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Xfinity 500 Preview – October 30th, 2022

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SM
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2022’s Xfinity 500 is shaping up to be an exciting affair. There has been a lot of talk about who may win and whether an upset could be in the cards.

In this guide, we’ll review the chatter and give you the information you need to know before the big day on Sunday, October 30th.

We’ll also take a brief look at betting on NASCAR races, but first, let’s look at how the sport works.

About NASCAR

NASCAR has been around since 1948. Since then, the sport has grown into one of the biggest and most recognizable names in motor racing.

Throughout the year, NASCAR hosts around 1,500 races which are held around the globe, but mainly in the US, with 48 out of 50 states hosting events. Mexico, Canada, and Europe also play host.

Several competitions take place during the racing year. The most popular is the Cup Series, which is also referred to as the NCS. This takes place over 10 months, with 36 races making up the contest.

Another big competition, which we’ll focus on more below, is the Xfinity Series, and in particular the race day event, Xfinity 500. It’s a version of the sport that’s becoming increasingly popular and we’ll examine these reasons.

Betting on NASCAR

With millions of avid fans, NASCAR is also a popular sport for betting. Many people use online sportsbooks to place their bets. If using this method, you can visit odds checkers and comparison sites to make sure you get the best odds.

You can also read up on reviews and previews from Bestodds and other similar sites to ensure you take advantage of all the latest deals and offers.

In general, betting on NASCAR is pretty straightforward. You can make moneyline bets, such as backing a racer to win, or you can back them to place in the top finishing positions. You can also make proposition bets, such as betting on outcomes offered by the betting site.

How does the Xfinity 500 work?

NASCAR’s Xfinity series of races are regarded as the “minor league”. However, that perception has changed in recent years due to the increasing quality of racers as drivers from the higher divisions dropdown.

The Xfinity 500 is just one race event in the Cup Series playoff series and it’s also the final race in the Round of 8, meaning it’s of huge importance to some racers. This year it’s being held on October 30th at the Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia.

The race is contested over a massive 500 laps, with each lap being a little over half a mile. This makes it one of the shortest tracks in NASCAR, and that in itself presents an interesting challenge for drivers. It’s shaping up to be an exciting affair. Let’s see who’s involved.

Xfinity 500 preview

There are a few favorites for this final Round of 8 race and one of them is Martin Truex. He clearly loves this track; out of the last four Martinsville races, he’s won three. This makes him a strong contender to take home the crown of the day.

However, it won’t be an easy ride. Chase Elliot is another driver who many expect to clinch the first spot. He’s been in terrific form on the Martinsville track. He won here last year as well as finishing fifth, and earlier this year, he finished second.

Close behind Elliot in the eyes of the bookmakers is Denny Hamlin. He’s a terrific racer on shorter tracks. So far this season, he’s finished second twice in Richmond, finished third at Phoenix and at Martinsville, and finished seventh at Dover. He’s a wonderfully competitive racer and could have a real shot of claiming the win.

But it’s not all about the favorites. Underdogs can surprise us all, and in Xfinity 500, there are a couple who could be real competitors. One of them is Christopher Bell. He’s already had two top-five finishes in the Truck Series at Martinsville and finished seventh in the Cup Series.

William Byron is another outsider but someone who enjoys this track, finishing in the top eight in three of his last four races in Martinsville.

If you’re looking to bet on the Xfinity 500, then backing one of these long-shot picks to place in the top five could see you walk away with a decent return. You never know, they just may win.

Chandler Smith – No. 18 Safelite Tundra TRD Pro Camping World Trucks Homestead-Miami Preview

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Official Release
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Chandler Smith: Driver, No. 18 Safelite® Toyota

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event: Baptist Health 200, Race 22 of 23 (Race 3 in the Round of 8)
134 Laps – 30/30/74; 201 Miles
Location: Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Date/Broadcast: Oct. 22, 2022, at 1 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

Chandler Chatter:

Chandler Smith and the No. 18 Safelite team head to Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway for the final race of the Round of 8 looking to punch their ticket to the Championship 4 at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway. The 20-year-old driver enters Saturday’s race second on the Camping World Truck Series playoff grid, 30 points above the cutoff line for advancing to Phoenix, where he is the defending race winner. If Ty Majeski or a driver not in the playoffs were to win Saturday, Smith would clinch his spot in the championship round by totaling 26 points Saturday. If there is a new winner from the playoff grid, he would clinch his spot in the finals by earning 29 points.

For Smith, it will be his first start in any series at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but he has posted an average finish of 5.17 across his six starts on mile-and-a-half tracks this season, including a victory at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway. He is pulling double duty this weekend, piloting the No. 26 GR Supra for Sam Hunt Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race, which is the backend of Saturday’s double header. With running the Xfinity Series event, Smith will get some extra track time with that series’ practice and qualifying taking place Friday night after Truck Series practice and qualifying.

