.C., and owned by NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Joe Gibbs, who also earned his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was named as one of the NFL’s top 10 coaches of all-time with a winning career that included three Super Bowl Championships as head coach of the Washington franchise. JGR has competed in NASCAR since 1992, winning five Cup Series championships and six Xfinity Series owner’s championships, along with more than 350 NASCAR races, including four Brickyard 400s and four Daytona 500s.
CONCORD, N.C. (March 21, 2023) – OpTic Gaming will return to Spire Motorsports’ family of partners and serve as the primary sponsor of Corey LaJoie’s No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Echopark Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
OpTic is the winner of the 2022 Esports Awards Esports Organization of the Year.
“We’re thrilled to continue working with Spire Motorsports and wrap Corey LaJoie’s No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro with the world-renowned OpTic logo,” said Hector Rodriguez, Founder and CEO of OpTic Gaming. “OpTic is one of the few organizations bridging the gap between traditional sports and gaming. With NASCAR investing in and growing their esports community, this collaboration just makes sense. We’re excited to be along for the ride with Corey and bring co-branded merchandise to the GreenWall, with an exclusive hat and shirt available soon on the OpTic Shop.”
LaJoie turned in a career-best fourth-place performance in last Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, topping his previous series/career best by one position. He is currently 14th in the NCS point standings five races into the 2023 season.
“We’re pretty proud of how our small team has started out the year,” said LaJoie. “We’ve had some solid runs and to put together a fourth-place finish last weekend at Atlanta. That’s what it takes for a team like Spire Motorsports to be in the conversation. We need to be smart every week when we unload, and position ourselves to succeed at tracks where we know we can run well. I’m excited to carry this momentum into COTA this weekend and hopefully put on a good show for our friends at OpTic Gaming and the GreenWall.”
The Concord, N.C., veteran racer has recorded a pair of NCS starts at COTA and calls a 20th-place finish a career best at the 3.41-mile Austin, Texas circuit.
“Spire Motorsports has tremendous respect for OpTic’s legendary contributions to gaming content and culture,” said Spire Motorsports president Bill Anthony. “What’s most impressive is OpTic’s ability to continually reinvent and reimagine itself. We’re proud to be a part of the GreenWall and find creative ways to bring together the traditional sports and gaming worlds.”
The Echopark Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas will be televised live on FOX Sunday, March 26 beginning at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The sixth of 36 points races on 2023 NCS schedule will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
About OpTic Gaming … OpTic Gaming is an entertainment, media, and gaming company based in North Texas. Founded in 2006, OpTic is one of the most winning esports organizations in the world and features content creators, competitive gamers, and esports teams with global reach. The company has produced award-winning docuseries and currently operates Esports Stadium Arlington. OpTic’s ownership group includes esports industry pioneers Hector Rodriguez and Mike Rufail as well as Gray Television, along with Texas Rangers minority owner Ken Hersh. For more information, visit OpTicGaming.com.
About Spire Motorsports … Spire Motorsports is a full-time, two-car NASCAR Cup Series race team co-owned by long-time NASCAR industry executives Jeff Dickerson and Thaddeus “T.J.” Puchyr. In 2023, Spire Motorsports will field the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for driver Corey LaJoie and No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Ty Dillon. The team also fields NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series teams in select events.
Spire Motorsports earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville Speedway.
Kyle Busch: Driver, No. 51 Zariz Transport Chevrolet
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Overview: Event: XPEL 225, Race 4 of 23, 42 Laps – 12/14/16; 143.22 Miles Location: Circuit of the Americas (3.426-mile, 20-turn road course) Date/Broadcast: March 25, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90
The Report on ‘Rowdy’:
KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch makes his second Craftsman Truck Series start of 2023 behind the wheel of the No. 51 Zariz Silverado in Saturday’s race at Circuit of the Americas (COTA). Busch was dominant in his first start of 2023, leading a race-high 84 laps and crossing 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.
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 three races on Busch’s five-race Truck Series schedule will be: Martinsville Speedway on April 14, Kansas Speedway on May 6 and Pocono Raceway on July 22.
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 Saturday. His Las Vegas win was KBM’s record-extending 99th-career victory 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. Two of KBM’s wins have come on road courses: Busch at Sonoma Raceway last year and Erik Jones at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in 2015.
