KYLE BUSCH
Smooth as Peanut Butter

HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (July 26, 2022) – While Kyle Busch is a two-time Brickyard 400 champion on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, he’s poised to take on a different challenge as the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Indianapolis for Sunday’s Verizon 200 at the Brickyard.

For the second year in a row, instead of taking on the iconic 2.5-mile oval. NASCAR’s top series will again compete on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course. Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Peanut Butter Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), won his Brickyard 400s back-to-back in 2015 and 2016. They are among his five top-five finishes and 12 top-10s in 16 career starts on the historic oval. Busch and his fellow Cup Series competitors had to wipe the slate clean a year ago when they first tackled the road course. And this weekend, they will be faced with the unknown once again as it will be the first event on the circuit with the NextGen car.

Not long ago, road-course racing in NASCAR’s top series consisted of just two stops on the 36-race schedule with its yearly visits to Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway and Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. An annual trip to the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval was added to the schedule in 2018. Now, road-course racing has taken on even more importance in the Cup Series with the additions of Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, and the Indianapolis road course. With six road-course races on the schedule this year, it’s more important than ever to have a strong driver and team that can turn left and right.

Busch has long shown a propensity for road-course racing during his Cup Series career, well before road courses occupied a larger chunk of the schedule. The M&M’S Peanut Butter driver’s four road-course wins tie him with NASCAR Hall of Famers David Pearson and Mark Martin on the all-time Cup Series road-course wins list. That’s some pretty elite company, already. A fifth road-course win would tie Busch with Darrell Waltrip, Tim Richmond and Dan Gurney. There is a bit of distance from there to the top three spots on the all-time road-course wins list, however, as Chase Elliott, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, have seven, eight and nine career road-course wins, respectively.

So as Busch heads to the Indianapolis road course for the second time and first with the NextGen car, he’ll hope that Indy will be as smooth as peanut butter and turn out to be just a successful for him and the M&M’S Peanut Butter Camry team as the historic oval has been.

KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Peanut Butter Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:

What does it mean to the prestige of NASCAR Cup Series racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway now that it’s contested on the road course instead of the 2.5-mile oval?

“It’s definitely not what the oval is, certainly not the Indy 500 or the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that was always known for being the 2.5-mile oval, and all the history that came along with that from the 500 to the Brickyard 400 over the years, as well. It’s another racetrack where it’s a different racetrack at the same venue. We had a good run going there last year and obviously the rumble strips coming up really hurt our finish. No matter what course it is, you go out there and race it the best you can and hope for a good run. We’ll go out there with our M&M’S Peanut Butter Camry and try to learn a bit more in practice and hopefully be in a position at the end for a good finish.”

What do you think are the challenges with the NextGen car on the road courses?

“This car is faster on the road courses because it has more grip. It is a more central-built racecar, meaning that it’s not just built to go left. I think the race should be competitive. All of the cars are the same, right? So, it should be more competitive. It’s just a matter of who runs over who – if we look like the local go-kart track or we look like professionals. We will see how things go in that regard this weekend.”

How has your view on road-course racing changed with the addition of more of those races in recent years?

“I’ve always enjoyed the road racing. Back years ago, when we had two on the schedule – Sonoma and Watkins Glen – it was kind of fun because it was like an off week. You would go and enjoy the experience and try to learn and get better at it each time that you would do it, but now that there are six of them on the schedule, it’s definitely more loaded toward needing to be good at it – not wanting to but needing to with the amount of road-course races we have. I feel like I’m a decent road racer and would love to have a chance to showcase that this weekend. Obviously, we’ve been missing something on these road courses as far as the NextGen car, so hoping we can gain some ground this weekend and improve from our last couple of road-course races.”