The Georgia driver has recorded an average finish of 11.5 across the first two races of the Round of 8, falling behind in the Final Stage of both events after gaining valuable stage points. At Bristol, he won the opening two stages before ending the day with a ninth-place result. At Talladega, he finished fourth in the opening stanza, won Stage Two and then crossed the stripe in the 14th position. Smith punched his ticket to the Round of 8 with a win at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. Smith dominated the middle race of the Round of 10, leading 176 of the final 177 laps, picked up the Stage 2 win and the victory and added six playoff points that have carried over to the Round of 8. The victory was Smith’s third of 2022 and the fifth of his career.

The Toyota Racing Development product has produced three wins in 2022: the second race of the season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the regular season finale at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway and in the Round of 8 at Richmond. Across 21 Truck Series starts this season Smith has recorded eight top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. He ranks first among Truck Series regulars in laps led (440), average running position (8.853), laps completed (2898) and is second in average finish (9.0) and fastest laps run (203), and third in driver rating (102.1) and quality passes (678).

Smith made the playoffs last year in his first full-time campaign as the 10th seed. He advanced to the Round of 8 with a must-win victory at Bristol in the final race in the Round of 10. He found himself in another must-win situation in the final race in the Round of 8 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and saw his playoff run end when he finished fourth. As a consolation prize, he won the pole and swept all three stages in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series finale at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway.

Smith earned NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2021 after producing two victories, one pole, 213 laps led, six top-five and nine top-10 finishes in his first full-time season. He earned his first career Truck Series victory at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in September of 2021. Across 59 career Truck Series starts, the Toyota Racing Development driver had recorded five wins, one pole, 746 laps led, 22 top-five and 32 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.8.

Veteran crew chief Danny Stockman will once again call the shots for Smith and the No. 18 team in 2022. Stockman’s drivers have produced nine victories at KBM since he joined the organization in 2020, including five with Smith behind the wheel. The veteran crew chief captured a Truck Series championship with Austin Dillon in 2011 and also won an Xfinity Series championship with Dillon in 2013. Stockman’s drivers have produced one win, one top-five and two top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 14.0 across three Truck Series starts at Homestead-Miami. In the series most recent visit to the Florida track, he guided KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch to a dominant victory leading 82 of 134 laps in June of 2020.

Safelite, the nation’s largest provider of vehicle glass repair, replacement and recalibration services, returned to KBM for a fifth season and will be the primary sponsor on Smith’s Tundra TRD Pro Tundra for 16 races this year, including Saturday’s race at Homestead.

Chandler Smith, Driver Q&A:
This will be your first start in any series at Homestead-Miami. How have you prepared for this race?
“I’ve watched a good bit of film of the 2019 race and ran a lot of laps on the TRD simulator. With where we are at in the point standings we don’t want to go there and put ourselves in a bad spot. We just need go out Saturday and execute and race the racetrack and bring home a solid finish with our Safelite Tundra TRD Pro.”

You are also running the Xfinity Series race this weekend. Despite being a limited practice on Friday, do you feel like the extra seat time help you?
“With having never been to Homestead I feel like any track time will help even though it seems like the Xfinity car and the Truck race so much different there.”

With being 30 points above the cutoff line for advancing to Phoenix how will you approach Saturday’s race?
“Passively aggressive.”

Chandler Smith Career Highlights:

  • Across 57 career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts has recorded five wins, 640 laps led, 22 top-five and 31 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.8.
  • Earned NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2021 and finished eighth in the championship standings after producing two victories, one pole, 213 laps led, six top-five and nine top-10 finishes in his first full-time season. He earned his first career Truck Series victory at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in September and in the series finale at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway earned his first career pole and swept all three stages en route to his second victory.
  • Has posted an average finish of 29.5 across two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts in 2022, with a best result of 22nd coming at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway.
  • Has collected 10 wins, 10 poles, 1894 laps led, 23 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes en route to an average finish of 5.2 across 35 career ARCA Menards Series starts.

Chandler Smith’s No. 18 Safelite Tundra:

  • Across 59 career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts has recorded five wins, 746 laps led, 22 top-five and 32 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.8.
  • Earned NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2021 and finished eighth in the championship standings after producing two victories, one pole, 213 laps led, six top-five and nine top-10 finishes in his first full-time season. He earned his first career Truck Series victory at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in September and in the series finale at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway earned his first career pole and swept all three stages en route to his second victory.
  • Has posted an average finish of 29.5 across two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts in 2022, with a best result of 22nd coming at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway.
  • Has collected 10 wins, 10 poles, 1894 laps led, 23 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes en route to an average finish of 5.2 across 35 career ARCA Menards Series starts.

KBM Notes of Interest:

  • KBM drivers have collected five wins, one pole, 416 laps led, 11 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 9.9 across 29 starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Owner-driver Kyle Busch has three victories at Homestead-Miami, winning in the series most recent visit in 2020 as well as in 2010 and 2013. Darrell Wallace Jr. (2014) and William Byron (2016) each have one at the Florida track.
  • KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (98) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway earlier this year, Corey Heim became the 18th different driver to win a Truck Series event for KBM. In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
  • The No. 18, the number which was on the first Tundra that went to victory lane for KBM in 2010, has 26 career victories.

