Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Quaker State 400 Advance | Saturday, July 9, 2022

Chris Buescher, driver of the No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang for Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, is coming off a sixth-place finish last week at Road America, his second top-6 finish in the last three races (2nd at Sonoma). He stopped by the Atlanta Motor Speedway infield media center before qualifying to talk about his recent hot streak and expectations for tomorrow’s scheduled race.

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang – HOW DO YOU FEEL GOING INTO THIS WEEKEND AND HOW WILL DRIVERS APPROACH IT? “Coming here the first time, I think we all learned a ton, whether that was how wide the racetrack or the groove would go, not necessarily three-wide racing, but we had three pretty distinct grooves that we could move around to and it wasn’t so much an issue of dirty racetrack as much as it was to where we could get the cars to handle. The bumps were pretty prominent at that time and it was still early on with this race car too. I think there were a lot of unknowns. There were a lot of things we’ve learned since on how aggressive we can be with basically ride quality in our race cars and what makes speed, so we’ve tweaked on a lot of that through the year as well, and I think everybody has a better understanding to where it might be a little bit under control as we get out there on the racetrack. I don’t think that – it seems like this is probably the outlier for right-rear tire issues for a lot of the races this year, so we weren’t in that category, but I think we have some understanding on some of the things that are in the race cars that are being really hard on tires, so I think that should calm down. I think most of the accidents came from an issue last year, so, anyway, I say all that – all that we’ve talked about to try and figure out how to be better this time around. Last time, came down here we started the race off and had to make some really big swings at getting the balance right and in the process probably weren’t able to keep maximizing speed with those adjustments just to make it drive well, so we have a much better handle on that now. I feel good about it. We’re not gonna go across the finish line backwards this time. We’re gonna keep going forward. We’ve already gotten the whole upside-down thing out of the way for the year, so we’ll keep it on the ground – shiny side up – and hopefully just be the first one under the flag. Lots to figure out. We learned a lot last time. We’ll see how with some of the updates and some of the patches how that will affect it here this weekend. We’ll be watching the Xfinity race and see how that plays out and I guess we’re gonna get a taste of it first in qualifying as the sun comes out here. We’ll see how that one lap goes and be ready for 400 miles.”

WHAT KIND OF DIVIDENDS DOES IT PROVIDE YOU TO HAVE YOUR CAR OWNER ALSO DRIVING ONE OF THE TEAM CARS? “That’s a special situation. Obviously, Brad has more skin in the game than any teammate I’ve ever had as a boss and an owner at the same time, so that’s been really good through the year to see his drive and his passion to continue to help RFK be better. I think it’s easier from my seat to come in for Monday meetings and be able to sit down and talk about what we struggled with, what we want to be better and to know that an owner is sitting there and was just in that same driver’s seat. They’re saying the same things and understands it and makes it, I don’t want to say more of a priority because I never felt like there wasn’t a priority to fix things anywhere I’ve been in the past, but I think it just gives them that same feeling and that same push to try and make it better, so it’s been really good. I learned a lot from Brad this year on many fronts. To be quite honest, I don’t know how, and I’ve told him this, I don’t understand your time management. I don’t know how you do all this. I am spun out trying to do two things at once and he’s got so much going on and making it look easy. I haven’t quite grasped that concept yet, but it’s been real neat to have him and see all the detail that he dives into and, like I said, the passion to get us better and make this a place where we can win races. We’re getting close. We’re making some good progress through the year, probably not near as much as we expected through the off-season. We thought that would go a little bit better. I was definitely hopeful it would be better, so we started off maybe a little bit behind where we figured and it’s just taken a little bit of time to get that progression where we need it to be. We’re not there yet, but we’ve been definitely making some steps in the right direction in the last several months.”