Event Overview:

● Event: Verizon 200 at the Brickyard (Round 22 of 36)

● Time/Date: 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 31

● Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course

● Layout: 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course

● Laps/Miles: 82 laps/199.998 miles

● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 15 laps / Stage 2: 20 laps / Final Stage: 47 laps

● TV/Radio: NBC / IMS Radio Network / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Meet the No. 18 M&M’S Peanut Butter / Joe Gibbs Racing Team

Primary Team Members:

Driver: Kyle Busch
Hometown: Las Vegas

Crew Chief: Ben Beshore
Hometown: York, Pennsylvania

Car Chief: Nate Bellows
Hometown: Fairfax, Vermont

Spotter: Tony Hirschman
Hometown: Northampton, Pennsylvania

Race Engineer: Seth Chavka
Hometown: Soldotna, Alaska

Race Engineer: Jaik Halpainy
Hometown: Blockville, New York

Over-The-Wall Crew Members:

Gas Man: Matt Tyrrell
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Front Tire Changer: Thomas Hatcher
Hometown: Middleburg, Florida

Jackman: Kellen Mills
Hometown: Mesa, Arizona

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

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

Road Crew Members:

Engine Tuner: Dan Bajek
Hometown: Camden, New York

Truck Driver: Chris Miko
Hometown: Bronx, New York

Truck Driver: Eloy Trevino
Hometown: Adrian, Michigan

Mechanic/Tire Specialist: Justin Peiffer
Hometown: Lebanon, Pennsylvania

Mechanic: Scott Eldridge
Hometown: Warsaw, Indiana

Mechanic: Tony Hamm
Hometown: Walla, Walla, Washington

Notes of Interest:

● Road-Course Ringer: Busch scored his fourth career Cup Series road-course win in June 2015 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, and enters the weekend with 15 top-five finishes and 24-top-10s in 44 combined starts at Sonoma, Watkins Glen, the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway road course, Road America, the Charlotte Roval, and the road course at Indianapolis.

● Alone in Ninth: The two-time Cup Series champion’s 60th career win at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in April put him two wins ahead of 10th-place Kevin Harvick, who has 58 wins. Ahead of Busch at eighth on the all-time wins list is Dale Earnhardt, the seven-time Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer who won 76 races during his storied career.

● 224 and Counting: Busch will be aiming to add to his record 224 overall wins among NASCAR’s top three series this weekend at Indianapolis. In addition to his 60 Cup Series wins and 102 in the Xfinity Series, Busch has 62 wins in the Camping World Truck Series.

PRIMARY SPONSORSHIP OF WILLIAM BYRON WILL HIGHLIGHT CLOUD PROVIDER CLIMB

CONCORD, N.C. (July 26, 2022) – Acronis, a global leader in cyber backup protection and the Official Cyber Protection Partner of Hendrick Motorsports, has extended its marketing and technology relationship with the 14-time NASCAR Cup Series champions through 2025.

With the renewal, Acronis will join title contender William Byron as a primary sponsor in two races this season and continue as a major associate partner of Hendrick Motorsports with branding across the organization’s entire four-car stable throughout the duration of the agreement.

The No. 24 Acronis Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will appear in Sunday’s road-course event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Sept. 17 playoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The car’s hood will showcase Acronis partner and cloud distributor Climb Channel Solutions.

“Recommitting to this partnership is a no-brainer for everyone involved, and we are proud that it will help underscore our important work with Climb,” said Pat Hurley, Acronis’ vice president and general manager, Americas. “Hendrick Motorsports understands the risks associated with managing large amounts of data, and with our arsenal of #CyberFit-ready services, Acronis is proud to give them that peace of mind, keeping them secure and protected so the team can keep its focus on the track – where it belongs.”

With its unique combination of automation and integration, Acronis offers complete cyber protection. Its solutions safeguard data, applications, systems and productivity against loss, theft and downtime – from cyberattacks and hardware failures to natural disasters and human error. Hendrick Motorsports protects its data, applications, systems and overall racing operations by utilizing Acronis for cyber protection, security, backup, anti-ransomware and disaster recovery.