Corey Heim – No. 51 Crescent Tools Tundra TRD Pro Camping World Trucks Homestead-Miami Preview

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Official Release
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Corey Heim: Driver, No. 51 Crescent Tools Toyota

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event: Baptist Health 200, Race 22 of 23 (Race 3 in the Round of 8)
134 Laps – 30/30/74; 201 Miles
Location: Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Date/Broadcast: Oct. 22, 2022, at 1 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

The Story on Corey:

Corey Heim and the No. 51 Crescent Tools team head to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the final race in the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series owner’s playoffs 26 points below the cutoff line for advancing to the Championship 4 after a disappointing ending at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Heim was running inside the top five as the field approached the tri-oval on the final lap when he made a three-wide move to the outside lane in an effort to win the race. As he made his move, he got turned from behind into the outside wall and was relegated to a 26th-place finish, leaving the No. 51 team eighth on the owner’s playoff grid.

The Talladega finish ended a stretch of five consecutive top-10 finishes in Camping World Truck Series action for the Georgia driver. Heim finished the regular season with a fourth-place finish at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, propelled the No. 51 team through the Round of 10 with three top-10 finishes and opened the Round of 8 with a 10th-place finish at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

Saturday’s 134-lap event will mark Heim’s first Truck Series start at Homestead-Miami Speedway in any series. He has finished inside the top 10 in three of his four starts on mile-and-a-half tracks this season in Truck Series action this year, including his victory at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway in March.

The No. 51 team qualified for the owner’s portion of the playoffs via Heim’s two wins this season (Atlanta and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway). They are tied with the No. 18 and No. 38 teams with a series-leading three wins this season. In addition to Heim’s two wins, Kyle Busch was victorious at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in June. The No. 51 team has captured the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series owner’s championship three times (2013-2014 & 2019) and as on organization KBM has collected a series-record seven owner’s titles.

Across 14 Truck Series starts this season, Heim has produced two wins, two poles, 64 laps led, five top-five and eight top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 15.2. The 19-year-old driver leads the Truck Series rookie of the year standings by 153 points over Lawless Alan. Heim will look to join three other KBM drivers that have won the award, reigning winner Chandler Smith, William Byron (2016) and Erik Jones (2015). Overall, Heim sits 15th in the driver point standings, despite only starting 14 of the 21 events, and is ahead of six full-time competitors.

The Georgia driver picked up his first career Truck Series victory in just his fifth start earlier this season at Atlanta and won again at Gateway in is ninth start. With two victories across his first 10 Truck Series starts; Heim became one of just 12 drivers in series history to net multiple victories in their first 10 starts. Kasey Kahne and Mike Skinner each produced five victories, Mark Martin collected four wins, Ron Hornaday Jr., Ted Musgrave and William Byron brought home three checkered flags and Heim, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Rich Bickle, Clint Bowyer and Tony Stewart all delivered two wins.

Heim picked up his ninth career ARCA Menards Series victory Sept. 10 at Kansas Speedway. Across 43 career ARCA Menards Series starts he has produced 814 laps led, 31 top-five and 41 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 4.3. Heim finished second to Ty Gibbs in the 2021 ARCA Menards Series championship standings.

Mardy Lindley returned to KBM for his second season atop the pit box of the No. 51 team. Lindley has led his team to six wins since coming to KBM at the start of the 2021 season, including two with Heim and one with Kyle Busch this year. In 2021, his drivers produced three victories, two with Busch and one with Martin Truex Jr. Before arriving at KBM, Lindley guided his drivers to 32 wins and four ARCA Menards Series East championships since 2013, including back-to-back titles with Sam Mayer the last two seasons. Additionally, he earned the ARCA Menards Series Sioux Chief Showdown championship with Mayer in 2020. Behind the wheel, the second-generation driver won 11 races on the Pro Cup Series from 2000 to 2006 and was crowned the series champion in 2001. Saturday’s race will be Lindley’s first atop the pit box at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Crescent Tools, a premier hand tool brand from Apex Tool Group, will be the primary sponsor on Heim’s No. 51 Tundra TRD Pro for the final two races of the season.
Corey Heim, Driver Q&A:
How have you prepared for your first race in any series at Homestead-Miami?
“Without any real life experience, it’s been a process to figure out Homestead because it is really unique. Luckily with Toyota providing the sim time, I’ve been able to get a pretty good idea of what it is going to be like this weekend.”

Are there any other tracks that you’ve raced at that are similar to Homestead-Miami?
“Homestead is definitely unique in its own, but if I could compare it to anywhere it would have to be Kansas, just because of all the different grooves you can run. Kansas is a track that I really like and have had a lot of speed at in both the ARCA and Truck Series, so hopefully that’s a good sign for our Crescent Tools team this weekend.”