DID THIS TRACK FEEL LIKE A MINI DAYTONA OR A MINI TALLADEGA TO YOU THE FIRST TIME YOU RACED HERE IN THE SPRING? “It definitely has superspeedway style to some of it. It’s not Daytona. It’s definitely not Talladega. It’s not quite the same, but mentally it’s exhausting because you’re going through the same things, but at the same time this is a little bit more of a physical race. I think last time we were all gripping the steering wheel so hard because everything was on such an edge like new asphalt typically is. It doesn’t matter if it’s a mile-and-a-half, where we’re getting big lifts or if it’s a place like this where we’re wide-open or trying to be wide-open, but just being right on the edge of that tire and the grip level makes it to where it can be very tricky to try to make a lap without having a mistake turn into a big accident. I think that really wore us out more than anyone expected last time. I think we have a better understanding of that now. I’m not saying the fact that the asphalt has been here a couple more months is gonna change much of that feeling, but we’re ready for it. There’s a lot more lifting, a lot more handling that’s going with this – maybe more like some of the Daytona feel that we had when we had very little downforce in the cars – so it’s bringing back some of that to where you’ve really got to focus on doing what you can to get the car to pass. The one thing I’ve been thinking about is the bottom is a little bit hard to make work as we get into a run. It seems like other tracks you can get the numbers in the bottom and you can make that work and going back and watching it doesn’t seem like that’s as strong of an opportunity for us at this racetrack at this current time. I don’t know when that changes, if it does, but right now I’d say the one thing you’ve got to be careful is that you get a big run and you think you can go clear three cars, you’re probably gonna lost four spots, so you’ve got to be careful of that.”

DO YOU EXPECT NEW HAMPSHIRE TO BE SIMILAR TO GATEWAY? WHAT KIND OF RACE DO YOU SEE THERE? “I took a week off for Gateway, so I wasn’t there. That being said, it’s definitely been interesting to see some of the racetracks that have been hard to pass and some of the ones that have been less so, and trying to figure out why exactly that is. New Hampshire, we’ll definitely be shifting there, but it’s a lot rougher than some of these other racetracks and it’s just got a lot more character. We’ve got different lanes that have been paved at different times. There are different grip levels. There are different banking levels. The bumps into three are really rough and will continue to be so with this race car. We have really good brakes in these cars, so I think that opens up the opportunity to get into the corner better. With the downshifting it was something that we almost felt like we could get away with it the last car, so we’ll definitely be there with this one. I feel like there’s a lot of things that make me believe that will be a racier track than some of the others. I’m surely optimistic that it will be. I think that Loudon is a really neat racetrack. It’s not been one of my best by the numbers, but I always enjoy going there because it does have a lot of character. It just lets you do different things from behind the wheel, try different lines, be able to make passes in different areas, whether it’s the apron or three lanes up from there, so I think it’ll be a fun racetrack. Obviously, a little bit of a home track for our organization with the Fenway Group being close by in Boston, so we’ve got to go up there and put on a good show and be good for them, so I think it’s got a lot of opportunity to be a really good race. We’ll see if I’m right or wrong. Don’t call me out if I’m wrong at the end of this, but I’m definitely optimistic heading into it.”

HOW DOES THIS CAR CHANGE THE MENTALITY OF WHEN YOU’RE NOT RUNNING AS WELL AS YOU’D LIKE TO BE? “We’re all learning together, so it’s not just the teams. There’s zero practice this weekend. We’ve been here one time with this car and we have zero practice and we’re supposed to have it all figured out. And, really, when we’re talking about that time it’s very short, single practice session. You can’t change much in that timeframe and what you have for the race is what you have. We start talking about what we’ve been able to work on to get better. The amount of time we’ve had to do it is absolutely minimal, especially for a place like this and now we go straight into it. So we’re having to learn during races, which means that you’re having 400 miles of something that you’re almost stuck with. You’ve got little tweaks during the race, but you’re almost stuck with something for 400 or 500 miles every week and you have to reapply that for the next race – the next race that will be similar to that one. It’s not our three 45-minute practice sessions that we’ve had in years past, where you’re constantly improving, so it is time-consuming. It takes a lot more patience from that side of things, but it’s not just our team side of things it’s a lot from the driver’s side as well. I don’t think any driver out here will tell you that they’ve been in something that has driven very similar to this car at all. It’s been a complete reset in what we learn and what we’re trying to do. We’ve seen trends through a lot of SMT data on the driver’s side of what you can do differently maybe in qualifying, what you can get away with there. Some of the times you think about places where we’re downshifting in the corners a lot, the penalty for overdriving and missing a corner is absolutely minimal. You downshift, you recover, you go again. It’s showing up in the race and I think that’s some of the reason it’s been hard to pass at maybe a Martinsville, but it’s showing some speed or potential to gain at different racetracks and at different times ,whether that’s restarts, qualifying, but maybe not necessarily late in a run. On the driver’s side, it’s taken on a big reboot as well and it’s what can you get away with without really hurting yourself and I think what we’re finding is the penalty for overdriving at certain times just isn’t really there. It’s just a matter of not going so far to where you’re tearing up equipment. We’re all figuring it out. It’s tough because it is hard to go a full race knowing that you’re not where you need to be off the truck for that weekend and knowing that you’re locked in, that you don’t really have the ability to change what you may need to, so you take it and you do the best you can with it, you learn from it and try to be ready to apply it for the next one. That’s really all we can do right now.”