‘Rowdy’ will be looking to avenge a win that was taken away from him at COTA last year. In his first-ever road course in the Truck Series, the Las Vegas native lead a race-high 31 laps and had a sizeable lead in the closing laps before two late-race cautions bunched the field. He was leading as the field entered Turn 11 on the first lap of the second overtime period, but Alex Bowman and Stewart Friesen both overdrove Turn 11 and slammed into Busch and forcing him off course. After righting its path, the No. 51 would and end the day with a third-place finish.
The Las Vegas native was able to find the winner’s circle in his second career road course start last June. Busch led a race-high 45 laps at Sonoma Raceway en route to his first Truck Series victory of 2022 in his fifth and final start of the year.
Busch is the winningest driver in Craftsman Truck series history with 63 career wins. 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), The Las Vegas native has won 37.9% (63/166) of the Truck Series races he has entered in his career and has finished first or second in 56.6% (94/166). In addition to his Truck Series leading 62 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 (7,720). Over his last 27 Truck Series starts, Busch has an average finish of 3.1 while recording 15 wins and seven runner-up finishes.
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.
This will be Pattie’s first race atop the pit box for a Truck Series race at the COTA, but he has one road course victory in NASCAR’s third division, a win with Ron Fellows at Watkins Glen International in June of 1999. He also has two road course victories with Fellows at Watkins Glen in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (2000 and 2001). In the Cup Series he has been to victory lane twice on road courses, with Juan Pablo Montoya at Watkins Glen in 2010 and at Sonoma with Clint Bowyer in 2012.
Kyle Busch, Driver Q&A:
You already have a win in trucks this year, what is your outlook on getting a second win Saturday? “I’m looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of the Zariz Silverado this weekend at COTA. We were able to get Zariz a win at Las Vegas in their first race as a primary NASCAR sponsor — that was pretty cool, and they were pretty pumped about it. Vegas was also the first race for me working with (Brian) Pattie in trucks and a few other new people on the 51 team, so to have that much speed out of the gates shows how hard everyone at KBM has worked to make sure that we didn’t skip a beat with the manufacturer change and the other changes that we had with our crew chief lineup and such over the offseason. Hopefully we can make it two-for-two on the year with a win at COTA Saturday. The goal every year in trucks is to go five-for-five with my five truck races — we’ve been able to accomplish that before and I don’t see any reason why we can’t do it again, just have to click them off one at a time. We had a really fast truck at COTA last year, felt like we deserved the win and kind of got one taken from us. We just need to go out there Saturday and execute our race, control what we can control and try to be the first one to the finish line this time around.”
Kyle Busch Craftsman Truck Series Career Highlights:
Busch has a total of 166 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 37.9% (63/166) of the NCTS races he has entered and finished first or second in 56.6% (94/166).
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-71: The No. 51 Zariz team will unload KBM-71 for Saturday’s race at Circuit of the Americas. This is the same truck that Busch led 45 of 75 laps with en route to victory at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway last year. Busch also led a race-high 31 laps in last year’s race at COTA with KBM-71 but was relegated to a third-place finish after getting run off course on the first lap of the second NASCAR overtime.
KBM-71 Performance Profile: KBM Notes of Interest:
KBM drivers have collected 33 laps led, three top-five and three top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.2 across six starts at COTA. John Hunter Nemechek’s runner-up finish in last year’s event was an organization best at COTA. Overall, across 41 road course starts, KBM drivers have collected two trophies: Kyle Busch at Sonoma Raceway last year and Erik Jones at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in 2015.
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.
In his return to full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition, AJ Allmendinger is set to achieve a milestone start. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), the driver of the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will be making career start No. 400 in NASCAR’s premier series.
A native of Los Gatos, California, Allmendinger made his inaugural presence in NASCAR’s premier series in 2007, when he was named the driver of the No. 84 Toyota Camry for the newly formed Red Bull Racing. By then, he was coming off three full-time seasons in the Champ Car World Series, where he achieved the rookie title in 2004 and five victories along with a third-place result in the final standings in 2006. After failing to qualify for the first four events on the schedule, Allmendinger’s first start occurred at Bristol Motor Speedway in March, where he finished 40th after being involved in an early wreck in Turn 1. In total, he competed in 17 of 36-scheduled events, where his best result of the season was a 15th-place finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October followed by a 16th-place result at Atlanta Motor Speedway and an 18th-place run at Auto Club Speedway in September.
