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Development of Cadillac LMDh continues at Sebring

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Official Release
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Cadillac Racing cites collaboration between OEs as contributing to success of program

DETROIT (July 19, 2022) – On-track testing of the Cadillac LMDh race car is going full speed ahead.

Cadillac Racing drivers Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande, Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn participated in five days of testing last week at Sebring International Raceway in Florida, which followed the initial July 7-8 shakedown. They were all impressed with the car in its early stages of development and noted the special atmosphere surrounding the program.

“You can feel the energy in the team. Everybody is very motivated to make this successful,” van der Zande said.

Cadillac Racing assistant program manager Kalvin Parker noted significant work by the team of engineers to build on the initial test and the on-site support of energy recovery system suppliers Bosch and Williams. The all-new Cadillac 5.5-liter DOHC V-8 engine developed by GM’s Performance and Racing propulsion team based in Pontiac, Michigan, is paired to the LMDh common hybrid system.

“As we’re growing this complex system, we were able to lean on their expertise as well as our team’s expertise. Getting the full support of our suppliers was key in getting in good miles,” he said.

The new race car was codeveloped by Cadillac Design, Cadillac Racing and chassis constructor Dallara, and features elements of the brand’s heritage such as vertical lighting and floating blades that preview Cadillac’s future portfolio.

“It was a fantastic feeling driving the car down in Sebring. We learned a lot over the course of the five-day test. The Cadillac V-8 sounds incredible, and it pulls extremely well,” said Lynn, who co-drove with Bamber and Neel Jani to victory in the Twelve Hours of Sebring in March. “Looking forward to learning some more, but it was quite fun to drive, and we’ve got nothing but terrific signs at this point.”

Bourdais, who drove the No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R to the Twelve Hours of Sebring pole with a record-setting lap time, echoed Lynn’s assessment.

“Discovering the new Cadillac LMDh at Sebring was a very exciting experience,” said Bourdais, who has co-driven with van der Zande to three victories this season. “The car is not only beautiful but also a ton of fun to drive. It is still early days and we have not focused on the setup work, but the base is already very solid and I can’t wait to get behind the wheel again soon.”

Testing will continue through the year as Cadillac prepares to contest the top category of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The first race is in late January 2023 at Daytona International Speedway.

The sessions at Sebring International Raceway marked the first collaborative LMDh test as Cadillac was joined by Porsche on the track. The cooperation between the OEs during the development of the spec hybrid system will contribute to the success of the broader program, according to GM sports car program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser.

“The collaboration between OEs on the spec hybrid system development has been incredible and has enabled a more efficient timeline for issue identification and resolution,” Klauser said. “It’s great to work closely with those we compete against because we all want to make sure the spec parts are good to go and we can race it out on the track.”

Since 2017, Cadillac has been competing at the forefront of American sports car racing in IMSA in the DPi class, where is has recorded 27 victories, three Manufacturer Championships and four Manufacturer Endurance Cup Championships. Cadillac Racing has also won three Team and Driver Championships.

Four Cadillac DPi-V.R entries will compete for the brand’s fifth victory of the season Aug. 5-7 at Road America in Wisconsin.

About Cadillac
A leading luxury auto brand since 1902, Cadillac is growing globally, driven by an expanding product portfolio that features distinctive design and technology. More information on Cadillac appears at www.cadillac.com. Cadillac’s media website with information, images and video can be found at media.cadillac.com.

A&W Restaurants Ready to Celebrate National Root Beer Float Day with Gilliland

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Official Release
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Special Scheme Returns to No. 38 Ford Mustang This Weekend

 MOORESVILLE, N.C. (July 19, 2022) – A&W Restaurants, Front Row Motorsports and Todd Gilliland will help spread the message of an important summer date this weekend at the Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. They join forces to remind fans of National Root Beer Float Day on August 6.

The familiar look of the A&W Restaurants National Root Beer Float Day Ford is back on the No. 38, but this time it is special for Todd Gilliland. His father, David, also raced the A&W Ford in 2014, also on the No. 38 Ford.

“It’s awesome every time the A&W Ford comes back to the track,” said Gilliland. “The fans love this scheme and the promotion of National Root Beer Float Day. It is so much fun and who doesn’t love a root beer float from and A&W?!”

Good news for race fans, A&W is celebrating National Root Beer Float Day all month long. Fans can enjoy a free Root Beer Float now through August 6 by joining the A&W Mug Club at RootBeerFloatDay.com. Donations to DAV (Disabled American Veterans) are encouraged. Gilliland remembers growing up watching his father race the iconic restaurant scheme and is proud to continue the tradition this weekend.