Being 26 points below the cutoff line in the owner’s playoffs do you feel that you are in a must-win situation?
“I feel like it is definitely a must win for us, but it doesn’t change out mindset. We try to win every race, so this weekend is business as usual with our Crescent Tundra TRD Pro.”

Corey Heim Career Highlights:

  • Picked up first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway March 19, 2022 in just his fifth start. Across 17 career starts has two wins, two poles, 66 laps led, five top-five and eight top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 15.6.
  • With two victories across his first 10 Truck Series starts, the 19-year-old driver became one of just 12 drivers in series history to net multiple victories in their first 10 starts. Kasey Kahne and Mike Skinner each produced five victories, Mark Martin collected four wins, Ron Hornaday Jr., Ted Musgrave and William Byron brought home three checkered flags and Heim, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Rich Bickle, Clint Bowyer and Tony Stewart all delivered two wins.
  • Finished runner-up in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings in 2021 after collecting six wins, three poles, 406 laps led, 16 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 3.1 across 20 starts.
  • Across 43 career ARCA Menards Series starts has nine wins, 814 laps led, 31 top-five and 41 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 4.3. Picked up his first career ARCA Menards Series victory at Kansas Speedway Oct. 16, 2020.
  • Corey Heim’s No. 51 Crescent Tools Tundra TRD Pro:

KBM-74: The No. 51 Crescent Tools team will unload KBM-74, a brand new Tundra TRD Pro, for Saturday’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

KBM Notes of Interest:

  • KBM drivers have collected five wins, one pole, 416 laps led, 11 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 9.9 across 29 starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Owner-driver Kyle Busch has three victories at Homestead-Miami, winning in the series most recent visit in 2020 as well as in 2010 and 2013. Darrell Wallace Jr. (2014) and William Byron (2016) each have one at the Florida track.
  • KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (98) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway earlier this year, 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 40 victories, the No. 51 is the winningest number in KBM’s Truck Series fleet.

John Hunter Nemechek – No. 4 GEARWRENCH Tundra TRD Pro Camping World Trucks Homestead-Miami Preview

By
Official Release
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John Hunter Nemechek: Driver, No. 4 GEARWRENCH® Toyota

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event: Baptist Health 200, Race 22 of 23 (Race 3 of 3, Round of 8)
134 Laps – 30/30/74; 201 Miles
Location: Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Date/Broadcast: Oct. 22, 2022, at 1 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

Neme’chek’ the Facts:

John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 4 GEARWRENCH team head to Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway for the final race in the Round of 8 of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoffs. Nemechek enters Saturday’s elimination race seventh on the playoff grid but just five points below the cutoff line for advancing to the Championship 4. The second-generation driver accumulated 19 stage points in the last event at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway after winning the opening stage and finishing second in Stage Two before going for a spin through the infield grass trying to avoid “The Big One” on the last lap, which relegated him to a 24th-place finish.

The 25-year-old driver has made four Truck Series starts at Homestead-Miami, with a best result of second in the 2015 event. In those four starts, he has tallied 24 laps led, one top-five and two top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 8.8. In his two Cup Series starts at the mile-and-a-half facility, Nemechek recorded a best finish of 19th in the June 2020 race. He has finished inside the top-10 in both of his Homestead starts in the Xfinity Series, with a best result of third in 2018.

While it has been nearly two years since Nemechek last raced at Homestead-Miami, in September he participated in a two-day Next Gen Cup Series test session with 23XI Racing at the mile-and-a-half track.

As the Camping World Truck Series season winds down, Nemechek continues to lead Truck Series regulars in poles (seven) and driver rating (104.3), while he ranks second in average running position (8.937) and third in average starting position (7.6) and laps led (372). Overall, on the 2022 Truck Series season he has recorded two wins, nine top-five and 14 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 11.0 across 20 starts.

Nemechek is a 13-time winner in Camping World Truck Series action, winning at least one race each season from 2015 to 2018 for his family-owned team, NEMCO Motorsports, and returning to victory lane in 2021 and 2022 with KBM. Across 145 career starts in NASCAR’s third division, he has compiled nine poles, 1,553 laps led, 49 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.4.

Eric Phillips returned to lead the No. 4 team in 2022. His 43 career Truck Series victories make him the winningest crew chief in Truck Series history, with 34 of those coming while at KBM including five last year. Phillips led the No. 18 team at KBM in its debut season in 2010 and helped build the organization into one of the premier teams in all of NASCAR before departing at the end of the 2014 season. Under his guidance, the No. 18 team won eight races in its inaugural campaign and became the Series history to capture an owner’s championship in its first season of competition. In 2014, the Illinois native led the first team in Truck No. 51 team to an owner’s championship and his team’s 10 wins spearheaded KBM to a single-season Truck Series record of 14 wins. At Homestead, Phillip’s drivers have collected one win, four top-five and seven top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 8.3 across 10 starts. He was victorious with KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch at the mile-and-a-half oval in 2010.