“Because we must be on the cutting edge at all times, auto racing requires a significant investment in technology,” said Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports. “Our partnership with Acronis gives us confidence that our resources are always protected, which allows us to focus on competing at a championship level each week. We’re pleased to continue working together to help promote the products and services that our team trusts.”

Byron, 24, is a rising star in NASCAR. Through 21 races this season, he is projected as the fourth seed in the Cup playoffs and ranks second in the series in laps led. With two victories in 2022, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native has clinched his fourth consecutive playoff berth.

“It means a lot that Acronis sees so much value in our program,” Byron said. “I’m excited about getting on the racetrack with their paint scheme this weekend at Indy and in the playoffs at Bristol. Our No. 24 team is working hard to carry momentum into the fall and contend for a championship. We’re proud to have Acronis on board as we keep pushing toward that goal.”

Climb Channel Solutions is a specialty IT distributor and key Acronis partner. The company connects partners, resellers and end-users with emerging technology, a global distribution network, and the sales and marketing support they need to accelerate and scale business in the channel. Acronis’ sponsorship of Hendrick Motorsports will highlight Climb’s commitment to delivering its partners access to the best and fastest-evolving technologies and services available.

Acronis’ marketing and technology relationship with Hendrick Motorsports began in August 2020 with an agreement that ran through June 2023. It has a worldwide presence in professional sports that includes team partnerships in the NBA, NFL, English Premier League, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer and across a variety of auto racing series.

ABOUT ACRONIS:
Acronis unifies data protection and cybersecurity to deliver integrated, automated cyber protection that solves the safety, accessibility, privacy, authenticity, and security (SAPAS) challenges of the modern digital world. With flexible deployment models that fit the demands of service providers and IT professionals, Acronis provides superior cyber protection for data, applications, and systems with innovative next-generation antivirus, backup, disaster recovery, and endpoint protection management solutions powered by AI. With advanced anti-malware powered by cutting-edge machine intelligence and blockchain based data authentication technologies, Acronis protects any environment – from cloud to hybrid to on premises – at a low and predictable cost.

Founded in Singapore in 2003 and incorporated in Switzerland in 2008, Acronis now has more than 2,000 employees and offices in 34 locations worldwide. Its solutions are trusted by more than 5.5 million home users and 500,000 companies, and top-tier professional sports teams. Acronis products are available through over 50,000 partners and service providers in over 150 countries and 26 languages.

ABOUT CLIMB CHANNEL SOLUTIONS AND WAYSIDE TECHNOLOGY GROUP:
Climb Channel Solutions is a global specialty IT distributor for emerging technology vendors with solutions for Security, Data Management, Connectivity, Storage and HCI, Virtualization and Cloud, and Software and ALM. Climb provides vendors access to thousands of VARs, MSPs, CSPs and other resellers. Climb holds an IT-70 GSA contract vehicle that provides resellers and vendors with a competitive edge within the Public Sector. Climb is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wayside Technology Group Inc. (NASDAQ: WSTG). Read more at www.climbcs.com, call 1-800-847-7078 and follow us on LinkedIn.

ABOUT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS:
Founded by Rick Hendrick in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports is the winningest team in NASCAR Cup Series history. At the sport’s premier level, the organization holds the all-time records in every major statistical category, including championships (14), points-paying race victories (288) and laps led (more than 76,000). It has earned at least one race win in a record 38 different seasons, including an active streak of 37 in a row (1986-2022). The team fields four full-time Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entries in the NASCAR Cup Series with drivers Alex Bowman, William Byron, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson. Headquartered on more than 100 acres in Concord, North Carolina, Hendrick Motorsports employs approximately 600 people. For more information, please visit HendrickMotorsports.com or interact on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

COLE CUSTER
Indianapolis Road Course Advance
No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Verizon 200 at the Brickyard (Round 22 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 31
● Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
● Layout: 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course
● Laps/Miles: 82 laps / 200 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 15 laps / Stage 2: 20 laps / Final Stage: 47 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / IMS Radio Network / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Cole Custer and his No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) are set for their fourth of six road-course races this season when the NASCAR Cup Series heads to the hallowed grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Sunday’s Verizon 200 at the Brickyard.