“It is always special to do something that my father has done in the past,” continued Gilliland. “So, if I get to run a cool scheme that he raced, that is super cool for our family. I want to thank A&W Restaurants for this opportunity.”

On the track, Gilliland is eager to make first NASCAR Cup Series start at the track known as the “Tricky Triangle.”

“Pocono has definitely earned the reputation of its nickname,” stated Gilliland. “You really have to approach this track different than any others because of the tight corners and long straightaways. We had good runs in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, hopefully I can translate to the Cup side.”

Gilliland and the A&W Restaurants National Root Beer Float Day Ford Mustang will race the Pocono Raceway this Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET on the USA Network.

ABOUT A&W RESTAURANTS

Now in its 103rd year, A&W is America’s oldest franchised restaurant chain. Known for its All-American Food, as well as Root Beer that is made fresh in each restaurant and served in frosty mugs, there are more than 900 A&W locations in the U.S. and Asia. Visit www.awrestaurants.com for more information.

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.

Taylor Gray – ARCA Menards Series Advance: Pocono Raceway

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Official Release
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Friday, July 22, 2022
Track: Pocono Raceway, 2.5-mile tri-oval

Race: 10 of 20
Event: General Tire Delivers 200 (80 laps, 200 miles)

Schedule
Practice: 2:45 p.m. ET
Qualifying: 3:30 p.m. ET
Race: 6:45 p.m. ET (MAVTV/FloRacing)

Taylor Gray, No. 17 Ford Performance Mustang

  • Taylor Gray makes his Pocono (Penn.) Raceway debut this Friday for his sixth ARCA Menards Series race of the 2022 season.
  • The 17-year-old is fresh off the heels of his second ARCA win in 2022, following a thrilling victory in his last outing at Mid-Ohio.
  • Gray is currently tied for the lead in series wins and sits second in the Sioux Chief Showdown standings, trailing Sammy Smith by 18 points.
  • Following last week’s victory, the Artesia, NM native has increased his average finish to 5.5 in 28 career ARCA Menards Series starts.

M&M’S Racing: Kyle Busch M&M’S Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono Advance

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Official Release
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KYLE BUSCH
Appreciating Pocono

HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (July 19, 2022) – Mars Wrigley’s involvement with the sport of NASCAR goes all the way back to 1990, when the SNICKERS brand first fielded a car for Bobby Hillin Jr., at Stavola Brothers Racing. The partnership continued the next couple of seasons with Rick Wilson behind the wheel in 1991 and Dick Trickle in 1992.

The Mars brands dabbled as an associate sponsor at Hendrick Motorsports for several seasons before signing on with MB2 Motorsports in 1998 as a fulltime sponsor of driver Ernie Irvan, whose paint schemes most of the season featured SKITTLES brand. It was during that same season that Irvan drove a special scheme featuring Mars’ trademark brand M&M’S® to celebrate the opening of the M&M’S World® store in Las Vegas.

The response to the colorful M&M’S® paint scheme was one of excitement from motorsports and chocolate fans alike. For the 1999 season, Mars unveiled M&M’S® as its on-track focal point. At that year’s season opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, M&M’S® began a decades-long tenure as a primary sponsor in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Fast forward to 2022 as Kyle Busch and the M&M’S brand finish off a successful 15-year run together. Since the partnership began in 2008, Busch has scored 56 victories in NASCAR’s top series, including 34 while sporting the colors of M&M’S. This weekend, Mars continues to thank the fans for all their support during its time in NASCAR with its first-ever race entitlement – Sunday’s M&M’S Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway.

Pocono is important to M&M’S and to Busch for several reasons. Firstly, Mars Wrigley’s offices and its plant in Hackettstown, New Jersey, are less than an hour’s drive east of the 2.5-mile “Tricky Triangle,” making it a home track of sorts for those two facilities, as well as the company’s plant another 30 minutes to the east in Newark, New Jersey. In addition to its first-ever race entitlement, M&M’S is maximizing its opportunity to thank the fans for their support of the brand with special events throughout the weekend, including a Q&A session in the fan midway on race day featuring former M&M’S drivers Irvan, Ken Schrader and David Gilliland, as well as Busch, of course.