The 2008 Cup season produced another difficult start for Allmendinger, who failed to qualify for the first three events, including the 50th running of the Daytona 500, before being replaced for the following five events. He then made his first start of the season at Talladega in April, where he finished 30th after being involved in a multi-car wreck on the final lap. After finishing no higher than 27th during his next two starts, he achieved a breakthrough moment in his early stock car career by winning the non-points All-Star Open at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, which enabled him to transfer to the All-Star Race as he went on to finish 17th. From Talladega in April through Kansas Speedway in September, Allmendinger managed to qualify and compete in the series. During the span, he achieved his first top-10 career result after finishing 10th at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July. He then achieved his career-best result of ninth place at Kansas before being released by Red Bull Racing. After being absent for the following event at Talladega, Allmendinger drove the No. 00 Toyota Camry for Michael Waltrip Racing on a one-race basis at Charlotte in October, where he finished 43rd, dead last, after being eliminated in an early wreck. He then competed in the final five scheduled events in the No. 10 Dodge Charger for Gillett Evernham Motorsports, where he finished in the top 16 in all but one of his five starts. Overall, Allmendinger competed in 27 of 36-scheduled events and concluded the season with an average-finishing result of 24.7.
Allmendinger commenced the 2009 Cup season as the driver of the No. 44 Dodge for Richard Petty Motorsports while the team was unable to secure sponsorship for Allmendinger’s entry for the full season. Nonetheless, he commenced the season on a high note by finishing in third place during the rain-shortened 51st running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in February. Five races later, he secured his second top-10 result of the season by finishing ninth at Martinsville Speedway in March. Over the course of the season, where he managed to qualify and compete in all 36-scheduled events, Allmendinger racked up seventh-place results at Sonoma Raceway in June and at Dover Motor Speedway in September before notching two 10th-place finishes during the final three events of the season. When the final checkered flag of the 2009 season flew and with a total of 17 top-20 results, Allmendinger capped off the season in 24th place in the final standings.
In 2010, Allmendinger replaced teammate Reed Sorenson as the driver of the iconic No. 43 Ford Fusion for RPM. After finishing no higher than 25th during the first three scheduled events, he achieved a new career-best result to his Cup resume after finishing sixth at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March. He would improve his best result in the series by finishing fourth at Watkins Glen International in August. By then, he had achieved his first career pole at Phoenix Raceway in April. While he did not make the 2010 Cup Playoffs, he accumulated a total of two top-five results, including a fifth-place run at Homestead in November, eight top-10 results, a career-high 181 laps led and an average-finishing result of 17.8 before finishing in 24th place in the final standings. Remaining in the No. 43 Ford in 2011, Allmendinger’s best result of the season was a fifth-place run in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte in May. Despite securing a single top-five result in 2011, he accumulated a career-high 10 top-10 results and recorded an average-finishing result of 16.1 before finishing in 15th place in the final standings. By then, he surpassed 100 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series.
At the conclusion of the 2011 season, Allmendinger moved to Team Penske to drive the No. 22 Dodge Charger for the 2012 season, where he replaced the 2004 Cup champion Kurt Busch. Allmendinger’s campaign with Penske commenced on a rough note after finishing 34th in the 54th running of the Daytona 500. He rallied five races later by notching a career-best runner-up result behind Ryan Newman amid a green-white-checkered shootout. During his next 11 starts with Team Penske, Allmendinger finished in the top 20 five times before notching back-to-back ninth-place runs at Sonoma and Kentucky Speedway in June. Then in July, Allmendinger was suspended indefinitely from NASCAR after failing a random drug test and violating NASCAR’s substance abuse program, where he was found to have taken amphetamine, which was a banned stimulant. By August, he was released by Team Penske and participated in the Road to Recovery program. After being reinstated by NASCAR in September, Allmendinger made four starts with Phoenix Racing between October and November, where his best result occurred at Charlotte after finishing 24th. Throughout the 2012 campaign, Allmendinger competed in all but 15 of 36 events.
Allmendinger commenced the 2013 season as a part-time competitor between the IndyCar Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the Cup Series, where he competed in select events for Phoenix Racing. After recording four top-20 results during his first five part-time starts, he then transitioned between Phoenix Raceway and JTG-Daugherty Racing in select Cup events, beginning at Michigan International Speedway in June. With a total of 18 starts in 2013, Allmendinger’s best on-track result was a 10th-place run at Watkins Glen in August. By then, he surpassed 200 Cup career starts.