The Toyota Racing driver made his 11th Xfinity Series start of the season and eighth with Sam Hunt Racing last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway piloting the No. 26 GR Supra. Nemechek qualified 11th and was competing in the top-10 before a pit road speeding penalty midway through the race set him back, taking the checkered flag in 16th.

GEARWRENCH will make their season debut on board Nemechek’s No. 4 Tundra TRD Pro this weekend at Homestead-Miami. GEARWRENCH® is the No. 1 professional-grade mechanics’ hand tool brand, offering products that are designed and manufactured to meet the requirements of pros, mechanics and auto technicians who make a living with their tools. GEARWRENCH understands the problems mechanics face every day and provides tools that increase productivity through speed, strength, and access. Since the launch of the five-degree ratcheting wrench, the GEARWRENCH brand has led the industry with breakthroughs in pass-thru ratchets, sockets, screw/nut drivers, pliers, extraction tools and specialty tools.

GEARWRENCH PitBull™ pliers will also adorn the tail of No. 4 Tundra this weekend. GEARWRENCH PitBull™ pliers are cutting and gripping machines. PitBull AutoBite™ pliers feature one-handed automatic gripping action, so they’re perfect for tough work in tight spaces, while PitBull Tongue and Groove pliers have a K9™ jaw that bites hard to grip strong, even when attacking at an angle. If superior cutting’s your thing, PitBull cutting pliers deliver big time with 35% less force needed to cut and 50% longer blade life. When it comes to unstoppable gripping and cutting performance, nothing beats GEARWRENCH PitBull pliers.

John Hunter Nemechek, Driver Q&A:

Being just five points below the cutoff line, how do you approach Saturday’s race at Homestead-Miami?
“I think going into Homestead and being below the cut by five points, we just have to go run our race, maximize everything that we can, try to get as many stage points as we can and try to go win the race. I don’t know if it’s going to take a win to lock ourselves in, but it definitely wouldn’t hurt us to go win at Homestead and at least know that we are locking ourselves in rather than relying on points and everything else. Everything has to go your way and you can’t make any mistakes and just go run our race and not beat ourselves.”

You have had experience at Homestead-Miami in the past, how will that help you this weekend?
“I think being able to go to Homestead and race, it’s a very cool and unique racetrack where tires wear out really fast and pace falls off. I’m really looking forward to Homestead, it’s one of my favorite places to go to, you can run multiple lines and the Truck Series hasn’t been there since 2020 I believe, so a little bit off for them but at least I’ve been there the past couple of years being able to race and test there. I’m excited to go down there and see what we can do. Hopefully, we can go school the field.”

The previous Truck Series races at Homestead have been at night, what differences do you expect this year with the race being during the day?
“It changes how the track will race a lot. The track definitely won’t be as gripped up as it is at nighttime when it starts to cool off. It’s going to be hot, sunny, and slick. Let’s go get it, my favorite!”

John Hunter Nemechek Career Highlights:

  • 13-time winner in Camping World Truck Series action, winning at least one race each season from 2015 to 2018 for his family-owned team, NEMCO Motorsports and returning to victory lane in 2021 and 2022 with KBM. Across 145 career starts in NASCAR’s third division, has compiled nine poles, 1,553 laps led, 49 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.3. Registered a career-high and series-leading five victories in 2021, earned the NCWTS Regular Season championship and finished third in the final standings after qualifying for the Championship Four for the first time in his career.
  • Produced three top-10 finishes and an average result of 22.4 while competing for rookie of the year honors in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2020. He recorded a career-best eighth-place finish twice, both coming at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
  • Across 67 career XFINITY Series starts, has totaled two wins, one pole, 570 laps led, 17 top-five and 37 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.6.

John Hunter Nemechek’s No. 4 GEARWRENCH Tundra TRD Pro:

KBM-73: The No. 4 GEARWRENCH team will unload KBM-73 for Saturday’s race at Homestead. Nemechek raced this Tundra once earlier this season in its maiden start at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May where he qualified 15th and drove his way to a third-place finish.
KBM-73 Performance Profile

KBM Notes of Interest:

  • KBM drivers have tallied five wins, one pole, 416 laps led, 11 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 9.9 across 29 starts at Homestead-Miami.
  • Owner-driver Kyle Busch has notched three of KBM’s wins at Homestead (2010, 2016, & 2020) while Bubba Wallace (2014) and William Byron (2016) each have one win.
  • KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (98) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 19, Corey Heim became the 18th different driver to win a Truck Series event for KBM. In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
  • The No. 4 has 18 career victories at KBM and was the number for both of the organization’s driver championships.

Brad Keselowski – Homestead Advance

By
Official Release
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Team: No. 6 Violet Defense Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Twitter: @RFK6Team, @RFKRacing and @keselowski
Race Format: 400.5 miles, 267 laps, Stages: 80-85-102
NASCAR Cup Race at Homestead – Sunday, Oct. 23 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Weekend Format

Group practice and qualifying sessions return for this weekend’s schedule at Homestead-Miami.