As for Busch, for years he dreaded making the trip to Pocono. But things changed dramatically for the Las Vegas native during the 2017 season, when he and the No. 18 team seemed to turn the corner there. Busch led 100 laps in the June race before coming back in late July and winning his first Pocono Cup Series race. Those two performances sparked a run of 10 Pocono races during which Busch scored four wins, seven top-five finishes and nine top-10s. And his 436 laps led in the last 10 Pocono races is almost 30 percent of all 1,507 laps possible. That’s quite the turnaround from his previous 10 starts there that netted zero wins or top-fives and just four top-10s. In his most recent visit to Pocono during a doubleheader race weekend in June 2021, Busch finished second in the Saturday race and went one better on Sunday by driving to his second victory of the season.

So as Busch and the M&M’S brand head to the Poconos together for a final time, not only will M&M’S be showing its appreciation for its more than three decades in the sport of NASCAR, it hopes to be celebrating with Busch with another Pocono victory in Sunday’s M&M’S Fan Appreciation 400.

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

Pocono was a place you didn’t take to right away, but you seemed to turn the corner there over the last 10 races. What are you expecting this weekend?

“I get asked a lot what my favorite track is and my answer is usually Bristol, but Pocono is one of those places that has really moved up much higher on that list. It’s always, ‘What have you done for me lately,’ so Pocono has been a really good place for us and a place we started running well starting in 2013, 2014, but really didn’t see the actual results from that until the 2017 season. We were able to make the pit strategy work last year and had enough fuel to get to the finish line first even though we had transmission issues, so it would be great to be able to go back there with this new car and get back to victory lane with our M&M’S Camry. For all that M&M’s has done for the fans over the years, and the cool schemes I’ve been able to drive, it’s also cool to see them sponsor a race and certainly would be pretty cool for them to have the opportunity to hand over the M&M’S Fan Appreciation 400 trophy to me this weekend.”

You make Pocono look easy, but what is still tough about Pocono even for you?

“Every time you go there, it’s a bit different. The bumps change, the characteristics change, where the bumps are. Are they getting bigger? Are they getting worse? Are there more? That turn-two tunnel turn is always a culprit for the bumps, and the harsh winters up there really change the racetrack. Then, what happens in turn three, where the wind is blowing and stuff like that, is always kind of a convoluted piece to Pocono, and how you get through turn three versus turn one versus two. There are three distinctly different corners, there’s definitely going to be compromise.”

How do you learn to get better at a track, like you have at Pocono?

“There are so many different ways you can do it. You can look at data, you can look at the driving technique. Talking is kind of the best resource, just being able to ask a guy, ‘Hey, when you do this, why do you do this, or what do you expect when you get into a run and you’re going this far, and tire wear, and how do you get around turn two,’ whatever it might be. Lots of different things there, being teammates with Denny (Hamlin) for this long, it’s lended itself to myself improving at Pocono and Martinsville, places like that, and him improving at places like Bristol and Charlotte from myself.”

Is missing it as an organization at one track and hitting it at others just a function of this new NextGen racecar?

“A little bit. I would argue to that the Penske guys weren’t great at Kansas. But they’ve been super strong at the flatter tracks. They’re really fast at Martinsville, Phoenix. They’ve been good. They were good at Gateway, as well. They qualified really strong, so as far as their packages there, it seems that these teams or organizations kind of have what it takes to be good at these particular tracks. And so I think as we all continue to learn and grow, it feels like the good teams will be the good teams everywhere. But you know, it is kind of patchy right now with just getting an understanding built around this car. We’ve struggled on the road courses, but we ran well at Gateway, and pretty well New Hampshire, so hopefully that will translate over to Pocono, as well, with all of them being flatter tracks.”

Event Overview:

● Event: M&M’S Fan Appreciation 400 (Round 21 of 36)

● Time/Date: 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 24

● Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway

● Layout: 2.5-mile triangle

● Laps/Miles: 160 laps/400 miles

● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 30 laps / Stage 2: 65 laps / Final Stage: 65 laps

● TV/Radio: USA Network / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Meet the No. 18 M&M’S 1998 Throwback / 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:

● All in the Stats: Busch has four wins, 11 top-five finishes and 18 top-10s and has led a total of 522 laps in 34 career Cup Series starts at Pocono. Busch’s average Pocono finish is 15.1.

● 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 Pocono. In addition to his 60 Cup Series wins and 102 in the Xfinity Series, Busch has 62 wins in the Camping World Truck Series.

