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CHEVROLET NCS AT PHOENIX: Kyle Busch Press Conference Transcript

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Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
PHOENIX RACEWAY
UNITED RENTALS WORK UNITED 500
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 10, 2023

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 CHEDDAR’S SCRATCH KITCHEN CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice session at Phoenix Raceway. Press Conference Transcript:

With the new aerodynamic package, can you describe what the behavior of the car is like?

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t one of the ones that got to test this package, or a similar package to what we’re racing this weekend. But from my understanding from what I heard is – yes, it’s a little bit more difficult to drive by itself. It will be a little bit of a looser feeling in the back of the car; less rear downforce, less overall downforce. But it should – we hope – that it will be a little bit better in traffic where you won’t be effected as much by trailing the car in front of you and the wake that the car in front of you puts off.”

How would you assess the effectiveness of the length of the longer restart zone? Do you feel like it gives you any more of an advantage or any more of an ability to dictate the way things go?

“No.. I think all it’s done is cause that wreck at California (Auto Club Speedway). So in my opinion, it’s done nothing different; nothing on the positive end. It’s only added a negative end to it because at California, Joey (Logano) was just maintaining his speed and everyone was gaining, gaining, gaining, gaining and closing up their gaps because they were all trying to lay back and then time the run. So he just waited for everybody to run into everybody and then went at the end of the zone. So the later you make that zone, the more anticipation everyone has and the more of an accordion effect that you’ll get. I knew that going in and I was not a proponent of lengthening that zone, but nobody tends to listen to me a whole lot.”

How relieved are you just the simple fact that Chevrolet just seems to be on top of their game to start this season?

“Yeah, it’s all the KB effect.. everything right here. Got them all tuned into the right pages and we’re rolling (laughs).

But no seriously, I’m going to give a huge props to Eric Warren (Chevrolet’s Director of NASCAR Programs), his group, his team and everybody at the Chevy Tech Center. They have been doing a really good job and a lot of stuff behind the scenes has kind of been happening. I’ve been involved in a little bit of that, especially on the truck side with our guys at KBM, but also some of the Cup stuff. Just trying to work on some of the processes and things that they do. But they’ve come out and done a nice job so far, so that’s positive for our start to the season.”

NASCAR has added a 50-minute practice at COTA. Can you address how helpful that is when you’re starting with a new team like you are?

“Yeah, well we tested there in January, so I was one of the ones that was like ‘we don’t need the practice, we’re good’. I don’t want to give anybody else anymore added track time. We had plenty when we were there. We ran close to 200 laps and I was smoked after that one. So I didn’t need anymore track time.

But we got that I guess, so we’ll work on what we need to work on with the reduced downforce and the changes that they made to the car. We felt like we had a really good test. We have really good notes on what we had there. We tested with last year’s stuff, not this current one, and so it’s going to be a lot different I’m sure. I don’t know – just with the amount of stuff that you can do in sim, I feel like it would be fine for us if we didn’t have practice. But we’ll take the 50 minutes and go.”

As somebody new coming in, even with what you’ve been able to do and accomplish, how did you take going into those team meetings? How forceful – I don’t know if that’s the right word – but in bringing things up and opening ideas? What is the dynamic of those meetings and how is that maybe different from previous experiences?

“Certainly there was a big discussion on that; just on how they’ve (RCR) done things, how I’ve done things. We had a whole roundtable discussion of the key people that we needed. This was early January, so we kind of hammered through a bunch of stuff and I brought up a lot of different topics. I still don’t have all of what I want accomplished yet. Most of that is data-driven and stuff you get after practice or after qualifying and things, so still pushing on much of that. We don’t have all of that how I want it yet.

But everything else, the team meetings have gone well. I feel like they’ve been a little bit productive. Hopefully those that are with us in those meetings feel the same way, so it’s been a good sense. I know Austin (Dillon) and I have really liked the way that it is and how we got it setup, so it’s been useful for us.”

With your homework and studying in essence and all the work you do for each event, have you had to do anything new in learning more about this group or seeing how they do things to be able to kind of bring up ‘hey, I know you did this here, but here is another example of a way to do potentially better’.. how does that impact how you study?

“Yeah, I mean last week, we struggled at Las Vegas (Motor Speedway).. let’s be honest. Last year at Vegas, we were really good with the Toyota bunch and the Toyota bunch showed decent speed there as well too. I wasn’t privy to those setup sheets, so I wasn’t able to just hand that over and say ‘here, this is what we need to do.. this is where we need to go and start from’. But we’ve been working a lot from their stuff that they’ve been accustomed to and what they’ve been running. Obviously Fontana was a huge success for us; that really worked. Vegas, I thought was going to be better than what it was. We’re still working on some of those answers as to what happened there, but here last year, the No. 8 team ran second and third there towards the later stages of the race and had a good run. Austin (Dillon) was in the top-10 before I think the last-lap crash that we was in. So again, you try to rely on what they did last year and improve it as much as you can with the tools that you have right now. But until you go out there and run these races, really that’s the learning.. is what happens in the race. And then being able to go back and really dissect each and every piece of the car, the race, strategy, pit calls, changes you make, all of that stuff. So these meetings last quite a while.”

This package is supposed to put it more in the drivers’ hands and make it more difficult to drive the cars. You have so much experience, so do you feel like that benefits you?

“Yeah, I mean you would say that – yes, you want it to be more in the driver’s hands. Although last year, I think I set a new record for the amount of times you can spin out during the season. I was about backwards in every race, so that was not fun.

I think that just kind of goes to show that some guys, they’ll run on the way up the mountain and then they won’t get over peak and go down peak. Where I feel like when I race, I get up to peak and I try to teeter on the front side and the back side of that before completely losing it. So I’m always just maybe a little bit closer to that edge, so that’s some of my issue of spinning or having issues sometimes. But trying to get the most out of everything you’ve got, so having a little bit something that you have to finesse and feel, it just takes a little bit of learning that. Hopefully we got more grip than all the rest.”

What is your reaction to having two prominent F1 drivers like Kimi Räikkönen and Jenson Button coming to NASCAR?

“Yeah, I mean I hope Kimi (Räikkönen) gets a better opportunity than he had his last time out; going out there and running a full race. But I think it’s fun. I think it’s great that they have that opportunity. Trackhouse won that race last year, so you know they’ll be a force to be reckoned with. The SHR guys I think are doing the No. 15 ride for Jenson (Button). It’s cool to see the diversity of different backgrounds of drivers and where they come from. I’m not excited, but it’s going to be cool to have them out there and be a part of our show. They’re not used to the full contact sport of what NASCAR is. I’m sure Kimi’s eyes were opened quite a bit on how all that went down at Watkins Glen. But he’s more ready and more prepared this time around.”

What about William Byron getting back in a KBM truck?

“Yeah, that’s going to be great for us. Really good to have William (Byron) – a KBM alum – to come back and work with us again and being a part of the Chevy team. Excited that HENDRICKCARS.COM, Rick (Hendrick), Jeff (Gordon) and everybody there at HMS partnered with us on this and got William three races. Those were the ones he chose. He stole one of mine actually. I’m still bummed I don’t get to run at North Wilkesboro, but it will be nice to have an experienced driver again that can come over and continue to help evaluate and it not just be me. We’ve got a lot of new people over there. Brian Pattie and that whole group, the majority of that group is new, so it will be nice to get another set of eyes on it, if you will.”

Randall Burnett – three wins last year, so you knew you were getting a good crew chief. What have you learned about him? What are some of the things that you didn’t expect, maybe better than you expected? What are some of the qualities that he brings that you lean on with each other?

“Yeah, I was excited about my chance to work with him (Randall Burnett) last year when all of this kind of started to come up. And then just spending some time with him and getting to know him. My wife and his wife, all four us, go out to dinner every once in a while, so that’s been super helpful to just kind of build that relationship and that friendship. Essentially, a driver and a crew chief is like a marriage. You’re going to have your good days and you’re going to have your bad days. How you go about all of that is how you will best come out on top when it’s all said and done.

Randall has been super fun to work with and very receptive to a lot of my ideas. I’ve been trying to just kind of come into his playbook of how he kind of does stuff, and then just kind of throw in little pieces of what my playbook has kind of looked like for the last 15 years or whatever.

Very similar tendencies. He’s really a go-getter. At Fontana, he asked if I was OK because I was so quite over the radio, and I’m like I’m not one that just spouts off all day on the radio. I have my ‘Kyle Busch top greatest hits moments’, yes.. but besides that, there’s not much said on the radio. That was a little bit for him to get accustomed to, but when you’ve got a good driving car, you don’t really talk a whole lot. You go to work.”