Keselowski at Homestead-Miami

  • Keselowski makes his 15th Cup start at Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend where he has a 14.2 average finish and six top-10 finishes. His best career finish is third – which he ran in back-to-back races in 2014-15.
  • Keselowski finished fifth four years ago at HMS, and last year crossed the line 16th after leading 47 laps in the No. 2 machine. Overall he’s led 155 laps at the 1.5-mile track.
  • Keselowski has a 9.2 average starting position in Miami – his best among active tracks – with 11-straight starts inside the top-10 and eight starts inside the top five overall.
  • Keselowski has two Xfinity wins at Homestead (2011, 2013) in eight starts, and an additional two starts in the Truck Series.

Matt McCall at Homestead-Miami

  • McCall will be atop the box for his eighth Cup event from Homestead where he has a 13.6 average finish and two top-10 results.
  • His best run came in 2005 with Jamie McMurray – a fifth-place finish – and last season he led Kurt Busch and the No. 1 team to an eighth-place result.
  • Last season he qualified fifth with Busch, his career-best qualifying run to date.

QUOTE WORTHY
Keselowski on racing at Homestead:
“We’re expecting good things this weekend in Miami coming off a test there a while back that was really beneficial for our team, and should definitely give us an advantage and plenty of notes to work from. It’s a place that carries so much speed, and couple that with a good setup, typically that’s a recipe for success. We’re excited for the weekend in our Violet Defense Ford.”

Last Time Out
Keselowski finished 17th in the King’s Hawaiian Ford Sunday at Las Vegas.

On the Car

Violet Defense returns to Keselowski’s No. 6 this weekend for its sixth appearance with the No. 6 team in 2022.

About Violet Defense

Violet Defense uses UV disinfection to protect everyday spaces from harmful pathogens by killing up to 99.9% of E. coli, Salmonella, MRSA, C. diff., Norovirus, C. auris, and coronavirus. Violet Defense’s technology is the only known Pulsed Xenon solution that can be installed into a room full-time, creating a continuous way to address disinfection needs of all types of settings. For more information, visit www.violetdefense.com or follow us on Facebook or LinkedIn (@violetdefense).

Chris Buescher | Homestead Advance

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Official Release
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Chris Buescher – Homestead Advance
Team: No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves

Twitter: @RFK17Team, @RFKRacing and @Chris_Buescher
Race Format: 400.5 miles, 267 laps, Stages: 80-85-102

NASCAR Cup Race at Homestead – Sunday, Oct. 23 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Weekend Format

Group practice and qualifying sessions return for this weekend’s schedule at Homestead-Miami.

Buescher at Homestead-Miami

  • Buescher makes his seventh Cup start at Homestead-Miami where he has a 20.8 average finish.
  • He has a best finish of 16th (2019) and a 19th-place run last season.
  • Buescher carries a 21.3 average finish with his two best qualifying efforts coming in the last two races (13th and 12th).
  • Buescher made two Xfinity Series starts at HMS in 2014-15 with a best finish of fifth in the No. 60 machine.

Scott Graves at Homestead-Miami

  • Graves will call his seventh Cup race from Homestead this weekend where he has a 23.2 average finish and two top-10s.
  • He led Ryan Newman to a P7 finish last season, one of two seventh-place runs there in the last three years.
  • Graves has an Xfinity win to his credit at Homestead after he and Daniel Suarez started from the pole and led 133 of 200 laps in 2016 en route to the victory.

QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on racing at Homestead-Miami:
“We had a really good car at Homestead a year ago, picked up a stage win and I think surprised some people. We’ve come a long way since then, so we have high expectations entering the weekend. We have some great data from Brad testing there a few weeks ago, and it’s one of those places that’s really fun to drive if the handling is there.”

Last Time Out
Buescher finished 15th Sunday at Las Vegas.

On the Car

Fastenal, in its 12th season with RFK in 2022, makes its 19th appearance with the No. 17 this weekend. In its early days with RFK, Fastenal originally was a partner with the No. 99 team before moving over to the No. 17 team since. They were also the primary partner on the No. 60 Xfinity Series entry that captured the owner’s championship in 2011.

Fastenal will feature top suppliers Milwaukee Tool, Rust-Oleum, Brennan Industries, Duracell, OSG USA on Buescher’s No. 17 this weekend. For more information on these suppliers, visit Fastenal.com, and stay up-do-date on social @FastenalCompany.

About Fastenal
Fastenal [Nasdaq: FAST] is North America’s largest fastener distributor and a ‘one-stop’ source for hundreds of thousands of OEM, MRO and Construction products. With more than 2,600 stores worldwide, the company supports B2B customers with tailored local inventory and dedicated personnel, who visit regularly, quickly respond to emergency needs, and provide efficient inventory management solutions. Fastenal’s service-oriented business network includes the world’s largest industrial vending program, 14 regional distribution centers, 8 custom manufacturing facilities, thousands of delivery vehicles, and industry-leading sourcing, quality and engineering resources.