IS IT FRUSTRATING TO SEE TIMES LIKE TRACKHOUSE AND RCR, TEAMS YOU WERE RACING AROUND LAST YEAR, TO SEE THEM HAVE THE IMPROVEMENT WITH THIS CAR WHERE YOU GUYS MAYBE HAVEN’T HAD AS MUCH? “No, it’s not frustrating because you’re not wishing ill on anybody else. You’re just trying to figure out how to be better from our side and, ultimately, what other people have been able to do and how they’ve been able to progress in other teams that has nothing to do with us. We didn’t do a good enough job to be that team to be talked about, so, like I said, that’s kind of what I was alluding to at the beginning is we did not get to where we thought we would through the off-season, where we believed we would. It wasn’t due to a lack of work or effort. We just didn’t get to the right things, so it’s taken us races through the season to get closer and to keep figuring some things out and we’re getting there. We’ve definitely found some speed in the race cars. Our road course stuff has made big gains, but that even took COTA for us to figure out. We went to COTA and were nowhere near where we needed to be and had to come out of there with a lot of notes to figure out how to be better and we took that jump and were immediately night and day better than where we were at that racetrack, so I think that’s what it has taken at a lot of these, most all of these ovals for us is we’ve had to go to the racetrack to learn and to continue to dial all that in. At the end, no, you’re not frustrated about other peoples’ successes, it’s more how do you make ourselves more successful. How do we get ourselves into that conversation quicker and I’d say that’s more of it is we’ve just got to keep doing a better job in getting there.”

YOU ARE WITHOUT YOUR CREW CHIEF FOR THE NEXT FOUR RACES. AS YOU TRY TO MAKE A PLAYOFF PUSH AND GET BETTER, WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES WHEN YOU’RE NOT ALL TOGETHER TO TRY AND DO THAT? “We’ve got a lot ahead of us. We’ve got to be careful because people are gonna start calling all of us part-time if we can’t all show up on the same days, but it’s definitely a challenge right now. We’ve been kicked when we were down a few times here and a lot of it on our own doing, so that’s something we’re still trying to iron out and it’s just hard because we’ve had almost three months of good race cars. We’ve had good speed. We’ve had good races. We’ve had some bad results and without those I don’t know that we’d be in the same position we are right now. If we could have cleaned some things up. If we could have had a little better luck. If we could have gotten away without a penalty. If we wouldn’t have been upside down at the end of Charlotte, not even the end, you add a lot of things up and it’s dismal in those areas for the finishes, but the speed has been there and the progress has been there and it’s just hard for anybody but us to realize it because we’ve been able to see where we’ve been through races. We can pull the data. We can go through everything that we have to figure out and see that the results aren’t there, but we know where we’re at and that’s the part that’s gonna hurt is we know we’ve been competitive enough to make our way there, we’ve just had a lot of different things that have gotten a hold of us. Yeah, it’s gonna be a challenge as we go through Atlanta. I have a lot of confidence that our team is gonna get through this really well also. Travis Peterson is gonna be on the box and has been working with Scott Graves for four years, I believe, since they’ve been at Roush together, so that makes it to where it’s a pretty seamless transaction. As we’ve gotten to personnel limits at the racetrack, all the teams have basically built up war rooms back home and following other sports in the way that they do that, so Scott’s not on the beach on vacation this weekend, but he’s back at the shop and in a room to help make the weekend go as seamless as possible. It would have been nice to have practice and try and get used to how that’s gonna go, so we’re gonna go straight to a qualifying session here hopefully, and then right into the race. On the flip side of that is, being this style of race might make it a touch easier to get that first one out of the way so that we’re ready and can iron out any of the wrinkles in the system to be ready for the next three to where it can go as smooth as humanly possible, having somebody several hundred miles away for the next handful.”

Ty Dillon, No. 42 Allegiant Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Dillon at Atlanta Motor Speedway: Ty Dillon has competed in seven NASCAR Cup Series event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, recording his best finish of 15th in 2017. The 30-year-old has also participated in six NASCAR Xfinity Series races, earning three top-five (2015, 2016, 2021) and four top-10 results. In addition, Dillon has two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at the Georgia track, posting one pole, one win (2012) and a second-place finish (2015 for GMS Racing) respectively.