Regarding Räikkönen and Button racing at COTA – last year, I think (Denny) Hamlin used the word ‘novelty’ having Räikkönen at the race. Can those guys compete, as well as Jordan Taylor, and even (Jonathan) Davenport at the Bristol dirt race. Are they going to be competitive?

“Yeah, I mean I would say that there’s opportunity for them to be competitive. I think it all kind of depends on how much work and behind the scenes stuff that they do. Räikkönen last year I thought was respectable. He really didn’t get to show a full race, so we didn’t get a good sense of that. But being with Trackhouse, I would like to think that he’s probably got the best opportunity let’s say.

But these cars are so different than anything that these guys are used to driving. They’re different than what anything I’ve ever been used to driving, so we’re all still trying to feel that out and figure that out. I mean last year, we had 19 different winners and this year, we’re already at three. So it can go the same way again this year. It’s whenever you get the luck of the draw on a pit stop, get out front or whatever it might be. But me jumping in a dirt late model and going to compete against Jonathan Davenport – I failed successfully at that at Bristol last year when I ran the dirt late model, or two years ago. So him coming over and thinking he’s going to jump in and go win a Cup race right out of the gate, I think you have another thing coming. But it’s just a matter of doing the experience, learning from it, having fun with it and getting better at it.”

You said last week that you had texted Chase (Elliott). I’m curious if you were able to have a conversation with him, and if so, how are his spirits and everything?

“I have not.. no.”

 

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

GORDON-WALLACE BUMP AND RUN VOTED TOP MOMENT IN CUP SERIES SPRING RACES AT BMS

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Official Release
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Expert industry panel including journalists, historians and promoters identify Top 15 BMS Spring Race Moments

BRISTOL, Tenn. (March 10, 2023) – In celebration of NASCAR’s 75th Anniversary, Bristol Motor Speedway asked more than 20 industry insiders to identify their most memorable moments from the 62 NASCAR Cup Series races that have been held at The World’s Fastest Half-Mile during the Spring.

Bristol Motor Speedway is a unique half-mile facility with high banked turns that has often been described as “a short track that races like a superspeedway.” The facility has also shown versatility over the years, first hosting races as an asphalt oval, then transitioning to an all-concrete bullring and most recently it has shown it can easily be converted to a premier all-dirt surface. Races have been held with sun beating down during the day, with humidity surrounding the track and also on cool nights with the stadium lit up as brightly as the downtown of a major city.

The track’s famed “Night Race” that has traditionally been held in August and September, and is now a part of the NASCAR Playoffs, has received the lion’s share of fanfare and publicity over the years due to some thrilling finishes, especially two that involved “The Intimidator” Dale Earnhardt and the “Ice Man” Terry Labonte in the late 1990s.

However, true Bristol fans know that the traditional BMS Spring Race, which has been called the Southeastern 500, Valleydale 500, Valleydale Meats 500 and since 1992 the Food City 500, has amassed some of its own truly amazing moments over the years as well. In fact, this project was originally targeted to identify the Top 10 Spring Race moments. Once the distinguished expert panel delivered their selections it was easy to see that it was necessary to evolve the list into a Top 15 moments. Quite simply, there were just too many compelling races to choose from.

The industry panel awarded first place votes to 10 of the 15 moments that were selected. Every moment that received a first-place vote made the list. There were several moments that were just a few votes short of making the list, including the 1961 inaugural race won by Jack Smith and relief driver Johnny Allen; The 2018 race that has been labeled the “Kyle & Kyle Show” where Kyle Busch eventually won after a memorable duel with Kyle Larson; Rusty Wallace’s first win with Penske South in 1991; The King Richard Petty’s win in ’75; and the 2011 race that was renamed the Jeff Byrd 500 in honor of the dynamic late track president.

A few moments that some might have expected to make the list were left on the cutting room floor, including the 2020 Food City Supermarket Heroes 500, which still ranks as the most thrilling Bristol finish to take place in front of empty grandstands as Brad Keselowski took advantage of a final lap tangle between Chase Elliott and Joey Logano during the first race back in the pandemic. The dramatic 2019 Busch brothers duel, where Kurt “playfully” said he would’ve wrecked Kyle if he could’ve got close enough, also only received a couple of votes. Neither of seven-time champ Jimmie Johnson’s breakthrough Bristol wins – 2010 or 2017 – made the list either.

The moments that did make the list are some that continue to create the legacy of iconic Bristol Motor Speedway, a track that routinely delivers excitement, chaos, mayhem and that has also been proudly christened, “The Holy Grail of Short Tracks.”

As veteran racing journalist and panel member Lee Spencer noted, “The Last Great Colosseum has always set the stage for some of the most dramatic battles in motorsports, always separating the men from the boys.”

Without further ado, here is the list of the Top 15 moments of the Bristol NASCAR Cup Series Spring Race:

No. 15, Pearson beats Petty
With a total of 7 votes from the panel, the 1971 Southeastern 500 featured a classic battle between rivals David Pearson and Richard Petty. Both drivers finished the race exactly where they started, with Pearson first and Petty second. This was Pearson’s fifth and final victory at Bristol.

No. 14, Awesome Bill gets his short track victory
Bill Elliott started the 1988 Valleydale Meats 500 in 13th and didn’t take the lead until lap 379, but the Georgia native stayed in the hunt for the win from that moment on. He had a hard time with rival Geoff Bodine during the final laps. With 10 to go, the crafty Bodine spun Elliott and retook the lead. However, Elliott then pitted for fresh tires and Bodine stayed out front. Bodine held his shaky lead for one lap, but with three to go Elliott used his fresh tires to whip around the New York native and take the elusive Bristol victory.
The moment received eight votes from the panel and noted author and race historian David McGee says Elliott’s dedicated fanbase went from the outhouse to the penthouse in a matter of minutes. “The place erupted when Bodine spun Elliott late in the going, but with just three cars on the lead lap, those same angry Elliott fans were screaming when Bill used fresh tires to get around Bodine and went to Victory Lane,” McGee recalled.

No. 13, the Busch and Spencer feud
At the 2002 Food City 500 Kurt Busch became the fifth driver to earn his first-career Cup Series victory and also was able to pick up his first full-time rivalry in the process. He dueled with Jimmy Spencer for the victory and rubbed fenders with him on lap 445 to take the lead for good and go on to win the race. Spencer was never able to get close enough to get revenge. After their Bristol tussle, the two continued to spar during several races in 2002 and into 2003. Their multi-year war remains one of the most celebrated feuds in NASCAR history. This moment received 9 votes from the panel.

No. 12, Kyle wins with the Car of Tomorrow
The 2007 Food City 500 featured the debut of NASCAR’s new Car of Tomorrow and Kyle Busch claimed one of his first Bristol victories at the event in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy Impala. The moment received one first place vote and seven total votes from the panel. “That was classic Kyle Busch making the most of a car even though he wasn’t having the most fun,” said Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports. “And it was a pivotal moment in NASCAR history with a car designed with specific safety initiatives.”

No. 11, Kulwicki wins first Food City 500
Alan Kulwicki was the first driver to celebrate in victory lane as a Food City 500 winner in 1992. Food City founder Jack Smith congratulated Kulwicki on his victory that day as the grocery chain embarked on its sponsorship of a NASCAR event, expanding from its beginnings in the sport, which included sponsoring Food City Family Race Night starting in August 1987. This moment earned its spot with one first place vote and seven total votes.

No. 10, NASCAR returns to its roots with historic Food City Dirt Race
For the first time in more than 50 years the NASCAR Cup Series returned to its roots in 2021 with the running of the Food City Dirt Race on a dirt-transformed half-mile oval at BMS. Joey Logano, who started 10th, was one of the race’s five leaders and he took over with 61 laps to go and held on to take the historic victory. Ricky Stenhouse earned another BMS second place finish and was followed by Denny Hamlin and Daniel Suarez. Suarez had one of his best runs in his Cup career, leading 58 laps midway through the race in his No. 99 Chevy. Martin Truex Jr., who won the Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt earlier in the rain-delayed doubleheader day, also led nine laps before falling back to finish 19th. Pole-sitter Kyle Larson, who had big expectations for a victory given his success in the dirt racing world, got caught up in a couple of multi-car incidents and finished a disappointing 29th.

This moment received six top-five votes among its 11 total votes. “Logano proved that you didn’t have to be a dirt racing expert to have success in a Cup car on the dirt at Bristol,” said Jeff Birchfield, longtime motorsports reporter for the Johnson City Press and Kingsport Times-News. “You could tell that Logano was thrilled with winning that race; that he fully understood the historical significance of what he had accomplished that day.”