In August 2013, Allmendinger was named a full-time competitor of the No. 47 Chevrolet SS for JTG Daugherty Racing for the 2014 season. He commenced the season with back-to-back 26th-place results before notching his first top-10 result of the season at Auto Club Speedway in March by finishing eighth. He then notched a sixth-place result at Richmond Raceway in April before collecting his first top-five result of the season at Talladega Superspeedway. Then at Watkins Glen in August, Allmendinger prevailed in several duels against Marcos Ambrose, including the last one during a two-lap shootout, to achieve his first Cup career victory in his 213th series career start, to record the first win for JTG-Daugherty Racing and to claim a spot to the 2014 Cup Playoffs. Allmendinger’s title run, however, came to an early end after three consecutive finishes outside of the top 10 during the Round of 16 left the Californian two points shy of transferring to the Round of 12. With a total of 17 top-20 results throughout the 36-race campaign, Allmendinger went on to finish in a career-best 13th place in the final standings.
Remaining as a full-time Cup competitor for JTG-Daugherty Racing in 2015, Allmendinger was unable to return to Victory Lane nor make the Playoffs as he only achieved a total of three top-10 results, including a season-best sixth-place run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. Despite recording two poles during the season, he ended up in 22nd place in the final standings. He rallied during the following season by tripling his total top-10 results to nine and recording two top-five runs, including a season-best second place behind Kyle Busch at Martinsville in April. While he improved his average-finishing result from 23.1 to 17.8 in 2016, he went winless for a second consecutive season, missed the Playoffs and ended up in 19th place in the final standings.
The 2017 Daytona 500 marked Allmendinger’s 300th Cup career start, where he achieved a strong third-place result. He then finished no higher than 17th during the following four events before managing a sixth-place run at Martinsville in April. With just three additional top-10 results during the following 20 regular-season events, Allmendinger did not accumulate enough points to make the 2017 Cup Playoffs. Finishing no higher than 14th during the final 10 events, he concluded the season in 27th place in the final standings.
In comparison to the 2017 season, the 2018 Cup season produced a single top-five run for Allmendinger, which occurred at Daytona in July after he finished third. The season also produced a total of five top-10 results, but he managed to improve on his average-finishing result from the previous season from 22.0 to 21.3 and improve five spots in the standings from 27th to 22nd when the final checkered flag flew. At the conclusion of the 2018 season, however, Allmendinger was replaced by Ryan Preece at JTG-Daugherty Racing. He then joined NBC Sports as an analyst for the network’s IMSA Sports Car coverage before being recruited by Kaulig Racing to compete in select Xfinity events, which he continued through 2020 as he collected three victories in the process.
In 2021, Allmendinger, who became a full-time Xfinity competitor for Kaulig, returned from a two-year absence in NASCAR’s premier series by making his first Cup start of the season at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course in the No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Kaulig, where he finished seventh. His next two Cup starts occurred at COTA in May and at Road America in July, where he finished fifth and 29th, respectively. Then during the series’ inaugural event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, Allmendinger capitalized on a late run-in involving rookie Chase Briscoe and veteran Denny Hamlin to assume the lead during an overtime attempt and fend off the field to win and grab both the second Cup victory of his career and the first for Kaulig Racing in NASCAR’s premier series. His fifth and final Cup start of the season occurred at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in October, where he finished 38th due to an engine failure.
Remaining as a part-time Cup competitor and a full-time Xfinity competitor for Kaulig Racing in 2022, Allmendinger competed in half of the 36-scheduled events, beginning at Phoenix in March as he finished 20th. His best results of the season included a runner-up result at Watkins Glen in August followed by a third-place result at Homestead-Miami Speedway and a fourth-place finish at Charlotte in October. At COTA in March, Allmendinger battled against Ross Chastain and Alex Bowman for the victory on the final lap until he was bumped by Chastain with two turns remaining, collided into Bowman and sent sideways into the gravel trap, where he plummeted to 33rd place in the final running order. In total, Allmendinger accumulated a total of eight top-10 results. By then, he was named a full-time competitor of the No. 16 entry for the 2023 Cup Series season.
Through 399 previous Cup starts, Allmendinger has achieved two victories, four poles, 16 top-five results, 69 top-10 results, 559 laps led and an average-finishing result of 20.8. He is currently ranked in 17th place in the driver’s standings with his best result being a sixth-place finish in the 65th running of the Daytona 500.