Fiume Capital and Juggernaut Capital Partners Acquire Thrill One Sports & Entertainment

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Official Release
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Photo credit Thrill One

Dyrdek Machine and Dana White Join as Co-investors in the World’s Leading Action Sports Platform

(Costa Mesa, CA – July 19, 2022)  Fiume Capital and Juggernaut Capital Partners have announced their acquisition of Thrill One Sports & Entertainment (Thrill One) from The Raine Group and Causeway Media Partners. Dyrdek Machine, UFC President Dana White and television producer Craig Piligian have co-invested, with acquisition financing provided by Prudential Private Capital.

Thrill One was formed in 2020 by uniting industry-leading brands Nitro Circus, Nitro Rallycross (Nitro RX), Street League Skateboarding (SLS) and Thrill One Media (formerly Superjacket Productions) to become the world’s leading producer of action sports events and original content. The latter two of these brands were both founded by entrepreneur Rob Dyrdek, who also participated in the acquisition as a co-investor via his venture creation business, Dyrdek Machine. 

“We formed Thrill One to create a centralized action sports platform for athletes, brands and fans,” said Thrill One CEO Joe Carr. “We have aggregated the largest audience and community in the space, and I am beyond excited to partner with this group of investors and individuals who have built businesses and entire sports from the ground up. The additional resources will fuel the growth and expansion of this platform.”

Fiume and Juggernaut are again teaming up in a vertical that is primed for opportunistic M&A and further consolidation. The firms have partnered in 3 STEP Sports to create the largest youth sports operating platform in the country. Fiume’s expertise in sports and media coupled with Juggernaut’s consumer focus will bring additional value to the company and continue to focus on serving the interests of a young, passionate fan base. The resources and capital of the new ownership group will allow Thrill One to pursue organic growth initiatives and strategic acquisitions, which have been a key part of the company’s roadmap since its inception.

“Our investment approach is predicated on supporting excellent management teams as they build premier businesses in their respective industries,” said David Hirschfeld, CIO for Fiume.  “Thrill One is the leader in action sports and we are excited to help the company and its management team at this inflection point.”

“Thrill One has exploded onto the scene in the last two years,” said John Shulman, founder and managing partner of Juggernaut Capital Partners. “Our considerable investment demonstrates our belief that there is much more to come in this category, and we are eager to support Thrill One in its meteoric rise.”

Building on the momentum of its highly successful US tour in 2021 and appearances on TBS’ “Go Big Show” and NBC’s “America’s Got Talent Extreme,” Nitro Circus Live is expanding its global presence in 2022 by adding stops in Australia, New Zealand and Canada as part of a 40-date world tour. The brand will also host its world championship of action sports, Nitro World Games, this October in Brisbane, Australia.

Nitro Rallycross, a disruptive new force in motorsport, made its series debut last year and is expanding to a 10-race global run across three continents for the 2022-23 season. Nitro RX is also launching the revolutionary FC1-X electric supercar, the most powerful rallycross vehicle ever built, making it the first US-based series to go fully electric.

“I’ve been a big fan of the Nitro guys for a while now,” said Dana White, president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. “They are always doing the most insane stuff and constantly raising the bar. The potential reminds me of the early days of UFC.”

SLS, the pinnacle of professional skateboarding, will return to indoor arenas this season for the first time in three years. The Championship Tour will showcase 50 of the world’s best male and female street skateboarders including Olympic medalists and former world champions. Each stop will also feature a unique, custom-built concrete skate plaza, an element that has differentiated SLS from its peers for over a decade.

Thrill One Media continues to build on its legacy of hit television programs like “Ridiculousness,” “The Dude Perfect Show,” and “Rob & Big,” and has several unscripted titles currently in development. The all-media production company will make a push into both scripted and competition formats later this year.

“It’s a dream come true to know that both SLS and Superjacket Productions are in such great hands with Thrill One’s management team and are positioned for such a promising future with this transaction,” said Rob Dyrdek. “I look forward to continuing to partner with this incredible group of investors in creating game-changing content and redefining action sports.”

In 2022, the Thrill One portfolio will collectively host more than 70 live events, deliver roughly 100 hours of live sports content and produce over 300 episodes of linear television. Thrill One boasts a massive social audience with more than 40 million followers across its various channels. It recently announced the largest sponsorship deal in action sports history with A SHOC Energy, making the energy beverage brand the official energy partner of Thrill One.

Fiume Capital was advised by Milbank LLP, Juggernaut was advised by Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP and Thrill One and The Raine Group were advised by Sidley Austin LLP.

Financing for the transaction was led and provided by Prudential Private Capital. CION Investment Corp. and MGG Investment Group were also co-lenders in the financing.