● The 24-year-old from Ladera Ranch, California, will be making his 97th career Cup Series start during Sunday’s 82-lap, 200-mile race, and his second on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis circuit. He qualified 10th for this event a year ago and was vying for a top-five finish in overtime before getting caught up in a multicar accident.

● Custer has one other start at the facility, when he drove to an impressive fifth-place finish in the 2020 Brickyard 400 on its iconic 2.5-mile oval. It was his first of two top-fives during his Cup Series Rookie of the Year campaign, which he followed up with a dramatic victory the following weekend at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta.

● Sunday’s race will be Custer’s 13th road-course start in the Cup Series. He qualified 10th and finished 15th in the July 3 race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. He posted stout qualifying efforts at the previous two road-course races – third for the March 27 event at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, and sixth for the June 12 race at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway – but late-race, multicar chaos foiled his bids for finishes deep inside the top-10 at both events. Custer’s best Cup Series finish on a road course was ninth in the October 2020 race on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval.

● In NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competition, Custer has top-10s in all three of his road-course outings, all at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario. His best was his most recent, a second-place run from the pole with a race-high 39 laps led in the No. 00 JR Motorsports entry in 2016. He also made three starts apiece on the road courses at Sonoma and Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International in NASCAR K&N Pro Series competition, with best finishes of third in the 2016 East Series race at Watkins Glen after having qualified on the pole there the previous year, and fourth in the 2019 West Series race at Sonoma.

● Riding along with Custer and his SHR Mustang is team co-owner Gene Haas’ newest holding, Haas Tooling, which was launched as a way for CNC machinists to purchase high-quality cutting tools at great prices. Haas cutting tools are sold exclusively online at HaasTooling.com and shipped directly to end users. HaasTooling.com products became available nationally in July 2020. Haas Automation, founded by Haas in 1983, is America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools. The company manufactures a complete line of vertical and horizontal machining centers, turning centers and rotary tables and indexers. All Haas products are constructed in the company’s 1.1-million-square-foot manufacturing facility in Oxnard, California, and distributed through a worldwide network of Haas Factory Outlets.

Cole Custer, Driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

You had a solid run in last year’s race on the Indianapolis road course, and you’ve had strong runs in the previous three road-course races this year. What will it take to put you over the top this weekend?

“We had a really good day at Indy last year, until the end. We had a top-five car, but luck just wasn’t on our side because we got involved in a wreck during overtime. The same could be said for our races at COTA and Sonoma this year. Road courses have turned out to be a strong suit for us with this NextGen car and I’m confident we’ll be able to run up front again this weekend. We just need a little luck to finally go our way when all the craziness happens in those final laps.”

Is it possible to create your own good luck?

“That’s the million-dollar question. You’ve got to make your own luck. You’ve got to have a good car, you have to be fast to where you can keep yourself up front and out of the mess, and then you’ve got to be smart. We’ve been able to do all of those things on the road courses, so far. When there are those bad situations, you’ve just got to know when to play your cards right and hope that you’re not in a bad spot. It seems most of the time there’s just nothing you can do, but I’d like to think we’ll start coming out on the good side of these situations. It all has to even out, right?”

If you could have the keys to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a day, what would you do?

“I’d probably just go over and see all the trophies and all the history in the museum there. It’s one of the coolest things. They have some special stuff downstairs that I think would be really cool to see, all the historic stuff that they have there. Having the first (Cup Series) road-course race there last year was huge, it was historic, and it was a crazy race. Indy is obviously the most historic track maybe in the world, definitely in the United States, so I’m really looking forward to going back.”

How do you like sharing the weekend with IndyCar?