Should Allmendinger win this weekend’s event in Austin, Texas, he will join an exclusive club of competitors to win in Cup career start No. 400, a list that features Lee Petty, Richard Petty, David Pearson, Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson.
Allmendinger is set to make his 400th Cup Series career start at Circuit of the Americas on Sunday, March 26, with the event’s coverage slated to occur at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
Josh Sobecki is a 37-year-old veteran crewman who grew up in Kensington, Pennsylvania and now resides in the Winston-Salem, North Carolina area with his wife, Nicole and their two sons, Caden (8) and Grayson (3). Currently, he’s pitting for one of the most elite organizations in the field. Not only that, but Sobecki goes over the wall in all three NASCAR series.
Sobecki stated that as a kid, he loved playing outside, he was always in the woods and would often get into trouble with his friends. He was full of energy and played organized baseball along with hockey his whole life. Growing up, he developed the love and passion for cars and racing because of his dad who owned a 1966 Chevelle.
Around the age of 11, Sobecki started working in a shop with a man named Danny Bash. He worked with him for free just to learn about mechanics and gain some experience with cars. He continued to do this until he graduated from high school.
Sadly, Sobecki lost his father to Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma when he was just 13 years old. However, he knew that his path was working with cars and he had the aspiration to get into racing. Shortly after graduation, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee where he began working at the restaurant, Outback Steakhouse while attending the Nashville Auto Diesel School. One of those courses he took was a high-performance class in which he learned about welding, fabrication and the aspects of racing.
Sobecki graduated from there in 2005. Not long after that, what began as a very rocky beginning led to an impressive and commendable career as he celebrates his 18th season in NASCAR this season.
“The beginning of my career was rough with teams shutting down, and I was going back and forth,” he told me. “In 2005 I heard that Bobby Hamilton Racing was hiring some fabricators.
Working for him is how I got my start into racing.
I always said that I was going to be in racing because it had to do with cars and speed. It was something I really liked to do. I just love it.”.
At this point in the beginning of his career, he had nothing to do with being part of a pit crew. Sobecki stated that Hamilton commented about his part-time job at Outback where he was still working at in the mornings.
“One day he said the coolest thing ever to me. He asked me what I was making and stuff, so I told him. He said “I need you to quit your day job. As long as you can quit Outback, I’ll hire you.” I was like, but of course, yeah!”.
Sobecki stated that not long after that, they asked him to start carrying tires, so he tried it out. He ended up being a tire carrier by the end of that first year in the truck series for Bobby Hamilton Racing and in 2006, he was a full-time rear tire carrier on the No.4 of Chase Miller.
He continued to work in the shop as a fabricator, and on the weekends he was the rear tire carrier until Hamilton passed away in 2007. After that, they (BHR) moved the shop to Virginia, and ultimately he decided to follow. But they decided to close BHR shortly after the move and he left them to work at Bill Davis racing in 2008.
Sobecki’s career was short-lived while he was with them as well because they ended up closing their doors as well. He did note that while he was there, he was a rear tire carrier on Mike Skinner’s No.5 truck.
Still hungry for an opportunity, Sobecki went to HT Motorsports. He was hanging truck bodies as the head fabricator and carried tires while he was there. Unfortunately, they also ended up shutting down the next year. Other organizations that Sobecki became a part of were Braun Motorsports and Kevin Harvick Incorporated, but those opportunities were also short-lived.
JS: When I was at Braun, I was still doing fabrication and carrying tires for Jason Leffler and Kasey Kahne. They were doing a split duty in the 38 car, but I left in the middle of the season and I went to KHI. I was there for a few years carrying tires for the truck and No.2 Xfinity car of Elliott Sadler. And once Delana got pregnant, they decided to shut down the shop.
MW: So when did you start at Richard Childress Racing, and what led to you going to their organization?
JS: So they thought they knew about me from KHI. I remember Mike Dillon found me at a bar – which was funny in Talladega.
The conversation between them was brief, but it provided Sobecki with the opportunity he had been waiting for. That was at the end of 2012.
MD: (Mike Dillon) Hey, aren’t you that Sobecki kid? You’re coming over to RCR next year.
JS: I don’t know what you’re talking about.
MD: Has nobody talked to you yet?
JS: I said nobody has talked to me.