No. 9, Cale sets a record by leading all 500 laps
After years of disappointment at Bristol, Cale Yarborough finally got it done and in record-setting fashion as he led all 500 laps of the 1973 Southeastern 500. It took two weeks to finish the race due to a weather delay, but even that minor inconvenience couldn’t deter Yarborough. Calling his No. 11 machine the smoothest ride he ever had, Yarborough started on the pole and never trailed in the race. He joins Jeff Burton as the only two drivers in NASCAR history to lead every lap of a Cup race in the modern era. The panel issued four second place votes to this moment out of its 11 overall votes.

No. 8, Earnhardt wins without power steering
Growing his legend by leaps and bounds, Dale Earnhardt literally manhandled his Chevy Monte Carlo to take a grueling victory in the 1985 Valleydale 500. His power steering failed early in the race and the Intimidator had to drive the final 400 laps without it. He led throughout the race and was trailing Ricky Rudd late in the race. Earnhardt took advantage of a late race caution and managed to pass Rudd with 18 laps to go. He never looked back, and defeated an all-star lineup of rivals including second-place Rudd, Terry Labonte, Buddy Baker and Rusty Wallace, who rounded out the top five.

The moment received nine total votes and one first place vote from the panel. “I was monitoring the radio broadcast on my scanner when they said Dale’s car lost its power steering and he had to drive most of the day without it – but still clung to the lead and held on to win,” McGee said. “He said later he didn’t ever want to have to do it again.” Said Andy Jeffers of Sports & Entertainment media: “Dale Earnhardt winning without power steering at any Bristol race is heroic in racing lore.”

No. 7, Gordon gives Kenseth post-race shove on pit road
Tempers flared at the finish of the 2006 Food City 500 when the usually calm and cool Jeff Gordon released an angry outburst and shoved Matt Kenseth on pit road, knocking the Wisconsin driver back several feet before NASCAR officials jumped in the middle of the fray. The physical altercation followed an on-track incident on the race’s final lap where Kenseth retaliated from an earlier bump by Gordon and used the same move to get past Gordon on the closing lap. Kenseth’s bump dropped Gordon to a 21st place finish, when he was likely to finish third or higher. Gordon was fined $10,000 by NASCAR for his post-race conduct, the first time in his career he received such a penalty. By the way, Kurt Busch took the checkered flag. This moment earned one first-place vote out of the 13 total votes from the panel.

No. 6, Wallace honors Kulwicki with Polish Victory Lap
Emotions were raw at Bristol during the 1993 Food City 500 weekend as the racing community received word that defending Cup champ Alan Kulwicki and three others had perished in a plane crash earlier that week as they headed to Bristol. It seemed almost destined that Kulwicki’s friend Rusty Wallace would claim the victory on Sunday. In a stirring tribute, Wallace turned his No. 2 Penske machine around and did his victory lap in a counter-race direction – something Kulwicki had done to celebrate his wins. The “Polish Victory Lap” has become a standard celebration for many drivers in the years since.

This moment received 13 votes from the panel and one first place vote. “Sometimes, everything else just overshadows the competition on the race track,” said Kenny Bruce, who covered the sport for more than 40 years, most notably with NASCAR Cup Scene. “The image of the No. 7 hauler circling a wet track Friday morning one final time before pulling out to leave the speedway is one anyone there won’t forget. Two days later, Rusty Wallace celebrated his race victory by driving a cool-down lap counter-clockwise around the track in honor of Kulwicki and his “Polish victory lap” he had debuted the previous year after scoring his first Cup Series win.” Said FOX Sport’s Pockrass: “Rusty Wallace’s salute to Alan Kulwicki doing the traditional Kulwicki victory lap a few days after Kulwicki died is one of the emotional moments in the sport that won’t be forgotten.”

No. 5, Davey Allison wins in a photo finish
In one of the closest finishes in Bristol history, Davey Allison clipped Mark Martin by mere inches to take the victory in the 1990 Valleydale Meats 500. Adding to the lore of this win was the fact that Allison’s team was pitted on Bristol’s backstretch as a result of his 19th place qualifying position. As a bunch of cars were in contention in the final laps, Ricky Rudd and Sterling Marlin tangled in turn two on the final lap which gave way to Allison and Martin to go side by side to the finish line in the dramatic race to the checkers. The result was so close NASCAR had to confirm the top two positions by using the start/finish line camera. As a jubilant Allison headed to Victory Lane, an angry Marlin headed to Rudd’s hauler to discuss their final lap encounter.

This moment received two first place votes out of its 11 panel votes. “Prior to that day nobody had won Bristol pitting on the backstretch but Davey was packing tons of Robert Yates horsepower,” McGee recalled. “He and Mark dueled it out at the end and it was impossible from my spot to tell which one won. It was an amazing finish and a great race.”

No. 4, DW makes it 7-straight Bristol wins
Bobby Allison appeared to have the car to beat in 1984 but his Buick developed rear end problems and fell off the pace with 44 laps to go. BMS dominator Darrell Waltrip took advantage of his rival’s misfortune and held off all challengers to claim his fourth-straight Valleydale 500 win and seventh-straight Bristol Cup Series victory, a legendary feat which remains a track-record.

This moment earned three first place votes and 10 votes overall. “Waltrip was invincible, it seemed, on the high-banked half-mile, visiting victory lane time after time after time, and the 1984 race was no different,” veteran scribe Bruce said. “Fans were saying ‘Anybody but Waltrip!’ However, it was more like ‘Nobody but Waltrip.’” Said Jeffers: “Darrell Waltrip winning his 7th straight at one of the most difficult tracks is uncommon ground and likely will never be accomplished again.”

No. 3, Leaders Reddick and Briscoe come up empty in last lap dirt dance
BMS brought the dirt back for a second time in 2022 and ran the race at night. In a race that was recently voted one of the wildest finishes in BMS history, surprise winner Kyle Busch claimed the victory as race leader Tyler Reddick and hard-charging Chase Briscoe tangled coming out of Turn 4 on the final lap of the race. The two made contact and spun off in different directions, which opened the door for Busch to streak by and take the checkered flag. Reddick rallied to post a second-place finish in his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevy. Briscoe went over to apologize to Reddick after the race and the two to most fans’ astonishment were able to share a laugh about it and ultimately shake hands. On the sponsor front, Food City celebrated its 30th year as sponsor of the BMS Spring Cup event.

This race received three first place votes and 11 votes overall from the panel. “Chase Briscoe could probably try that last corner pass on Tyler Reddick 100 times and I think the result would be the same every time – spinning himself and taking out the leader, allowing Kyle Busch to slip by and almost quietly pick up his historic ninth Bristol victory,” McGee said. “I suspect fans were surprised when Reddick seemed to apologize for the crash and for not being further ahead of Briscoe’s Ford.”

No. 2, Rookie Earnhardt earns first Cup victory at Bristol
Rookie driver Dale Earnhardt, 28 at the time, scored his first Cup Series victory at the 1979 Southeastern 500 in grand fashion by holding off superstars Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip for the victory. Earnhardt led 161 laps of the race and took the lead for good with 27 laps to go. He finished three seconds ahead of Allison and proved he belonged on the biggest stage with the world’s best stock car racers. “This was a win in the big leagues, the Grand Nationals,” Earnhardt famously said in Victory Lane. “It was against top caliber drivers. It wasn’t some dirt track back home.” He remains the only rookie to ever win a Cup Series race at Bristol.

Fittingly, the moment earned 3 first place votes among the 16 total votes from the panel. “The 1979 race Dale Earnhardt won was my No. 1 pick because it provided a glimpse into Earnhardt’s talent in his rookie season,” said veteran reporter Deb Williams, who has covered the sport for UPI, NASCAR Cup Scene and other publications in a career spanning more than six decades. “Those covering the sport at that time realized with that victory that the second-generation driver was on the threshold of a very successful career.”

“I was fortunate/blessed to cover Dale Earnhardt’s first win and I never miss a chance to tell folks that,” said Mike Smith, who has worked in the sport more than six decades as a journalist and publicist. “But beyond personal reasons, this was the race that birthed a legend; it’s here where the seven championships began. It deserves to be among the top five of all-time Cup races.”
Said Bruce: “The seven-time series champion won nine times at Bristol, but the ’79 victory, with team owner Rod Osterlund and colorful crew chief Jake Elder was where it all began. How many Cup rookies have won at Bristol? Just one. Earnhardt.”

No. 1, Gordon uses the bump-n-run on Wallace
Proving that the famed Bristol bump and run isn’t limited to only the Night Race, Jeff Gordon perfectly utilized the oft-used Bristol maneuver on Rusty Wallace in the 1997 Food City 500 to take the victory. Wallace had led the race for most of the day, but Gordon was charging, picking his way through traffic. Gordon tailed Wallace for 85 laps but ultimately caught Wallace on the final lap and used his bumper to get around the Penske driver in turn three. Despite wobbling up the track after the contact, Wallace managed to regain control quickly and bring his No. 2 Ford in for a second-place finish.