DGR NCWTS Advance: Homestead-Miami Speedway

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Official Release
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Saturday, October 22nd
Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway, 1.5-mile oval
Race: 22 of 23
Event: Baptist Health 250 (134 laps/201 miles)

Schedule
Friday, October 21st
Practice: 4:00 p.m. ET
Qualifying: 4:30 p.m. ET

Saturday, October 22nd
Race: 1:00 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 1)

Hailie Deegan, No. 1 Wastequip Ford F-150 

  • Hailie Deegan straps in at Homestead-Miami Speedway for her 45th career start and first NCWTS appearance at the facility.
  • In the series last outing at Talladega Superspeedway, the Ford Performance driver escaped last-lap carnage and carried her Ford F-150 to a career-best finish of sixth.
  • Deegan is fresh off the heels of her Xfinity Series debut, placing 13th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last Saturday.
  • The 21-year-old has plenty of confidence on 1.5-mile tracks, boasting a higher average finish on intermediate speedways than in any other pavement configuration.
  • Veteran Crew Chief Jerry Baxter is a former winner at Homestead-Miami, scoring two victories alongside Cale Gale and Bubba Wallace. In addition, the shot-caller has netted three top fives, four top ten’s and carries an average finish of 11th.

Tanner Gray, No. 15 Place of Hope Ford F-150

  • Tanner Gray will make his 70th career NCWTS start on Saturday afternoon when the series invades Homestead-Miami Speedway.
  • At Talladega Superspeedway two weeks ago, Gray ran inside the top-10 for most of Stage 1, but disaster struck on lap 78 when he was caught up in a five truck pileup ending his day early with a 31st-place finish.
  • In two previous appearances at Homestead, the 23-year-old has finishes of 16th and 12th in 2019 and 2020.
  • Mike Hillman Jr. possesses two wins, three poles, six top-fives, six top-10s in 14 starts at the 1.5-mile track. The victories came with Todd Bodine in 2005 and 2008.
  • Place of Hope will be featured on the sides of the No. 15 F-150 this weekend. The Florida-based foundation provides programs and services to children, youth, and families to end the cycles of abuse, neglect, homelessness, and human trafficking in local communities.

Ryan Preece, No. 17 RaceChoice Ford F-150

  • Ryan Preece will make his 10th and final NCWTS start of the season in the DGR No. 17 F-150 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday.
  • RaceChoice.com returns as a primary partner for the third time in 2022 with Preece. Vehicle remote start and security solutions company Compustar will be featured on the hood.
  • The Connecticut driver looks to continue his remarkable consistency in the Truck Series. After a fourth-place finish at Talladega, he bettered his average finish to 4.7 in 11 starts.
  • Chad Johnston will be atop the pit box this weekend for the No. 17 team. In 2022, the driver and crew chief duo has combined for finishes of 4th, 3rd, 11th, 2nd and 3rd.

Zane Smith Looks to Grab Championship Four Spot in Homestead

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Official Release
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No. 38 Team Enters Final Race Before Championship Race in Phoenix

 MOORESVILLE, N.C. (October 18, 2022) – NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver, Zane Smith, will look to grab one of the Championship Four spots this weekend at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway on Saturday.

Saturday afternoon’s race will be Smith’s last change to lock himself into the ‘Round of Four’ before Phoenix’s championship race in two weeks’ time. A task that he does not take lightly.

“Everything we have done this year has led to this moment right here,” Smith stated. “I’ve said it all year, getting locked into the ‘Round of Four’ is a championship of its own. All we can control is our truck and our race. We will do just that to give us the best shot at advancing to the final round.”

Saturday also marks the end of the year for Speedco, a premiere partner for Smith that adorned the No. 38 for two of Smith’s three wins in 2022 and an associate with Love’s for his season opening win at Daytona.

“Everyone at Love’s and Speedco have meant so much to me this season,” said Smith. “Without them, a lot of this would not be possible. They’ve been with us for each of our wins starting all the way back in Daytona. I really want to go out on a high note with them this weekend and deliver them that fourth win.”

Smith and the No. 38 Speedco Ford F-150 will hit the track at Homestead on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. ET on FS1.

About Front Row Motorsports

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

Love’s Travel Stops Returns with McDowell in Miami

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Official Release
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Team Looks for Strong Finish in Final Three Races

 MOORESVILLE, N.C. (October 18, 2022) – Michael McDowell is amid a career-best season and he and his Love’s Travel Stops team is now ready to finish strong in the final three races of the season. Next up McDowell and the No. 34 team head to the fast, banked, mile-and-a-half Homestead-Miami Speedway. McDowell has 12 previous starts at the track- with a best finish of sixth in 2021.

“We had our best finish in Homestead last season when we finished sixth,” said McDowell. “We came here and had a good test. We really feel that a top-five is attainable, and we should be able to be in the top-10. We will be disappointed if now.

With three races remaining in the 2022 season, McDowell and his crew are as focused as ever.