MD: We want you on the three car next year for Austin’s Xfinity car.
JS: And I said, oh well this is a first thing I’ve heard about it, and I told him I was definitely interested.
Sobecki remembered that they spoke the next week and that’s how he got his job at RCR the first time for the 2013 season. He continued to say, “after the 2013 season, I was there to go move up with Austin (Dillion) from the Xfinity Series to Cup. The Cup series had different people in the organization and Harvick was leaving. So they had a different pit crew. They moved the pit crew over from the 29 to the 3, and I just wasn’t gonna be a part of that”.
Sobecki mentioned that he knew Harvick was going to be on a mission when he left RCR. He decided to go to Stewart-Haas and tried out for the pit crew and ended up making it onto the 4 car for the 2014 season.
MW: What did you do as a pit crew member while at Stewart-Haas Racing?
JS: I was a rear tire carrier. So, then they made some crew swaps after Harvick’s season when we won the championship. I went on to pit Tony Stewart’s car and then Clint Bowyer’s car. I was at Stewart-Haas for six years. So I switched, I guess, I could say this also; you know we switch to a five-man pit crew, but I was still a tire carrier for the first year. But then I thought I could be a really good jackman. I decided to try to learn how to be one and pushed myself with a lot of practice, and ended up becoming a jackman on the 41 halfway through the season of ’19.
Sobecki ended up leaving Stewart-Haas Racing and started the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series at RCR as a full-time jackman when Tyler Reddick started his Cup career.
He noted that to this day, between being a tire carrier, jackman and fabricator; fabrication is still his favorite.
Photo Credit: Josh Sobecki
MW: Out of all the positions that you have done, how important is the position as a jackman in a pit stop while going over the wall?
JS: Now it’s kind of like the quarterback to be honest with the one lug nut stuff. You can’t be too fast or really slow. One hiccup on your part really messes up the flow of the crew. It’s a lot different.
MW: How difficult is it to get over mistakes during a pit stop?
JS: So, when we did five lug, you could sort of make up time If you messed up on the right side. You can make it up on the left side, but you have to push a little bit harder. When you lose time on a one-lug stop, it’s gone. So you can’t really make up time If there’s a hiccup. You’re pretty much already going as fast as you can. Trying any harder can just label for mistakes. So it’s about trying to minimize mistakes while going as fast as you can.
MW: Any injuries over the years?
JS: Oh gosh, I’ve got a big list! I’ve had a meniscus injury, shoulder MRI done on both shoulders, pulled muscles, torn my groin and I’ve had injuries to my back. It’s just kind of the nature of the sport, I guess. You know, many years I’ve been doing this. This is my 18th season with having injuries over those 18 years.
MW: Do you ever have any fears in the moment during a pit stop?
JS: No fears, no. I’ve never had fears and I think that helps. I just always try to execute as best I can and I’ve always been an aggressive person. I’ve never had a fear of mistakes. You just can’t do that in this sport. You know, if you’ve got fears, it allows mistakes, and you’re just going to be slow. So I’ve never tried to have that. I’m just trying to be as aggressive as I can.
MW: When you go to tracks where pit boxes are reversed, is this challenging? And if so, what are the challenges?
JS: It’s definitely challenging as a jackman. It’s the most challenging, I’d say because you’re running the opposite way that you would run normally. It’s about learning your footsteps and movement. And when you’re running backwards; it’s just completely different than when you come around to which would be the right side because it’s backwards for the end of the stop. You’re beginning from the right side with the jack. It’s hard because you have to flip your body as fast as you can. It’s tough. You can’t ever learn it. You just don’t want to make mistakes. That’s all.
MW: How do you prepare for a race? Do you have any kind of rituals?
JS: So I guess I would say every race I try to stretch out. I think that’s what’s helped me the most throughout my career. And I try to stretch out as much as I can to make myself ready for all of those harsh movements. I don’t really have any rituals or anything. I think the only thing I ever do during a pit stop that’s always the same; I pull up my sleeves on my fire suit. So that’s about it. It’s just something I’ve always done. I don’t know. It’s like the most comfortable feeling to me while doing pit stop.
MW: Okay, so what’s this fist pump that I’ve seen your wife comment about during a race?