“I think it’s cool. IndyCar is totally different from what we do, but to see the two forms of racing come together is really awesome, and it’s a great thing for the fans who are loyal to one or both of our series.”

No. 41 HaasTooling.com Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Cole Custer
Hometown: Ladera Ranch, California

Crew Chief: Mike Shiplett
Hometown: Amherst, Ohio

Car Chief: Tony Cardamone
Hometown: Bristol, Virginia

Engineer: Lee Deese
Hometown: Rockingham, North Carolina

Engineer: Scott Bingham
Hometown: Lawrenceville, Georgia

Spotter: Andy Houston
Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Josh Leslie
Hometown: Mount Clemens, Michigan

Rear Tire Changer: Chris Jackson
Hometown: Rock Hill, South Carolina

Tire Carrier: Chad Emmons
Hometown: Tyler, Texas

Jack Man: Kapil Fletcher
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fuel Man: Dewayne Moore
Hometown: Griffin, Georgia

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Joe Zanolini
Hometown: Sybertsville, Pennsylvania

Shock Specialist: Aaron Kuehn
Hometown: Kensington, Connecticut

Engine Tuner: Jimmy Fife
Hometown: Orange County, California

Tire Specialist: Austin Greco
Hometown: Harrisburg, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: David Rodrigues
Hometown: Santa Clarita, California

Transporter Co-Driver: Charlie Schleyer
Hometown: Youngsville, Pennsylvania

FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: INDIANAPOLIS NOTES

Indianapolis will be the hub of racing activity this weekend as all three of NASCAR’s top touring series compete. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will open its playoff season on Friday night at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park before the NASCAR XFINITY and NASCAR Cup Series take to the Grand Prix circuit at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Here’s a look at Ford’s history at both tracks.

This Week’s Schedule:

Friday, July 29 – NASCAR Camping World Truck Series @ IRP, 9 p.m. ET (FS1)

Saturday, July 30 – NASCAR XFINITY Series @ IMS, 3:30 p.m. ET (NBC)

Sunday, July 31 – NASCAR Cup Series @IMS, 2:30 p.m. ET (NBC)

FORD IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES AT IMS

· Ford has 6 all-time series wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

· Ford has won 3 of the last 4 Cup races at the Brickyard (all oval).

· Dale Jarrett and Kevin Harvick have two Ford victories at the track.

FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT IMS

· Ford is looking for its third straight series win on the IMS road course.

· Chase Briscoe (2020) and Austin Cindric (2021) won the first two events.

· Ford has led 83-of-124 laps in both races combined.

FORD IN THE NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES AT IRP

· Ford has two all-time wins at IRP.

· Greg Biffle won Ford’s first race at the track in 2002.

· Carl Edwards was Ford’s last winner in 2009.

GURNEY IS FORD’S ALL-TIME ROAD COURSE WINNER

NASCAR has competed on 16 different road courses during its history and Ford has had 21 drivers win 33 times overall. Dan Gurney leads the way with five, which included four straight wins at Riverside International Raceway from 1963-66 while driving for the Wood Brothers. Mark Martin, on the strength of three straight triumphs at Watkins Glen International from 1993-95, is second.

FORD’S ALL-TIME CUP ROAD COURSE WINNERS

5 – Dan Gurney

4 – Mark Martin

2 – Fireball Roberts, Marvin Panch, Parnelli Jones, Ricky Rudd, Marcos Ambrose

1 – Chuck Stevenson, Eddie Gray, Richard Petty, A.J. Foyt, Bobby Allison, Bill Elliott, Davey Allison, Geoffrey Bodine, Ernie Irvan, Rusty Wallace, Carl Edwards, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Blaney.