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About Thrill One Sports & Entertainment

Thrill One Sports & Entertainment is a next-generation content company that lives at the nexus of sports, entertainment and lifestyle, combining the resources of Nitro Circus, Street League Skateboarding (SLS), Nitro Rallycross (NRX) and Thrill One Media. A multi-media platform founded in 2020, Thrill One is dedicated to creating mind-blowing action sports events and original content, fueled by the most daring athletes, talent and brands in thrill-based entertainment. Thrill One Sports & Entertainment also boasts one of the largest aggregate social audiences in action sports, with over 40 million followers across its multiple brand pages and channels. Go to thrillone.com for additional information. @Instagram @LinkedIn

About Fiume Capital

Fiume Capital is a leading private investment firm targeting investments in media, entertainment, and consumer sectors with a focus on sports, live events, and content and distribution. Comprised of experienced entrepreneurs, operators and investors, Fiume Capital supports its management teams in industries within the team’s expertise.  Current or realized investments include Moonbug Entertainment, the Action Network, and 3 STEP Sports.

About Juggernaut Capital

Juggernaut Capital Partners is a lower middle market private equity firm specializing in buyout and growth investments in the consumer and healthcare industries. Juggernaut investments include 3 STEP Sports, ZOA Energy and VOSS Water. @LinkedIn

About Dyrdek Machine 

Dyrdek Machine is a venture creation studio that manufactures amazing companies by systematically fusing art, science and magic. Founded by Rob Dyrdek, Dyrdek Machine provides expertise, capital and amplification to visionary entrepreneurs destined to impact the world. @Instagram

Smith Looks to Clinch Regular Season Championship at Pocono

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Official Release
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Fr8Auctions.com No. 38 Team Thinking Ahead

 MOORESVILLE, N.C. (July 19, 2022) – Zane Smith and the No. 38 Fr8Auctions.com #BraveLikeWyatt Ford F-150 team head to the Pocono (Pa.) Raceway this weekend with hopes of clinching the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series regular season championship and collecting the 15 playoff points that come with it.

Smith heads into the final race of the regular season with a 58-point lead over the second-place truck in the driver standings. Needing just two points to lock up the trophy, Smith is confident his No. 38 crew is well prepared for the task.

“This season has been phenomenal,” Smith stated. “We have a good shot at delivering Front Row Motorsports its first regular season championship. My guys are working hard in the shop to prepare a fast truck. We have been consistent this season, and again, that is all we need to do in Pocono.”

Smith, who has three wins on the season to date, is also thinking about racing smart as the team looks ahead.

“Looking ahead in the playoff schedule there are some really good tracks for us,” said Smith. “We want to continue to gather playoff points, whether that is through stage wins or race wins. That is a big part of how we race. Chris (crew chief Lawson) does an awesome job of making sure that we’re not only in position to win, but also get us stage wins if it’s possible. It is going to continue to help us as we move along through this playoff run.”

Fr8Auctions.com and #BraveLikeWyatt will adorn the No. 38 Ford F-150 once again this weekend. The black and white matte scheme has become a popular one for Smith this season.

“It’s such a clean looking truck,” commented Smith. “We have had great runs with Fr8Auctions.com on the hood and sides. It’s so special for me to be a small part of the #BraveLikeWyatt mission and support them in their efforts to help children receive lifesaving organ transplants. We just want to get them a win if we can or celebrate a regular season championship. Both will be awesome.”

Smith and the No. 38 Fr8Auctions.com team will race on Saturday at the Pocono Raceway with the green flag dropping at 12:00 p.m. ET on FS1.

ABOUT FR8AUCTIONS.COM

Fr8Auctions.com partners with freight lines, distribution companies, and consumer product-based businesses to help sell excess, discontinued or damaged inventory outside of traditional distribution channels. Utilizing industry leading merchandising techniques, product presentations, and a competitive bidding environment, Fr8Auctions offers both their partners and buyers opportunities to maximize returns of their investments. With over 1 million total square feet of space at their corporate headquarters, Fr8Auctions can support event the most robust demands of their customers.

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.

Fr8Auctions.com and McDowell Eying Another Top-Ten Finish Together

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Official Release
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McDowell Ready to Apply Lessons Learned in Spring

 MOORESVILLE, N.C. (July 19, 2022) – Michael McDowell is set to head back to Pocono (Pa.) Raceway this weekend for the NASCAR Cup Series lone visit to the track. McDowell and his Fr8Auctions.com Ford team are on a roll as of late, having scored six top-ten finishes in the last eleven races, and want to continue to pad their stat line.