The panel awarded this moment five first place votes and 17 total votes. “I can still remember Jeff being so excited about successfully executing the bump-and-run on Rusty after the race – he was almost giddy – but Rusty was none too impressed,” McGee said. “Wallace still calls this one of the Bristol wins that got away.”

“Gordon vs. Rusty showcased two superstars at the top of their games and featured the infamous bump and run,” said veteran journalist Mike Hembree who has covered NASCAR for USA Today, Autoweek and NASCAR Scene, among other news outlets.

“What an amazing finish to a very entertaining race,” said WJHL TV-11 Daytime Tri-Cities host Chris McIntosh. “It proved that Gordon wasn’t just a finesse driver.”

Fans who attend this year’s Food City Dirt Race can expect more magical moments to unfold as NASCAR’s best drivers compete in close quarters in pursuit of a coveted victory at The Last Great Colosseum – dirt trackin’ style – and only the strongest will survive the mayhem that’s unleashed on the storied short track.

The Bristol race weekend is highlighted by the NASCAR Cup Series returning to its roots with the Food City Dirt Race on Sunday evening, April 9 (7 p.m., FOX and PRN Radio). The WEATHER GUARD® Truck Race on Dirt will see the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series take to the clay-covered track on Saturday (8 p.m., FS1 and MRN Radio) and will be preceded by Bush’s Beans Qualifying, which offers four heat races to set the starting lineups in each series. On Friday, teams in both the Cup Series and Craftsman Truck Series will be able to fine-tune their machines during Bush’s Beans Practice Day.

In addition to cheering on their favorite drivers during the weekend and enjoying the Easter Celebration, Bristol Motor Speedway fans will definitely want to take advantage of so many activities to make a complete weekend of family fun. There will be great video entertainment provided by Colossus TV, the world’s largest center-hung video screen, premium VIP experiences like the Super Fan Suites, tailgating, a visit to the BMS Kids Zone, BMS Fan Zone and Fan Midway, on-site camping, concerts and other entertainment at the Food City Fan Zone Stage like the Race Day Revival with Kenny Wallace and John Roberts, great food and beverages in the concession stands throughout the property, and so much more.

To purchase tickets for the Food City Dirt Race, WEATHER GUARD® Truck Race on Dirt and Bush’s Beans Qualifying, please visit the BMS website, or call the BMS Ticket Sales Center at (866) 415-4158.

About Bristol Motor Speedway
Forged amid the scenic mountains of Northeast Tennessee near the Virginia state line, Bristol Motor Speedway is The Last Great Colosseum, a versatile multi-use venue that hosts major auto races, football games, concerts and many other captivating events. The facility features a 0.533-mile concrete oval race track with 28-degree corner banking and 650-feet straightaways that offers racing in several NASCAR touring series, highlighted by two major Cup Series weekends each year. In 2020, the track also served as host of the prestigious NASCAR All-Star Race, and in 2021 began converting to a temporary dirt track each spring to take the Cup Series back to its racing roots. While at the track, fans are offered a unique viewing experience courtesy of Colossus TV, the world’s largest outdoor center-hung four-sided video screen with a 540,000-watt audio system. The adjacent quarter-mile dragstrip, Bristol Dragway, offers more than 50 events annually, including the marquee NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. The Thunder Valley Amphitheatre presented by Ballad Health transforms Bristol Dragway into a premier outdoor concert venue for the world’s greatest music performers. Three football games have kicked-off inside the oval, most notably the 2016 Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol, where border rivals the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech met before an NCAA-record crowd of 156,990. In existence since 1961, Bristol Motor Speedway was purchased in 1996 by Speedway Motorsports, a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States.

RSS Racing | Joe Graf Jr. Phoenix Raceway NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Preview

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Official Release
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RSS Racing | NASCAR Xfinity Series

Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway | United Rentals 200

Fast Facts

No. 38 RSS Racing Team:

Driver: Joe Graf Jr.

Primary Partner(s): GTECHNIQ

Manufacturer: Ford Mustang

Crew Chief: Steve Addington

Spotter: Joe Campbell

Engine: Roush-Yates Engines

Driver Championship Point Standings: Ninth

Team Championship Point Standings: 14th

Notes of Interest:

New Home: After spending the last three seasons with SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt (2020 – 2022), Joe Graf Jr. moved to RSS Racing during the offseason where he’ll spend the majority of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season competing for the Sugar Hill, Ga.-based team.

In addition to RSS Racing, Graf will also compete in a limited NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule driving the No. 19 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Fast Start: With a career-best seventh-place finish earned at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway with RSS Racing and two respectable top-15 finishes with Joe Gibbs Racing at Auto Club (Calif.) Speedway and Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway respectively, Graf enters Saturday afternoon’s United Rentals 200 at Phoenix ninth in the championship point standings.

RSS Racing’s No. 38 team has also had a solid start to 2023 – which has the team 14th in the owner championship standings guaranteeing Graf into Saturday afternoon’s starting field.

Welcome Aboard: Joe Graf Jr. and RSS Racing welcome GTECHNIQ, a leader in automotive protective coatings products as the primary marketing of the No. 38 Ford Mustang for the fourth NASCAR Xfinity Series race of the 2023 season.

Headquartered in Cumming, Ga., the Gtechniq range includes composite ceramic coatings, leather protection, fabric protection, wheel and trim protection, shampoos and much more.

The United Rentals 200 will mark the company’s third event as a primary partner in the NASCAR Xfinity Series but first of the 2023 season.

Sponsor Intel: In 2004, scientists at Gtechniq created a superior line of products aimed at perfecting all vehicle surfaces. And over the last 20 years, these products have been continually improved to provide a range that outshines and outlasts the competition.

Gtechniq’s line of surface preparation and finishing products are designed to clean, polish, and protect all automotive exteriors, in a way no traditional wax applications can match.

Thanks For Your Support: With just nine percent of the 2023 Xfinity Series season complete, Joe Graf Jr. and RSS Racing would like to thank their associate marketing partners: AVOID, Bass Reaper Bait Company, Bucked Up Energy Drink, CoverSeal, EAT SLEEP RACE Apparel, fgrACCEL, G-Coin, Lefcourt Brothers Racing, Model Electronics and ShopRite for their continued support.

Catch Him On The Dial: Before Joe Graf Jr. straps into his No. 38 GTECHNIQ Ford Mustang on Saturday afternoon, the RSS Racing driver will be featured on “The Frontstretch” on SiriusXM Satellite Radio Channel 90 with host Pat Patterson LIVE on Saturday morning, March 11, 2023, at approximately 10:00 a.m. ET.

Graf will also spotlight a new commercial featuring GTECHNIQ in several spots throughout the weekend, including the full four-hour program on Sunday, March 12, 2023.

Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Phoenix Raceway Stats: Joe Graf Jr. will make his seventh NASCAR Xfinity Series start at the 1.0-mile speedway on Saturday afternoon.

In his previous six starts, Graf has delivered a track-best of 25th earned in the March 13, 2021, running of the Call Before You Dig 200 after starting 16th.

Overall, he has an average finish of 30.2 at Phoenix.

He has also completed 1,028 of 1,210 laps for an 85.0 percent lap completion.

Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Career Short Tracks Stats: At tracks classified as a speedway, Graf has competed in 48 NASCAR Xfinity Series races. He holds an average starting position of 25.7 and an average result of 25.8.

Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway | Alsco Uniforms 300 Race Recap: In his most recent NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway, Graf and the Joe Gibbs Racing team showcased the No. 19 CoverSeal Toyota Supra GT in the third Xfinity Series race of the season.

After qualifying a solid 17th – Graf battled the handling of his race car throughout the event. Great adjustments by crew chief Jason Ratcliff allowed Graf to maneuver through the field in Stage 3 with a strong 15th-place finish at the checkered flag.

Sneaker Mania: Along with the adrenaline of the Motorsports competition, Joe Graf Jr. also has a vogue for hype sneakers. In his current collection, he owns and wears at least 90 limited edition sneakers – and his collection continues to grow every month.

The current estimated value of his collection tops $100,000.

From the Pit Box: Industry veteran Steve Addington is Joe Graf Jr.’s crew chief.

He will crew chief his 267th NASCAR Xfinity Series race as crew chief on Saturday afternoon and his ninth race in the desert of Avondale, Ariz.

In his previous 266 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, he has collected 11 wins, 10 poles, 68 top-five and 118 top-10 finishes.

Hello From The Other Side: Graf Jr. has two teammates at RSS Racing.