FORD’S ACTIVE WINNERS

There are three current drivers who have won a NASCAR Cup Series race on a road course with Ford. The most recent winner was Ryan Blaney, who captured the inaugural event at the Charlotte Roval in 2018. Kevin Harvick, who goes into this weekend with 23 career Ford victories in just over five years, got his first with the Blue Oval in 2017 when he won at Sonoma. Joey Logano scored his Cup victory at Watkins Glen International in 2015, which completed a weekend sweep after he won the NASCAR XFINITY Series race one day earlier.

OTHER FORD WINNERS

Besides the drivers mentioned above, Ford has five other competitors who have won on a road course in either the NASCAR Cup or NASCAR XFINITY Series. Brad Keselowski (Watkins Glen NXS with Ford, 2013); Chris Buescher (Mid-Ohio NXS with Ford, 2014); Michael McDowell (Road America NXS, 2016); Chase Briscoe (Charlotte Roval, 2018 and Indianapolis, 2020); and Austin Cindric (Road America NXS, 2020).

SMITH BEGINS TRUCK CHAMPIONSHIP CHASE AS TOP SEED

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series begins its playoff season on Friday night at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park with Ford’s Zane Smith holding down the top seed after winning the regular season championship. Smith has a 15-point lead over second-place Chandler Smith and is 35 points above the cutline going into the first of a three-race stretch that will determine the Round of 8. Smith tops all drivers with three wins and has finished in the top 10 in all but three of the 16 races held so far this season.

FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS AT THE BRICKYARD

1996 – Dale Jarrett (Oval)

1997 – Ricky Rudd (Oval)

1999 – Dale Jarrett (Oval)

2018 – Brad Keselowski (Oval)

2019 – Kevin Harvick (Oval)

2020 – Kevin Harvick (Oval)

FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS AT THE BRICKYARD

2020 – Chase Briscoe (Road Course)

2021 – Austin Cindric (Road Course)

FORD CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES WINNERS AT IRP

2002 – Greg Biffle

2009 – Carl Edwards

Team: No. 6 Castrol Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Twitter: @RFK6Team, @RFKRacing and @keselowski
Race Format: 200 miles, 82 laps, Stages: 15-20-47
NASCAR Cup Race at the Brickyard – Sunday, July 31 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Weekend Format

· The traditional weekend format is on tap this weekend with practice split into two groups Saturday morning, immediately followed by group qualifying.

Keselowski at Indianapolis

· Keselowski finished 24th a year ago at the debut of the Indy road course. He led two laps after starting 31st.

· Overall on road courses in his NCS career, he has 11 top-10s and an average finish of 15.7.

· On road courses to date this season, Keselowski has finishes of 14th (COTA), 10th (Sonoma) and 33rd (Road America).

· In 16 starts on road courses in the Xfinity Series, Keselowski won one race (2013 Watkins Glen) with 13 top-10s overall and an 8.8 average finish.

Matt McCall at Indianapolis

· McCall finished sixth a year ago on the road course at Indy with Kurt Busch after starting 20th.

· Overall on road courses, McCall has 11 top-10s in 23 starts in the Cup Series.

QUOTE WORTHY
Keselowski on racing at Indy:
“We’ve got another great challenge on our hands this weekend with a configuration that is still very new to all of us. Despite our finish there last year, the road course program at RFK has seen significant improvements, which we’re very excited about, and are looking forward to unloading with a good weekend in the Castrol Ford.”

Last Time Out

Keselowski was officially credited with a 14th-place finish last Sunday after crossing the line 16th at Pocono.

On the Car

Keselowski and the No. 6 team will run the iconic Castrol colors this weekend in Indy, the first appearance of the season with the standard, green, red and white scheme. Castrol appeared on Keselowski’s machine earlier this season at Talladega in the all-white, Sustainability Ford, and Chris Buescher ran the grey GTX scheme later in Kansas.