“Through the first months of our summer stretch we have continued to perform well,” said McDowell. “We have put together results that we know come to expect. With that, comes the next step of getting that win.

“We have been close. Gateway, Sonoma, and Road America were good races. At Atlanta, with Fr8Auctions.com, we had another great car until we got caught up. So, if we continue to do what we have been the last few weeks, we have an opportunity to get a checkered.

McDowell and his Fr8Auctions.com Ford Mustang is also proud to continue to support the Brave Like Wyatt Foundation, which assists in efforts to help children receive lifesaving organ transplants. It has always been a cause that McDowell has helped.

“What Marcus (Barela) and the Fr8Auctions.com family does for Brave Like Wyatt to help young children and their families who are in the hospital with chronic disease is second to none,” stated McDowell. “That has been more important than anything, really. It is saying a ton of Fr8Auctions.com that they use our program to help fans learn more about how they can help.”

Fans are encouraged to go to www.bravelikewyatt.com to learn more.

McDowell and his Fr8Auctions.com Mustang will race this Sunday, July 24, from the Pocono Raceway at 3:00 p.m. ET on the USA Network.

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.

Putting it all on the line, Betting Strategies for The NASCAR Cup Series

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SM
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This past weekend during the Ambetter 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, viewers witnessed a new driver enter the winner’s circle this season, Christopher Bell. Fans will agree that Bell was a surprise victor during this weekend race event and is a welcome change during the 2022 NASCAR season’s reign of dominance by Chase Elliot.

Similar to online casinos, online sportsbooks have proven to be a lucrative method of creating solid bets and leveraging sports knowledge. Motorsports is no stranger to online sportsbooks wagers and is quickly becoming the go-to way to make money as a spectator knowledgeable in motorsports.

Synopsys

In the eyes of the sportsbook bettor, Christopher Bell’s win is proof of the potential gains a dark horse can achieve. When reviewing the odds for last weekend’s Ambettor 301, as per offers bet, we saw Christopher Bell (+1800) having much lower odds compared to other consistently strong drivers such as Ryan Blaney (+600) and Kyle Busch (+700). However, it’s good to know that the odds are primarily based on performance history in a given season, and it would be impossible to use them to formulate an exact race result.

What’s important is how a bettor plays these odds to their favor by utilizing different betting strategies. The majority of the value gained in Bell’s victory almost certainly was not made with To-Win bets as the likelihood was much lower. The primary method value was generated and won with alternative betting strategies, Podium Finish, and Driver Matchups.

Betting Strategies

When reviewing a list of odds, it is up to the bettor to decide how they wish to play them to their advantage. By focusing on the most likely odds a bettor can consistently make strong bets that net them decent returns.

To-Win

To-win bets are about as simple as it gets, it is betting on the winner of first place. Do not confuse its simplicity for its clear downside, wagering on a single outcome. As mentioned before, the majority of to-win bets last weekend failed due to the unexpected race outcome.

Podium Finish

A podium finish bet is betting on whether a driver will be in the top rankings of the race, i.e., on the winner’s podium. Most of the time, a podium finish bet covers only the top three spots, but some podium finish bets extend to as far as the top 5 or top 10. Podium finish bets are typically much safer and yield consistent results as the bet does not rely on a single outcome.

Driver Matchups

A driver matchup bet is also simple, it is a bet on whether a driver will finish ahead of another driver. Driver matchups are also more open than to-win bets as many different scenarios result in a favorable outcome. Lastly, driver matchup bets are also great for those who know about the current NASCAR season rivalries and can exploit the drama for their financial benefit.

Future Race Implementation

Looking forward to the M&M’S Fan Appreciation 400 at the Pocono Raceway, fans can expect some upsets due to the track’s difficulty. Now is the best time to begin formulating plans and strategies for the upcoming race weekend because it is full of opportunities and races alike.

Utilizing different betting strategies in every race is the key to success. While the to-win bets offer the most lucrative yields, they are also not the safest and most consistent. With proper planning and preparation, the driver matchups, and podium finish betting strategies can yield more gains consistently. Remember to gamble responsibly!

How Car Dealers Use Live Chat to Sell More Cars

By
SM
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Photo by jonas on Unsplash

As competition becomes fiercer and margins become smaller, businesses across all manner of industries have had to become more creative to maintain sales and profits.

As someone who uses the internet, you will surely have come across chat windows on some websites before. In the past, many people were skeptical of these tools as they were often manned by chatbots. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but poorly set up chatbots could be more frustrating than helpful.