Veteran Ryan Sieg will drive the No. 39 CMRroofing.com Ford Mustang, while younger brother Kyle Sieg will drive the No. 28 RSS Racing Ford Mustang.

Ryan Sieg is set to make his 305th career Xfinity Series start overall and 20th at Phoenix. His best Xfinity Phoenix track finish occurred in the 2019 ik9 Service Dog 200, where he finished 10th after starting 15th for his family-owned RSS Racing team.

Kyle Sieg is set to make his 23rd career Xfinity Series start overall and fourth at Phoenix. His best Xfinity Phoenix track finish occurred in the 2022 Xfinity Series Championship Race, where he finished 22nd after starting 22nd for his family-owned RSS Racing team.

Follow on Social Media: For more on Joe Graf Jr. visit JoeGrafRacing.com, like him on Facebook (Joe Graf Jr.), follow him on TikTok (@JoeGrafJr), Twitter (@JoeGrafJr), Instagram (@joegrafjr) and YouTube.

For more on RSS Racing, please like them on Facebook (RSS283839) and follow them on Instagram (@rss283839) and Twitter (@RSS283839).

Joe Graf Jr. Quoteboard:

On Phoenix Raceway: “I have experienced the good and bad of Phoenix Raceway throughout my career and I want nothing more than go to the track this weekend and keep up our solid start to the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

“I am excited to be back at RSS Racing and with Steve (Addington) since putting together my career-best finish at Daytona International Speedway last month.

“I need to keep pumping out top-10, top-15 finishes to keep our team in a good place moving forward and I believe with the momentum that the RSS Racing team has, we can do just that.”

On 2023 Season Outlook: “This is a year of opportunity for me. I’ll be competing for two different teams which brings some pressure for me but only because I want to go out there and do my very best in every race run for both Joe Gibbs Racing and RSS Racing.

“I just need to stay focused, communicate with my team and utilize the knowledge that I’ve gained over the past three years to have my best Xfinity Series season yet.”

Race Information:

The United Rentals 200 (200 laps | 200 miles) is the fourth of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2023 schedule. Practice begins on Sat., Mar. 11 from 10:35 a.m. – 11:05 a.m. Qualifying follows at 11:05 a.m. The 38-car field will take the green flag later in the day shortly after 2:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. ET) with live coverage on FOX Sports 1, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90 (Satellite Radio).

About RSS Racing:

RSS Racing fields multiple entries in the NASCAR Xfinity Series led by mainstay driver Ryan Sieg.

RSS Racing has competed in NASCAR events since 2009 from its headquarters in Sugar Hill, Ga.

Fuel Factory To Power Super Tour Drag Racing Series

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Official Release
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Province of Quebec, Canada – The Super Tour is the premiere bracket racing series in Canada, hosting five race weekends per year since 2016 at different tracks in Eastern Canada. The ten race 2023 schedule, will be held at two NHRA Member Tracks in Napierville Dragway near Montreal, Quebec and Luskville Dragway near the capital city of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.

The partnership was made possible with the help of Mr. Jean-Pierre Gobeille from B&G Performance Race Fuels. B&G Performance Race Fuels has recently been named the Canadian Distributor for Fuel Factory. Mr. Gobeille who currently support the Super Tour as a sponsor and a participant got in touch with both parties to make the deal happen.

“We are very thankful to partner up with such a great startup and we look forward on pushing the brand further for the Canadian market” -Jay Beaulieu, Marketing Director – Bracket Super Tour.

“Itʼs no secret that we are drag racers at heart, supporting the efforts of competitive drag racing is really important to us. The Anger brothers along with Arnie Malcolm, Jay Beaulieu and the team at the Canadian Super Tour, put on the best events across Canada. Supporting the series and their customers will allow us to introduce Fuel Factory branded products to the best and most competitive racers in Canada,” Marc Wesler – Fuel Factory Director of Sales.

About Fuel Factory

Some of us have an unextinguishable fire burning inside us. It ignites us to compete. It inspires us to go for the gap on the last lap. It drives us to push an engine to the ragged edge, just for a few more horsepower. Do you have that fire? We do. And we pour it into every gallon of fuel we sell.

We are performance-driven, built for racers by racers. You won’t find any fluff, add-ons, or snake oil here. We are focused on racing fuel, plain and simple. We want to go fast, we want to win, and we want the same for you. We are Fuel Factory. We are built for speed.

For more information on Fuel Factory, please visit our website at: www.FuelFactoryUSA.com For all media inquiries, please contact: Media@FuelFactoryUSA.com.

Tyler Carpenter Returns to Niece Motorsports at Bristol Motor Speedway; Partners with Precision Vehicle Logistics

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MOORESVILLE, N.C. (March 10, 2023) – Niece Motorsports announced today that renowned dirt-racer Tyler Carpenter will return to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this season, making his second series start on dirt; this time at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Carpenter will race the No. 41 Chevrolet Silverado with support from Precision Vehicle Logistics, AutoVentive and Worldwide Express.

“I’m really excited for another opportunity to get back behind the wheel of one of these trucks,” said Carpenter. “I’m thankful for the opportunity from Niece Motorsports, Precision Vehicle Logistics, AutoVentive and Worldwide Express. I learned a lot about these trucks last season and definitely feel like we have something to prove this year.”

Last season, Carpenter earned a seat at Knoxville Raceway via Niece Motorsports’ “Win and You’re in” promotion, after winning the Super Late Model feature at The Gateway Dirt Nationals.

Carpenter got up to speed quickly behind the wheel of his Chevrolet Silverado and moved through the field, before a mechanical failure removed him from contention.

“We are thrilled to have Tyler back behind the wheel this season,” said Niece Motorsports General Manager Cody Efaw. “Tyler learned a lot last season at Knoxville in the truck that I think will help him this year at Bristol. We expect that with his vast dirt experience and what he learned last year in the truck that he will be in contention for a win at Bristol. We’re thankful to everyone at Precision Vehicle Logistics, AutoVentive and Worldwide Express for the support.”

Last year, Precision Vehicle Logistics accepted the 30th anniversary Supplier of the Year award from General Motors. The Supplier of the Year award recognizes distinguished global suppliers that exceed GM’s requirements, in turn providing GM customers with innovative technologies and among the highest quality in the automotive industry.

“On behalf of the 1200+ hard-working individuals at Precision Vehicle Logistics, and its family of companies to include AutoVentive, we are very proud to continue the well-deserved celebration of ours and our employee’s accomplishment, in being awarded one of the 30th Annual Supplier of the Year awards from General Motors,” said Jason Wilson, Vice President of Precision Vehicle Logistics. “It is an honor for us to celebrate this accomplishment, in this way, and along with a great organization, and mutual General Motors partner, in Niece Motorsports. We would like to thank General Motors, Niece Motorsports, all their employees, and partners to include Worldwide Express, for this opportunity. We are grateful to have a driver like Tyler to represent our ambition to win, and our brands, as we look forward to him showing these talented asphalt guys a thing or two at Bristol on the dirt.”

Precision Vehicle Logistics is a customer-focused group of professionals committed to service excellence in finished vehicle logistics. Precision offers a unique combination of talented experience, industry-leading software and systems, and a network of partners and resources to deliver customized solutions to the world’s leading automakers.

AutoVentive is an industry-leading Software as a Service (SaaS) applications developer providing customized solutions to the automotive logistics industry. The company is part of Liberty Hill Equity Partners, LLC, a Cincinnati-based private equity firm, and Apex Holdings, LLC, a privately held holding company that operates across a breadth of industries and features an expanding portfolio of companies in the automotive logistics and transportation sectors.

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will visit Bristol Motor Speedway for the Weather Guard Truck Race on Dirt on Saturday, April 8. The race will air live on FS1, The Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

About Niece Motorsports:

Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2023, Niece Motorsports enters its eighth season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel/lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as Twitter @NieceMotorsport.
Media Inquiries: media@niecemotorsports.com | www.niecemotorsports.com

About Precision Vehicle Logistics:

We are a customer-focused group of professionals committed to service excellence in finished vehicle logistics. We have a unique combination of talented experience, industry-leading software and systems, and a network of partners and resources to deliver customized solutions to the world’s leading automakers.
Visit on the Web: http://www.precisionvehiclelogistics.com

About AutoVentive:

AutoVentive is an industry-leading Software as a Service (SaaS) applications developer providing customized solutions to the automotive logistics industry. The company is part of Liberty Hill Equity Partners, LLC, a Cincinnati-based private equity firm, and Apex Holdings, LLC, a privately held holding company that operates across a breadth of industries and features an expanding portfolio of companies in the automotive logistics and transportation sectors.

Apex Holdings is an active partner, providing critical strategic, financial, and administrative support to the AutoVentive team.