JS: So it’s kind of funny. My guys will be laughing and ask why do I still do this, but I just love competition. I’ve always loved competition. It’s about our pit stops. When you’re in, started coming out first and we’re picking up spots on pit road. So, I get a little aggressive during pit stops when we stop. That’s when you’ll see the signature fist pump. It’s almost just like Tiger Woods to be honest. I really didn’t realize I have the same exact fist pump, but I’ve always done it. It’s just something I always do. You can ask any crew that I’ve ever been with and they’ll tell you, Oh my gosh, like it’s just in the moment. I get so riled up. It’s just so fun to me and I think it’s why I still love doing it. It’s just, it’s an adrenaline rush. It’s just something I love to do and the signature fist pump happens when I’m heated up. Yes. It’s like everybody knows that’s a good pit stop. If I do that.
MW: I heard that you’re the only crewman that went with Kyle Busch over to RCR. What inspired you to do this?
JS: True. It was tough. The biggest thing is the pit crew. I love those guys I was with for the last three years. We’ve created a great bond, you know. I mean, the funny thing is we’re almost all together except for Brad Bodily. He went to 23XI with Reddick, and he’s on Reddick’s car in the rear. But otherwise, we’re all the same crew on the 21 Xfinity car, and the 51 truck. So, we were so good of a five-lug crew that they never wanted to change us for Austin Hill’s car. And the reason is for instance during one race, we came in third and sixth on another stopped, but went out first every time that weekend. It just goes to show the chemistry we have. Now when they said Kyle Busch was coming over, they were looking for some really fast pit stops. So they had to go to work to put a good crew together, and not saying we didn’t have one, but I think they were just looking for speed. I wasn’t even worried. None of us were guaranteed to be on this car at the end of last year. So we all went to work in the offseason, and I would say we all did about 500 pit stops. It was a lot of them. We put in a lot of hard work, a lot of sore bodies and, you know, we just started grinding. Some of the guys that came over were pretty fun. We had a lot of chemistry and it showed the first two races. We’ve been a top ten on pit road, and I was just lucky enough to still have the speed they were looking for. So I go to stay and start the season with Kyle Busch in the No.8.
MW: So far this season, you’ve gone over the wall with three teams and ended up in Victory Lane five times in five weeks. How does that make you feel? What’s the celebration like?
JS: It’s amazing. Like, I’ve never in my career started off the season like this except for when we won Daytona with Austin Hill last year. And so we went and won again this year with that kid. (Austin Hill) He’s amazing. Then we almost won with Kyle, but we wrecked on the second to the last lap while leading. I’ve always wanted to win Daytona in the Cup series. That one really hurt because that’s a race I haven’t won yet in Cup. Then we go to California, and of course, history with Kyle – he just dominates. We had good pit stops and we kept him up front where he needed to be and won the race. And then we knew we’d have a chance the weekend at LVMS in the truck race, because you always know Kyle’s going to be fast in a truck. We end up winning the truck race. And I didn’t expect to win the Xfinity race and we did. And I was hoping for, you know, something I’ve never had; all three races in one weekend, but we just didn’t have the car that weekend in the Cup series. But it was fun. Then we went on to win at Atlanta with Austin. Celebrations are flying. It’s been almost surreal.
Photo Credit: Josh Sobecki
MW: Tell me a little bit about the camaraderie with the other teams you work with.
JS: I’ve always remained friends with the guys I’ve worked with. I still have friendships with all the guys from Stewart-Haas. Some of us were crews that have won championships together. It’s pretty cool when you get respect along pit road because you’ve been in the sport for so long. Everybody comes up and talks to you about what’s new or whatever because I’m a veteran.
MW: You mentioned winning championships. What’s it like to get a ring?
JS: I still remember the first one. It’s just an accomplishment. For instance, there was this gasman that’s no longer with RCR, but he’s been in racing for like, 15 years and he never won a Cup race until last year. So man, that kind of puts you back into place. Some guys don’t have any rings. I guess that’s where guys kind of respect me. I would hope you know. In the sport, I think I have 26 truck wins, 12 Xfinity, and I have about 10 Cup wins now. And so when you get those rings for some of these racing championships, man, there’s no better feeling. I mean, it’s just an accomplishment that you hoped for and you know everyone wants it. And you’re just a guy for that year that got that accomplishment. You know that it helps the party after it’s all over with.
MW: When talking about rings in championships, how many rings have you acquired?