About Castrol
Castrol, a global leader in lubricant technology, serves consumers in over 140 countries. Our leadership brands include Castrol® GTX® — a premium conventional motor oil; Castrol® GTX® High–Mileage™ – a premium synthetic blend designed for vehicles with over 75,000 miles; the Castrol® EDGE ® line of advanced full-synthetic super premium motor oils that offer unsurpassed strength and performance; as well as our range of commercial transport lubricants. To find out more about Castrol products and programs, please call 1–888–CASTROL or visit www.castrol.com/us.

Team: No. 17 Violet Defense Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Travis Peterson
Twitter: @RFK17Team, @RFKRacing and @Chris_Buescher
Race Format: 200 miles, 82 laps, Stages: 15-20-47

NASCAR Cup Race at the Brickyard – Sunday, July 31 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Weekend Format

· The traditional weekend format is on tap this weekend with practice split into two groups Saturday morning, immediately followed by group qualifying.

Buescher at Indianapolis

· Buescher finished 12th in the debut of the Indy road course a season ago after starting 19th.

· Overall in 23 starts on road courses in his Cup career, Buescher has four top-10s, all of which have come in the last three seasons. He finished runner-up at Sonoma last month, and followed that with a P6 finish at Road America.

· He finished third on the ROVAL in 2021, and the year prior ran fifth on the Daytona road course.

· Buescher made six starts on road courses in the Xfinity Series with one win (2014 Mid-Ohio) and four top-10s.

Travis Peterson at Indianapolis

· Peterson will be atop the box as crew chief for his fourth race with Buescher as Scott Graves serves his final race under suspension.

QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on racing at Indy:
“We’ve had this weekend circled on our calendars for a while now. It’s no secret our road course program has really seen a huge improvement, and we’ve shown that in the last couple outings. We know we’re more than capable, it just takes a complete weekend to get the job done, and that is our focus heading into Indy to get a W in the Violet Defense machine.”

Last Time Out
Buescher finished 29th Sunday at Pocono after going for a spin on the front stretch, ultimately losing laps to the leaders which he was unable to recover from.

On the Car

Violet Defense makes its second appearance with the No. 17 team this season.

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).

 McDowell Comes to Into Indy with Confidence

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (JULY 26, 2022) – For Michael McDowell and the No. 34 Horizon Hobby team, confidence has been a key to good runs on road courses this season. Starting off with some frustration at COTA during practice and qualifying, the team quickly found success on race day and their confidence translated to a top-five at Sonoma and a top-10 at Road America. McDowell is now ready to take their success into Indianapolis with winning on his mind.

“It’s all about getting a win right now,” said McDowell. “We have been in the playoffs, and we want to be there again. We want to a consistent playoff team and the road courses are giving us a great opportunity. Sonoma was close, we were just off a bit at Road America, but we feel good about this weekend. Indy was good to us last year until the very end. We will not make any errors on Sunday.”

Supporting the team this weekend is the global leader in Radio Control products and accessories, Horizon Hobby. The popular makers of surface, water and air RC’s will host over 150 guests at the track on Sunday to cheer for McDowell as he fights for the win. The race for Horizon Hobby is the first of two at the most famous courses in the world- the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Daytona International Speedway in August.

“It’s awesome to see Horizon Hobby and their support for us,” commented McDowell. “Every week, we are meeting local retailers and it has been fun to hear about their stores and everyone enjoying this hobby. You can be serious about it or just out there to have fun with the family. I have some vehicles and as a family, we are outside bashing and having a great time. It is such a fun partnership.”

Fans are encouraged to visit www.horizonhobby.com. to see their full range of brands and accessories that includes cars, boats, planes, batteries, chargers and more.

About Horizon Hobby

Horizon Hobby was founded in 1985. Since then, Horizon Hobby has become the global leader in RC products and accessories. Horizon Hobby is committed to delivering innovative products and providing an exceptional customer experience. By forging strong relationships with RC hobby consumers, retailers, and manufacturers around the world, Horizon Hobby has built the best brands in the industry. Horizon Hobby has locations in the United States, Germany, England, and China. The company is headquartered in Champaign, Illinois.

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.