As a company, we have a singular mindset: We want to be the best, positively different, and relentlessly improving. We treat our customers like customers and focus on their challenges and priorities. We provide our customers with a sustainable competitive advantage in yard management operations and logistics through cost-effective and highly reliable solutions.
Visit on the Web: https://autoventive.com/

About WWEX:
The WWEX group of brands, which comprises Worldwide Express, Unishippers and GlobalTranz, offers full-service logistics expertise to more than 115,000 customers across the country. With access to industry-leading small package, truckload, less-than-truckload and managed transportation solutions, its customers benefit from enhanced visibility and value for their supply chains. The company is the second-largest privately held freight brokerage and largest non-retail UPS Authorized Reseller® in the U.S., with an annual systemwide revenue nearing $5 billion through a network of company-owned, franchise and agent locations. A highly selective carrier portfolio, proprietary technology, unique data assets and business intelligence capabilities provide clients with unmatched options and flexibility to meet their shipping needs. The WWEX Racing initiative was borne of a desire to address the complex but underserved logistic needs of the performance motorsports industry, using the unique combination of capabilities offered by the three brands’ combined 80+ years of insight. To learn more about the WWEX Racing program, visit www.wwexracing.com. For media inquiries, contact racing@wwex.com.

NASCAR Launches Immersive Gaming Experience ‘NASCAR Speed Hub’ on Roblox

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Official Release
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The new experience brings together the Roblox community around NASCAR’s past, present and future

Daytona Beach, Fla. (March 10, 2023) – ‘NASCAR Speed Hub’ today makes its virtual debut on Roblox. NASCAR Speed Hub is an immersive experience that lets players design cars, unlock exclusive virtual items, play mini games, and connect to other popular experiences on the platform. Partnering with metaverse studio Dubit, NASCAR’s Roblox experience also builds around a popular collaboration with Jailbreak developers Badimo.

“This is the next step in expanding NASCAR’s presence in the metaverse and engaging with the community in unique and creative ways,” said Nick Rend, NASCAR managing director of gaming & esports. “At NASCAR we want to encourage the emerging generation of digital natives to manifest their passion for NASCAR racing their own way. NASCAR Speed Hub on Roblox is an exciting new space that lets players create and evolve their NASCAR story on their terms.”

NASCAR Speed Hub is an immersive 3D experience filled with social experiences. Players can unlock virtual items, customize cars, and learn about NASCAR Racing in a fun, creative, and playful environment on the Roblox platform that’s connecting millions of people through shared experiences.

At the heart of the hub is a time trial that allows players to collect currency and upgrade their car. Upgrades are a critical component to competing for bragging rights on the global leaderboard. The ‘Quest for Diamonds’ is a mini game that sees NASCAR’s 75th Anniversary diamonds spread throughout partner games which are accessed through the hub.

“We are thrilled to bring the excitement of NASCAR to the Roblox platform in a unique way, involving the phenomenal community of builders,” said Andrew Douthwaite, Dubit chief commercial officer. “Roblox has a vibrant platform of designers and players, and when it came time to launch a persistent space, it was important for NASCAR to also include creators.”

Jailbreak players who complete a time trial in NASCAR Speed Hub will earn a limited time NASCAR-themed 75th anniversary skin as part of a new vehicle launch.

“NASCAR’s passion for community building on the Roblox platform is remarkable,” said Alex Balfanz, co-founder of Badimo. “Our fans loved the Jailbreak x NASCAR experience and the virtual items we previously launched are some of the most talked about in our community.”

The NASCAR Speed Hub will eventually include additional user generated and official content.

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 Dubit

Dubit is a global studio that builds branded metaverse games, experiences, and events. Its team of over 140 professionals provides brands and agencies with the production, marketing and research services to develop, launch and promote successful experiences in the metaverse. Dubit has recently built games and concerts for clients such as H&M, Nickelodeon, UEFA, The Grammys, Samsung, and Hyundai. Dubit has also partnered with over 100 experiences across Roblox to provide brand integrations into already popular games. Brands can harness these established audiences, and Dubit’s portals and technology allows it to direct this traffic into a client’s branded game.

Dubit launched the Metaverse Gaming League, the first esports league in the metaverse. Streamed every week, the League links up client brands and partner games and gives away thousands of dollars in prizes.

About Badimo

Badimo was created in 2017 by two longtime friends, Alex Balfanz in Florida and his partner Keanu in Arizona, with a passion for creating games they themselves wanted to play. Their biggest project, Jailbreak, was an instant success when it was launched six years ago. Jailbreak has been played more than 6 billion times by hundreds of millions of players around the world and has seen more than 100 major content updates over the years. For more information, you can follow Badimo on Twitter @Badimo.

Swift Transportation Launches Partnership with Blaine Perkins

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Phoenix-based trucking company to be featured on the No. 07 SS GreenLight Racing Chevrolet beginning in Phoenix

March 10, 2023 – Blaine Perkins Racing announced a partnership with Swift Transportation as a part of a car unveiling ceremony today at Swift Transportation corporate headquarters.

The Phoenix-based trucking company will be showcased on the No. 07 SS Green Light Chevrolet driven by Blaine Perkins in multiple races this season beginning with the March 11th event at Phoenix Raceway.

Swift offers a variety of services within the transportation industry including linehaul, dedicated, refrigerated, flatbed, heavy haul, Intermodal and freight warehousing.

Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings, Inc., the parent company of Swift, is the largest and most diversified freight transportation company, providing multiple truckload transportation and logistics services, as well as LTL services.

“We are excited to use this partnership to promote our rewarding career opportunities for shop technicians who share our passion for innovation and excellence. Together with Blaine Perkins and SS GreenLight, we look forward to a winning season.” said Kenneth McBee, SVP of Swift Transportation.

“I’m excited to begin our partnership with SWIFT Transportation this coming week, beginning with the unveiling of the car today at their corporate office in Phoenix,” said Blaine Perkins. “I am really looking forward to debuting the SWIFT Transportation Chevy on the racetrack Saturday, and start to build on this partnership as the season continues”

“It’s no secret that the trucking industry is a large portion of how this sport moves on a weekly basis,” added SS GreenLight team owner Bobby Dotter, “so to have a nationally known carrier such as SWIFT Transportation join Blaine and the 07 team is a big moment for our entire organization.”

About Knight-Swift: Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. is one of North America’s largest and most diversified freight transportation companies, providing multiple truckload transportation and logistics services, as well as LTL services. Knight-Swift uses a nationwide network of business units and terminals in the United States and Mexico to serve customers throughout North America. In addition to operating the country’s largest tractor fleet, Knight-Swift also contracts with third-party equipment providers to provide a broad range of truckload services to our customers while creating quality driving jobs for our driving associates and successful business opportunities for independent contractors.

Follow SWIFT Transportation: To learn more about SWIFT Transportation, follow along on Twitter (@SwiftTransportation), Instagram (@swift_transportation), and Facebook (SWIFT Transportation).

For Information on joining the SWIFT family of drivers, visit www.swifttrans.com/careers/drivers.

About Blaine Perkins: A native of Bakersfield, CA. Blaine Perkins has been tearing up the track since he was ten years old. In 2023, Perkins will compete full time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for SS GreenLight Racing, as he contends for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award. Entering the 2023 season, Perkins has 16 Xfinity Series Start with a best finish of 10th in October 2022 at Martinsville Speedway.

Follow on Social Media: To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, visit www.BlainePerkins.com or connect with Blaine Perkins on Facebook (OfficialBlainePerkins), Twitter (@BlainePerkins21) or Instagram (@blaineperkins21).

About SS GreenLight Racing: Owned by former series winner Bobby Dotter, SS GreenLight Racing enters its 14th season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Entering the 2023 Season, SS GreenLight Racing has amassed more than 380 starts, earning 1 win, 8 Top 5’s, 23 Top 10’s and 1 Pole.

Follow SS GreenLight Racing on Social Media: Keep up with SS GreenLight Racing news, notes, information, exclusive content and much more! visit www.ssgreenlight.com or connect on our social media channels. Follow along on Facebook (SSGreenLightRacing), Twitter (@SSGLR0708), Instagram (@ssgreenlightracing) and TikTok (SS GreenLight Racing)

BRADEN CHIARAMONTE IS SET FOR HIS 360 WINGLESS SPRINT CAR DEBUT THIS WEEKEND AT IMPERIAL

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(El Cajon, CA, March 9, 2022) Newly turned 16-year-old Braden Chiaramonte will make his 2023 sprint car racing debut this Friday and Saturday, March 10th and 11th, when the Imperial Valley Raceway hosts the Southern California Open Competition Non-Wing Sprint Cars during the California Mid-Winter Fair. The teen scored a win on the same track in the POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Car Series 11 months ago.