“Right now, the goal is to get a win,” continued McDowell. “It is just that simple. As team, we can get it done. It is not easy, but we have the team to do it. We have put a lot of effort into this weekend to have the best car possible. We raced well at the mile-and-a-half tracks, and I think Sunday we will have a good Love’s Travel Stops Ford.”

McDowell and his Love’s Travel Stops Ford team will race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway this Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

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

Spire Motorsports to Field two Full-Time NASCAR Cup Series Entires in 2023

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Official Release
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Corey LaJoie Returns to No. 7 Chevrolet Cup Series Veteran Ty Dillon in No. 77 Chevrolet

CONCORD, N.C. (October 18, 2022) – Spire Motorsports announced today Corey LaJoie will return to the seat of the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and veteran Ty Dillon will join the team’s two-car effort, taking over full-time driving duties of the No. 77 Chevy for the NASCAR Cup Series 2023 season.

The team also announced Ryan Sparks will return as LaJoie’s crew chief while Kevin Bellicourt will lead Dillon’s No. 77 team as crew chief next season. Sparks has also been elevated to the organization’s Director of Competition and will oversee all aspects of Spire Motorsports on-track efforts.

“There’s little doubt that we raised some eyebrows when we entered the sport as race-team owners,” said Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson. “We knew that we needed to learn how to crawl before we attempted to walk and eventually run. We’ve been quite fortunate to build a strong foundation for Spire Motorsports over the past several years. That’s a testament to the people of Spire Motorsports, and Corey LaJoie, Ryan Sparks and Kevin Bellicourt have been the bedrock of this organization.

“The next step in our progression is to add an equally capable full-time driver for the No. 77 team and we’ve found just that individual in Ty Dillon. Clearly, the path that T.J. (fellow Spire Motorsports co-owner T.J. Puchyr) and I have taken to be here today has been atypical. We have great respect for our contemporaries in the sport, and we are humbled to be among them. Collectively, we’ve been fortunate to serve a lot of functions and roles in racing over the past 20 years. That allows us to have a great appreciation and perspective of what it takes to be successful in this super-competitive environment. We’re very proud of what every member of the organization has helped us build.”

Spire Motorsports was founded in 2018 and quickly earned its inaugural victory when Justin Haley took the checkered flag on July 7, 2019 in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

The Concord, N.C. based organization has logged 210 Cup Series starts, posting one win along with three top-five and seven top-10 finishes.

Meanwhile, LaJoie has become a Cup Series mainstay logging 197 starts over seven seasons. His career totals include five top-10 finishes with a career-best fifth-place effort coming this season in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

In 33 NASCAR Cup Series events this year, LaJoie has scored one top-five, one top-10, seven top-15 and 14 top-20 finishes. LaJoie is currently 31st in the season championship standings heading into this weekend’s Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway.

A third-generation racer whose father and grandfather are members of the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame, LaJoie won his way to the NASCAR Cup Series ranks through top developmental series like the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (six victories) and the ARCA Menards Series (three wins). The 31-year-old driver also competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (two top 10s) and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (one top 10) enroute to his full-time seat in NASCAR Cup Series.

“I’m excited to return to Spire Motorsports for the 2023 season,” said LaJoie, now in his fourth year in the Cup Series. “With another year under our belts and a notebook on the new car, I know we can have a solid season and get that first win. It’s cool my buddy Ty (Dillon) is joining us as well. It will be nice to have a full-time teammate in the No. 77 to work with. We’ll all be headed to the Daytona 500 with the same goal in mind, to ‘Stack Pennies’.”

Dillon, 30, made his NASCAR Cup Series debut August 31, 2014, for Richard Childress Racing. The Lewisville, N.C. native comes to Spire Motorsports after spending 2022 at the wheel of the No. 42 Chevrolet for Petty GMS. In 199 NASCAR Cup Series starts, Dillion has recorded two top-five and seven top-10 finishes. He notched a career-best third-place finish October 4, 2020, in the Yellawood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

In NASCAR Xfinity Series competition, Dillon is a veteran of 161 starts, including four poles, one win, 34 top fives and 92 top 10s. He is a veteran of 58 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts scoring five pole positions, three victories, 20 top-five and 36 top-10 finishes. Dillon is a nine-time ARCA Menards Series race winner and the division’s 2011 champion.

“I’m thankful for this opportunity, a new beginning with a very hungry team that is excited for the future,” said Dillon. “Spire Motorsports has been growing year after year, when you look at the way that Corey (LaJoie) and the No. 7 team has developed to be competitive. The organization is heading in the right direction and I’m excited to be a part of bringing the No. 77 up to where Corey has been running. Hopefully we raise the whole level of competition together.

“I’m excited to be a teammate. To me, as a team, high tides raise all ships and I want to be a part of all of us being successful. One person doesn’t have to fail for the other to be successful, and I’m looking forward to us, as Spire Motorsports, growing and bringing the program to new heights.”

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 Dillion. The team also fields a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team in select events.

Spire Motorsports earned its inaugural 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 Camping World Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville Speedway.

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