JS: I received a Team Championship ring in 2012 in the Trucks series with KHI, an Xfinity Championship with Austin Dillion in 2013, a Cup Championship with Kevin Harvick in 2014, and I have another Truck Championship in 2017 with Christopher Bell. That’s it for now, but hopefully more this year.
MW: Another thing is, how did it make you feel to get a shout-out on the Dale Jr. Download?
JS: My buddy messaged, me and goes, “Dude, Dale jr. Just shouted your name out. He was talking about you, man on his podcast! He singled you out. You know, about being the only crew member?”. And I was like, that’s pretty cool. You know of course, I have tons of respect for this guy. He’s big. I mean, I’ve seen him go through his racing years with 5,000 people around him walking into the garage. There’s a lot of people that listen to that. It was pretty cool to have Dale Jr. shout out my name, I love it.
MW: What kind of things do you do outside of racing during the week?
JS: Well mainly now it’s about taking care of my kids and all their activities. My oldest is in Muay Thai and he’s in love with it. He’s also taking drum lessons and he’s in football. So we take him to all that stuff, and the little one he’s not in too much of anything yet. But it’s fun and for me, I just love all of my projects around the house. I like to build things. I built our patio and deck in the backyard. Oh, and I built a swing for my wife because she always wanted one. I love working on cars. I have a truck that I bought and rebuilt from the ground up pretty much. I love working on that. So I mean, those are my main hobbies. And I’m still playing hockey Those are my favorite, but hanging out with my kids and wife is the best, for sure.
MW: Do you have any goals that you haven’t accomplished that you hope to achieve?
JS: Somebody recently asked me that. If you didn’t have goals to acquire, you know, you wouldn’t be doing this. And there are so many times throughout my career, I’d reach my goals and be like, oh my gosh, like what now? Like I wanted a truck Championship. Okay, well I got that. Then I won one in Xfinity and then I got one in Cup, too.
MW: After you completed those, what’s your new goal?
JS: My goal this year was that I’d love to win the Daytona 500 in Cup. That’s why I was so heartbroken losing that one this year. We were so close. The closest I’ve ever been, but that’s the goal.
Sobecki went on to say that as a veteran crewman, he’d love to make 20 years in the sport as a pit crew guy. “It’s just something I’m kind of striving for and trying to keep my body in shape enough to keep up with all these young guys”.
MW: With the fans booing at times, has this ever affected you working with Kyle Busch?
JS: No, no. I mean it’s funny. I mean, it’s not like being like a superstar athlete kinda thing, and how they get ‘hate fan mail’ and all that stuff. But it is funny. I mean, when you have a bad pit stop or a bad week, sometimes you’ll see comments a fan said. Like: they suck and are terrible and you know they got to change the pit crew. I mean, it’s never bothered me. Honestly, It’s just more comical. These people have no clue what they’re talking about, but I understand they all have their own say because it’s public, and they can say whatever they want. But it’s just funny, you know? It never changed my performance or has ever made me wonder if I’m good enough to do it or not. And you know when I was with Harvick’s crew, it was the same way. When you get with these good drivers that have talent and huge fan bases like Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick; it just comes with the territory. You gotta get out there and perform the best you can, which is why you’re there. It’s all because you’re good at what you do. Keep that in your head and block out everything else.
MW: Is there anyone you want to thank for the opportunities you’ve had or anything that’s current in your life?
JS: I mean, honestly, my wife. I’d like to thank her. You know, it’s so hard leaving every weekend for many years we’ve been together. We’ve been together about 11 years, and I’ve been leaving her every weekend with the kids and she’s the one having to take care of them by herself so that I can pretty much do what I love to do. It’s been tough on her and of course any of the moms.
MW: Would you like to talk about your uncle Tom Levett’s need for a kidney and where people can get the information to help?
JS: Yes! You know, at the beginning of this year, he had some kidney issues and they told him it wasn’t working well and he had to have some surgery on it. I guess they said it was like – level four kidney failure is what he said. And so they have to look for a kidney for him.
You can follow Josh Sobecki on Twitter @Sobesobecki and during race weekends on pit road as the jackman for the No.51 of KBM in the Craftsman trucks along with the RCR No.21 of Austin Hill in Xfinity and the No.8 of Kyle Busch in the Cup series. He’ll be the one expressing his signature fist pump after a fast pit stop!
I’d like to personally thank Josh Sobecki for taking time out of his extremely busy schedule to talk with me about his life, his love for this great sport, and to share his experience about going over the wall in motorsports.