The event will only be Chiaramonte’s fifth time in a 360 sprint car. In 2022, the then-15-year-old racer competed in four 360 sprint car races in Northern California. However, all four of those races came in winged cars. Friday and Saturday will mark his first-ever times running a 360 sans wings. While he has never raced his 360 wingless before, he spent a season and a half without them while competing in the POWRi Southwest Lightning Car Series.

His four races in a 360 sprinter in 2022 shocked most long-time fans. In his first race in a 360 at the Silver Dollar Speedway in August, a strong 44-car field showed up and Chiaramonte made the main event. At the start of October at Silver Dollar in the Fall Nationals, he started 22nd in the finale and finished eighth. That result is more incredible when you consider the fact that nearly halfway through the race, he had to go to the back for a restart after stopping to avoid a crash.

Chiaramonte, who recently turned 16, is no stranger to the Imperial Valley track. Last season, he made the 102-mile trek from his El Cajon, California home to the speed plant three times. A year ago last weekend, he placed second there in the season-opening race for the POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Cars. Twenty-four hours later mechanical ills relegated him to an eighth-place finish. He returned to the track that is 19 miles north of the USA/Mexico border in April and won his first of two CLS main events in 2023. His other victory came in convincing style when he smoked the competition on the half-mile at Perris Auto Speedway in September.

For this weekend’s race, which will be held during the annual California Mid-Winter Fair, Chiaramonte will be in his new Maxim Chassis/Shaver Engine 360 sprint car. That car is pictured at the top of this release. In addition to having the top-of-the-line chassis/engine combo, the car was tuned and prepped by Northern California’s Tiner-Hirst Enterprises out of Chico. Tiner-Hirst supplied the winged 360 car Chiaramonte drove at the Silver Dollar and Placerville Speedways in 2022.

Last week Chiaramonte and fellow teen Grant Sexton put on an exciting exhibition race on the same track they will be competing on this weekend. Chiaramonte came out on top of the special event.

For this week’s event featuring the talented teen and all of the other sprint car stars, Friday will include practice and a 25-lap main event. On Saturday, the two-night show will conclude with heat races and the 30-lap, $5,000.00 to win main event for the sprints. Racing will begin at 6:00 p.m. each night. Fair gates will open at 5:00 p.m. on Friday and noon on Saturday. Kids 18 and under get into the races for free with their ticket to the fair. Admission for those 19 and over will require an extra ticket. The track is located on the Imperial Valley fairgrounds at 200 East 2nd Street in Imperial, California.

Chiaramonte would like to thank all his sponsors who have made this week’s races possible. RTL Traffic Control, AM Ortega, King Racing Products, Tiner-Hirst Enterprises, and Keizer Wheels.

As the full 2023 season is just starting to unfold, Chiaramonte and his team are making plans for a busy year. If you are interested in becoming a marketing partner with one of the most talented and personable young drivers in the sport, please feel free to call or e-mail Daniel Chiaramonte mailto:dchiaramonte@rtltraffic.com or (619) 988 7563.

Braden Chiaramonte 2023 Results

January 13 Tulsa SageNet Center Chili Bowl Midget Nationals 14th A Main

January 14 Tulsa SageNet Center Chili Bowl Midget Nationals 12th C Main

INLAND RIGGING DRIVERS TOMMY DUNKEL AND BRODY ROA WILL RACE AT IMPERIAL VALLEY RACEWAY THIS WEEK

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The Inland Rigging cars are ready for action at Imperial. Dunkel photo.

(Cypress, CA, March 9, 2023) Tommy Dunkel and Brody Roa will make their first joint team appearance this Friday and Saturday, March 10th and 11th, in the Southern California Open Class Non-Wing Sprint Cars at the Imperial Valley Raceway. The race will be the second event for each of the drivers in 2022. Dunkel previously competed in January’s Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Roa swept the weekend winning both USAC/CRA main events at the Cocopah Speedway at the end of the same month.

Neither of the two team drivers is experienced at the Imperial track which is located less than 30 minutes north of the USA/Mexico border. Dunkel has appeared there one time and placed seventh last October. For Roa, the current point leader in the USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, it will be his first race at the longtime racing facility. While it will be his initial outing at the track, the Garden Grove, California-based driver enters the event as one of the pre-race favorites.

While it will only be his second appearance at Imperial, Dunkel realizes the value of having Roa, and his longtime crew as part of the Inland Rigging team.

“It was pretty racy,” Dunkel said when talking about the track that is located on the Imperial Valley Fairgrounds. “It kind of had some dark spots and no walls. So, it is one of those scary tracks but you go back for more. I am hoping they fix the dark spots. Other than that, we really enjoyed it. We went third quick the last time and locked ourselves in the dash. It is going to be huge really with my limited experience. Really nice equipment has been getting me by, but now we have a lot of experience on the team, too. I think it is going to be a game changer for my driving and a huge help for us.”

“That was actually one of the huge deciding factors in teaming up with Brody,” Dunkel continued when talking about the new setup. “Not only are we coming to the table with what it takes to go racing financially, but they have the rest of the package. Just looking at their experience, it was really a no-brainer to hook up with them. The experience that Brett has (Brody’s father Brett) and Zac (past USAC/CRA Crew Chief of the Year Zac Bozanich) and Brody as a driver as well.”

This week’s event comes after two straight cancelations for the Inland Rigging team. Two weeks ago both of the drivers were scheduled to compete in the USAC/CRA West Coast Series event at the Dirt Track at the Kern County Raceway. However, Mother Nature had other ideas and rained the event out. Last weekend Roa was slated to drive in the two-night USAC/CRA program at the Central Arizona Raceway. Mother Nature remained staunch again and rained out that event, too. Fortunately, the heavy rains that are slated for California this Friday and Saturday are far north of Imperial.

For Roa, the weekend is kind of an unknown as he has never raced at Imperial and does not really think he can compare it to a track he has been to before.

“You know, I was talking to Justin Grau and he kind of came up with the same thing,” Roa said via phone on Thursday. “Kind of from the videos I have seen, I can’t compare it to anything. Maybe Ventura because of how small it is. I don’t know.”

“You don’t,” Roa continued with a laugh when asked how he sets the car up for a situation like that. “The car is ready. I went out to Tom and Christy’s (Tom Dunkel and his wife, Christy) Saturday. Let the girls play some and worked on the cars. Basically got them ready other than set up and gear. So I have to put a gear in it when I get there and block it. I will do the set up when I see the track. I could do it now, but would probably change my mind when I see it. So, might as well do it then.”

Dunkel will be driving one of the team’s new DRCs while Roa will be in a Maxim. Both will be powered by 360s in the open class show. Roa is not too worried about running the smaller engine.

“I saw the entry list and was really surprised and excited for them (the promoters) to get those good cars there,” Roa said. “I may not be so much (excited) with a 360 now but I don’t know. I think with a 360 we can get it done. We have beat 410s with a 360 before. Tom and Christy, they have nice stuff. It is a little tiny track and if it slicks off, I am not worried about the 360 versus 410 thing there.”

Roa, Dunkel, and the other Open comp sprint car drivers on hand will practice and have a 25-lap main event on Friday night. On Saturday they will contest heat races, a B main if necessary, and the $5,000.00 to win 30-lap main event.

This weekend’s racing, which will be held in conjunction with the California Mid-Winter Fair, will begin at 6:00 p.m. each night. Fair gates will open at 5:00 p.m. on Friday and noon on Saturday. Kids 18 and under get into the races for free with their ticket to the fair. Admission for those 19 and over will require an extra ticket. The fairgrounds is located at 200 East 2nd Street in Imperial, California.

Roa will be very busy with USAC/CRA races after this weekend’s Imperial show. On Saturday, March 18th, he will be at Perris Auto Speedway for the Sokola Shootout. He will head to Central California for a race at Peter Murphy’s King’s Speedway in Hanford on the 24th and the famous Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare on the 25th. The 2019 USAC/Southwest champion will then take on “Arizona’s Baddest Bullring,” the Mohave Valley Raceway, on April 1st. Due to a heavy workload, Dunkel is not sure of the exact date of his next race after this weekend.

As always, Roa would be more than happy to jump in a race car on his weekends off from the #17R. His entire schedule is printed below. If anybody wishes to contact him about open dates, they can do so at 714-932-7994 or mailto:brodyroa91@gmail.com

The team wants to thank the following sponsors for making the 2023 season possible. Inland Rigging, Dunkel Farms, United Asset Sales, Osborne Speed & Machine, Sander Engineering, “Biker” Bruce Fischer, ALR Virtual Services, Burris Racing, Caltrol, Competition Suspension, K-1 Race Gear, Molecule, Rod End Supply, Driven Racing Oil, Baldwin Filters, and NGK Spark Plugs.