Now though, live chat is becoming a much more widely used tool to help improve customer satisfaction and their online experience. Verified Market Research shows that the live chat industry will be worth $1.28 billion by 2027, as many industries adopt this type of software.

Some car dealers have been quick to look at, and invest in live chat for their digital retail websites. But, how does live chat help to improve sales, and is it a replacement for face-to-face conversation?

What is live chat?

If you have ever had a window pop up with someone offering to assist you while on a website, you may have experienced live chat already. While many of these chat tools are run through bots, there is a very good chance you have witnessed a genuine live chat tool.

To successfully market and sell your Porsche requires the use of different digital tools. One of which is live chat. Without this, it would be less likely that digital car sales would increase. With live chat, you can provide immediate responses to any customer questions while online. The software allows any visitor to a site to pose questions regarding navigation or more complex questions about products. In effect, live chat gives the customer the same human interaction they would have in-store, but online instead.

Yet, the software-based around live chats isn’t just there to create a chat window. They can be used to track data and help with marketing campaigns. They can also help with customer satisfaction, and be integrated across different platforms including social networking sites.

Who is using live chat?

While some customers may be skeptical of online chats where they cannot see the operator, many businesses are working hard to change this perception.

Many industries and services are taking advantage of tools such as Visitor Chat to enable immediate responses to their audiences. Companies are using live chat on their fan pages to create more awareness of their products, and actively engage with their audience. This creates trust and loyalty simply through live engagement.

Counseling can take place over live chats also. This has huge potential benefits where an individual can reach out for help and receive an immediate response.

It is probably not surprising that realtors have found live chat to be very useful, and the automobile industry is also recognising all the sales possibilities for this software.

Are car dealers selling more online today?

The digital automotive sector still trails behind the traditional market by a very long way. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t growing. The growth rate of the digital car retail market is higher than that of the brick-and-mortar sector and with good reason.

If you look at what traditional and online car dealers have to offer, you will see there are many advantages to digital retail. This counts not just for the dealer, but also for the customer.

Being able to market vehicles online opens up a car dealer to a far wider audience than before. Cars can be delivered, so there is no need for a dealer to limit themselves to a small radius when they could attract buyers from further afield.

To successfully market and sell cars online requires the use of different digital tools. One of which is live chat. Without this, it would be less likely that digital car sales would increase.

How does live chat influence online car sales?

Buying a car can be a costly business and not something that is done without some research and a few questions. While most online vendors will provide information about products and photographs, you are likely to have questions about a new car that you would want a human to answer.

If you are unable to get the answers you want, and in a timely fashion, you may switch to a rival car dealer. 82% of consumers said an immediate response was very important when it came to marketing and sales questions.

So, while live chat might not involve heavy-handed sales tactics, or lots of up-selling, using it could heavily influence whether you make a sale or not.

Every consumer wants to be able to get some response when they have a query. If an informed chat operator can answer those all-important questions, they can help with a conversion. At the least, they can help to leave a customer satisfied that they were professionally dealt with.

Consumers are impatient, and online shoppers even more so. Live chat could help retain potential buyers, but if used poorly, it could also lose them.

Does live chat impair customer service?

On the contrary, if used properly, it offers the convenience of digital shopping with the human experience. Chatbots can be a turn-off for consumers. If you are looking at spending tens of thousands of dollars on a new car and the dealer doesn’t feel it is important to use live operators, you may well take your business elsewhere.

However, live chat also offers the opportunity to discover what questions are important to customers, and also the chance to really up customer satisfaction, and make improvements to marketing.

Live chat can be part of digital marketing for the car industry by providing key insights. The software can include tracking of stock and monitoring performance and productivity.

Live chat can also help sales because it is available all the time. Impatience has already been mentioned before, and live chat allows someone to ask questions no matter what the time of day is, and where they are.

Are live chat operators qualified in the automotive industry?

As mentioned before, live chat is a great sales tool for the car industry, if used correctly. Therefore it is important that the people answering the questions and providing assistance know what they are talking about.

Good live chat companies use operators that are qualified and knowledgeable in many different industries. For instance, a car dealer can choose to use an operator that is staffed with people who have worked in the automobile industry.

To keep the customer satisfaction levels up, these operators can also hand over the reins to in-house staff when needed to. What this means is, that if a chat operator has answered questions satisfactorily, then the visitor may wish to speak to someone in the car dealership to take the sales process further. The operator can then hand over the chat to the dealership in question.

Summary

Buying cars online may not appeal to everyone, but live chat has managed to take the dealership onto the internet in many ways. Instead of having to drive to a showroom to ask questions about the latest Ford, you can simply visit the site, and then speak to an operator.