Brody Roa’s 2023 Schedule and Race Results

January 27 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 1st A Main

January 28 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 1st A Main

February 25 Kern County Raceway Park USAC West Coast Sprint Cars Rained Out

March 3 Central Arizona Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars Rained Out

March 4 Central Arizona Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars Rained Out

March 10 Imperial Valley Raceway SoCal Open Comp Non Wing Sprint Cars

March 11 Imperial Valley Raceway SoCal Open Comp Non Wing Sprint Cars

March 18 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars

March 24 Keller Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars

March 25 Thunderbowl Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars

April 1 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars

April 15 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars

April 22 Thunderbowl Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars

April 29 Kern County Raceway Park USAC/CRA Sprint Cars

May 6 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars

May 20 Thunderbowl Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars

May 27 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars

June 10 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars

June 24 Bakersfield Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars

July 1 Santa Maria Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars

July 15 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars

August 12 Santa Maria Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars

August 19 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars

August 26 TBA USAC/CRA Sprint Cars

September 9 Santa Maria Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars

September 23 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars

October 14 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars

October 20 Imperial Valley Raceway SoCal Open Comp Non Wing Sprint Cars

October 21 Imperial Valley Raceway SoCal Open Comp Non Wing Sprint Cars

November 3 Central Arizona Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars

November 4 Central Arizona Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars

November 11 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars

Tom Dunkel’s 2023 Racing Results

January 12 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals 12th C Main

Mobil 1 Brings Motorsports Legend Jenson Button to NASCAR

By
Official Release
-

Championship-Winning Formula One and Sports Car Driver To Run Three NASCAR Cup Series Races with Debut March 26 at COTA

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (March 9, 2023) – Jenson Button, the 2009 Formula One world champion whose versatility as a racecar driver extends well beyond his nearly two-decade F1 career, will continue to diversify his racing resume by running three NASCAR Cup Series races in 2023.

With support from Mobil 1, the world’s leading brand of synthetic motor oil, Button will make his Cup Series debut March 26 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. He will then compete in the inaugural Chicago Street Race on July 2 before culminating his three-race Cup Series slate Aug. 13 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.

Rick Ware Racing (RWR) will field the No. 15 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang that Button will drive in each Cup Series race. Marketing and promotional support is being facilitated by Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), Mobil 1’s longtime NASCAR team partner. RWR and SHR collaborated in similar fashion last year for multiple races with a handful of drivers.

“We are thrilled to celebrate Jenson Button as he makes his debut in the NASCAR Cup Series and support him on his journey to making one of his racing dreams a reality,” said Rob Shearer, Director of Global Lubricants Marketing Services, on behalf of Mobil 1. “We’re driven by the love of driving and committed to helping more people get behind the wheel – wherever they may be. Through our partnership, we hope to continue to inspire and serve drivers everywhere – encouraging them to get more out of their drive and reconnect with the adventure of the open road.”

Button won 15 grands prix, including a dominant six-win campaign in 2009 that netted him the F1 title. Upon retiring from F1 in 2017, the British driver has taken on a variety of challenges. It began with sports cars in the Japanese Super GT Series’ GT500 class, where he won the 2018 championship. He then ran a five-race stint in the 2018-2019 FIA World Endurance Championship, a drive that included the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Button has even competed in off-road endurance racing, running the Mint 400 and the Baja 1000 in 2019.

Mobil 1 has been there for nearly all of it, with Button’s NASCAR endeavor another chapter in a partnership that began 20 years ago.

“I won the world championship with Mobil 1, and 14 of my 15 wins in Formula One were with Mobil 1, as well as winning the Super GT championship with them. We’ve had a really close relationship over the years and I can’t think of a better partner,” Button said.

“Mobil 1 has been a big part of making these NASCAR races happen for me, so I’m very thankful to them for giving me this opportunity. I look forward to working alongside the brand to get the best out of every race weekend.”

Through their shared love of driving and deep history in motorsports, Mobil 1 and Button will connect with the racing community in new and exciting ways – with a focus on delivering exclusive content and uniting driving enthusiasts through activations and experiences.

“Our love for racing at Mobil 1 runs deep, and we’re proud to compete and play a role in so many different series,” said Jei Gort, Global Motorsports and Sponsorships Manager, on behalf of Mobil 1. “This partnership with Jenson intersects two of racing’s most prominent series – NASCAR and F1 – and we’re very excited to be a part of his pursuit for success in NASCAR’s premier division. Through our collaboration, we aim to further celebrate the love of driving and elevate the passion for motorsports.”

Button is one of F1’s most tenured drivers with 306 career starts. His final F1 start was the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix when he subbed for Fernando Alonso, who skipped Monaco to compete in the Indianapolis 500. Button’s last fulltime F1 season was 2016.

“The reason I was able to stay in Formula One for so long was because I always felt I was learning. There was always something new in terms of technologies, or I could still improve my driving or engineering skills within Formula One. When I got to my 17th year in F1, I felt like I lost that hunger a little bit because it wasn’t new anymore. There wasn’t something new to learn,” Button said.

“Stepping away from F1 gave me the opportunity to try different series that excited me. I raced Super GT in Japan. I raced at Le Mans. I raced off-road because it was another skill to learn. You put yourself in a slightly vulnerable position because it’s not your complete skill set, and there’s still more to learn to be as good as the best. I love that challenge of driving new things. It’s slightly out of my comfort zone, and I found that out with off-road trucks.

“Obviously, racing a Cup car is very different than what I’m used to. It’s a lot heavier with a lot less power and, basically, no downforce. It’s got a sequential gearbox where you need to blip the throttle, so there’s lots of stuff to learn in a very short space of time.

“But I just get excited about that new challenge, and when I throw myself into something, I am 100 percent in. I’m not just doing it for fun in some one-off. I want to be competitive, and I know that to be competitive, it’s going to take a bit of time. That’s why doing these three races works very well this season.”

Button isn’t totally unfamiliar with a NASCAR Cup Series stock car. He is part of the Garage 56 driver lineup, which is taking a slightly modified Cup Series car to this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans June 10-11 at Circuit de la Sarthe.

“The first time I jumped into the Garage 56 car, it was like, ‘What have I done? This is so different,’ and that lasted about four laps. Then it was like, ‘Hang on, it’s still a racecar. It’s got four tires that touch the road. It’s a mechanical racecar, which is even better for learning.’ I’ve really enjoyed the challenge,” said Button, who has now tested the Garage 56 car at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway, Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and earlier this week at COTA.

“A Cup car has a lot less downforce and is a lot heavier, but the Garage 56 car has given me an idea of what it will be like along with a direction, which is really useful. I know in my first race I’m not expected to be qualifying right at the front and I’m not expected to be fighting for a victory. I have a lot of respect for the drivers racing in the Cup Series. There’s so much talent there, whether it’s on ovals or road courses.

“Ten years ago, people used to say NASCAR guys can’t drive around a circuit, but I think they’ve proven that they can. Every time an ex-F1 driver gets in a stock car these days, they struggle initially. It takes a while for them to get up to speed, so I don’t expect to be right at the front, straight away. That’s why, for me, doing more than one race is really key so I can get the best out of myself and the best out of the car.”

When it comes to expectations, particularly at COTA where Button made five F1 starts, he has no predictions.

“The most important thing for me is to enjoy it,” Button said. “I want to feel comfortable in the car knowing that I can get as much out of the car in any situation as other people out on track. The result is the result and we’ll see what happens, but I want to get the confidence to brake as late as I’d like, to carry the speed through the high-speed corners, and to be able to race close – wheel-to-wheel with the pack.”

If there is one person who understands the transition Button will face going from open-wheel racecars to stock cars, it is Mobil 1 ambassador Tony Stewart. Before he became a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Stewart was the 1997 IndyCar Series champion. Stewart even has a bit of Formula One experience – he drove Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 championship-winning McLaren MP4-23 on June 14, 2011 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International in a seat swap orchestrated by Mobil 1.

“It’s always a challenge to try a new racing discipline, and the best thing you can bring to a new opportunity like this is an open mind,” Stewart said. “Jenson has been doing that his entire career. Those F1 cars evolve every year, and Jenson always found a way to adapt. And when he got out of F1, he jumped into sports cars and won another championship. He’s even done off-road. There’s very little that he hasn’t experienced in a racecar. He’s new to NASCAR, but he’s not new to racing. This is going to be fun for all of us, and we’re very appreciative of Mobil 1 for making it happen.”

Button’s NASCAR Cup Series debut begins on Saturday, March 25 at COTA with practice and qualifying for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. The 68-lap race around the 3.426-mile, 20-turn road course gets underway at 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, March 26 with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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