The time saving alone is hugely beneficial to the dealer, and the customer. But when live chat is mixed with an informative car retail website, the promise of higher conversions can become reality. Live chat won’t work without the website to back it up, and sales are less likely to happen without live chat either.

5 Important Marine Accessories You Must Have on A Boat

By
SM
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Photo by Ivan Ragozin on Unsplash

The weather is warming up, and we’re all getting ready to make the most of the summer months. Taking your boat on the water as frequently as possible is a terrific way to fight the heat while still having fun in the sun. Moreover, boating is a fun activity to do with family, friends, or even alone. If you own a boat or intend to acquire one, you must have a list of the boat accessories that every boater should have on hand.

In this guide, we’ve compiled a list of important boating accessories for every boat. However, you should follow state restrictions about what should be on your boat and safety! You may continue reading to learn about the many alternatives available to you. 

  1. Signal Flares

Your boat must always be outfitted with emergency signals, of which several are available. American Nautical Services for instance sells a useful set of SOS lights and distress flags, while signal flares are also ideal for the job. Small, personal ships are only obliged to have signaled equipment at night; nonetheless, it’s a good idea to have it on board at all times. To fulfill government criteria, you may utilize the following devices:

  • One electric distress Light (night only)
  • Three portable red flares (day and night)
  • One hand-held orange smoke signal
  • Two parachute flares and one portable red flare (day and night)
  • Two floating orange smoke signals (for use during the day)
  • One electric distress light (night only)

To guarantee compliance and effectiveness in the case of a crisis, all signal flares must be less than 42 months old.

  1. Fire Extinguisher

A fire extinguisher is a must-have for every boat, even if it is on the sea. Engines include oil and gasoline, which may cause boat fires that are uncontrollable with water. Having a fire extinguisher on board, you can rest assured that if a fire breaks out, you’ll be ready to deal with it.

  1. Speakers

Music enhances every situation and may turn a peaceful boat journey into a celebration. Invest in some waterproof marine speakers for your boat and listen to music as you enjoy the scenery. Moreover, obtain the finest boat marine speaker right on ds18.

  1. First Aid Supplies

Every boat should include a basic first-aid kit. Accidents may happen at any moment; therefore, you should be prepared with the necessary supplies to deal with any problem. Among the things you should have in your kit are:

  • Pain killers
  • Ice pack
  • Bandages
  • Antiseptic
  • Gauze

Generally, if you have anything in your home first-aid kit, you should keep it in your boat’s first-aid kit. Consider the following items to customize your equipment to marine life better:

  • Sunscreen
  • Space blanket for emergencies
  • Tweezers
  • Motion sickness or seasickness medications
  • Burn care items 

Furthermore, at a nautical supply shop, you can typically locate ready-made kits and add extra items you may desire or need. Keep your first-aid equipment in a waterproof container to keep everything dry, and remember that safe travel is pleasant.

  1. Flotation Devices or Life Jackets

In every water activity, the safety-first guideline should be followed to ensure the safety of everyone on board. This includes having adequate life jackets for everyone, as well as safety rope and throw rings or any flotation devices. However, it would be best if you always had additional life jackets on hand to ensure that every visitor on your yacht has access to one.

More Boating Tips

You can add dozens of boat accessories and market enhancements to your boat. They vary from practical and beneficial to amusing and outrageous. What you spend your money on is determined by how and where you use your boat, the sort of boat you have, and who is using it. The good thing is that there is no lack of interesting add-ons available.

Where to Purchase Boat Accessories

An excellent location to start shopping for boat accessories, such as outboard motor extension kits, is at your manufacturer. They will have a smaller variety and somewhat higher costs. Still, whenever you purchase from a boat dealership, you get the manufacturer warranty, installation, and the experienced knowledge of the dealers and technicians. Also, the most common boat accessories may be found online, either on the manufacturer’s website or on a site like Amazon. Finally, your local boat manufacturer will most likely feature a range of the most common and basic boat equipment.

Conclusion

A boating holiday is an excellent opportunity for family bonding. Fun nights on your boat may be as exciting as you make them. Additionally, bring everything you’ll need for water activities and family game evenings. Also, don’t forget to bring snorkeling masks, surfboards, as well as your favorite water sports equipment.

This summer, your boat will be the spot to be with these five must-have boat accessories. With these things, you may stay safe, play in style, secure your gear, or finish your boating in peace. And, most importantly, don’t lose your adventurous spirit.

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