Earlier this season in the first race on the new surface, Dillon was collected in a mulit-car accident on lap 101 which relegated the No. 42 machine to a 36th-place finish.

• Allegiant – Together We Fly™: Allegiant will serve as primary partner on Dillon’s Chevrolet Camaro for Sunday’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. From America’s favorite small cities to world-class destinations, Allegiant makes leisure travel affordable and convenient. With low-low fares, nonstop, all-jet service and premier travel partners, Allegiant provides a complete travel experience with great value and without all the hassle. – About Allegiant: Las Vegas-based Allegiant (NASDAQ: ALGT) is an integrated travel company with an airline at its heart, focused on connecting customers with the people, places and experiences that matter most. Since 1999, Allegiant Air has linked travelers in small-to-medium cities to world-class vacation destinations with all-nonstop flights and industry-low average fares. Today, Allegiant’s fleet serves communities across the nation, with base airfares less than half the cost of the average domestic roundtrip ticket. For more information, visit us at Allegiant.com.
• From the Drivers Seat: What do you expect from the second time on the new Atlanta Motor Speedway track?

“It’s going to be interesting to see if the track races the same way as it did earlier this season. The weather is going to be much different which could change how our cars react. Our No. 42 team had a frustrating result in the first race. We were just taking it easy after having to restart in the back after a pit road penalty, and then were collected in someone else’s mess. We had a really good car, so hopefully what we learned will transfer to this weekend. Track position is going to matter.”

Erik Jones, No. 43 FOCUSfactor Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Jones at Atlanta Motor Speedway: This weekend teams return to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the second time this season. During the first stop at the track earlier this season, Erik Jones had a strong run, but was shuffled back on the last restart and settled for a 14th-place finish.

In total Jones has seven NASCAR Cup Series start at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a career-best finish of seventh in 2019. Jones has two starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with a best finish of third in 2016 and a seventh-place finish in his lone NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start in 2015 where he led 37 of 130 laps.

• Fan Q&A: Jones will be at the Bootleggers hospitality on Sunday, July 10, 12:30 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. ET. Bootleggers is located in the Earnhardt Grandstand and is open to anyone with a race ticket. Stop by to listen to the Q&A before settling in for 400 miles around Atlanta Motor Speedway.
• Points Racing: With eight races left before the 2022 Cup Series playoffs start, Jones remains 18th in the point standings with one top-five, five top-10 and nine top-15 finishes.
• Focused on Winning: FOCUSfactor will serve as the primary partner on Jones’s Chevrolet Camaro for Sunday’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
• About FOCUSfactor: FOCUSfactor is sold at America’s leading retailers such as Costco, Wal-Mart, Walgreens, CVS, The Vitamin Shoppe and Amazon.com. FOCUSfactor, America’s leading brain health supplement, is a nutritional supplement that includes a proprietary blend of brain supporting vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other nutrients. In December 2012, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued US Patent 8,329,227 covering FOCUSfactor’s proprietary formulation “for enhanced mental function”. The issuance of the patent marked one of the few times a patent has been issued for a nationally branded nutritional supplement. FOCUSfactor is clinically tested with results demonstrating improvements in focus, concentration and memory in healthy adults.
• From the Driver’s Seat: What are your thoughts about returning to the new Atlanta Motor Speedway surface?

“This time around at Atlanta will definitely be tougher. I think this time with the heat, I’m sure it’s not going to be cool in Atlanta in July, it will be a lot more of a handling race than when we were there in the spring. We had a good car in the spring, we just fell back on that last restart. It’s going to be way more of a handling race. I think we’re going to have to bring somewhat of a different car build, a different mentality going in. You are not going to be able to really run it as hard as you could last time, so I think it will be more racier for us. More lanes, more moving around, running up top I hope, so it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out, but definitely more handling.”

ABOUT PETTY GMS:

Petty GMS competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, operating the No. 42 Chevrolet for Ty Dillon and the No. 43 Chevrolet for Erik Jones. The newly formed team brought together two storied organizations in December 2021. Over the last decade, owner Maury Gallagher built a victorious team, capturing two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championships, one ARCA Menards Series title, and two ARCA Menards Series East championships, as well as 65 wins and 235 top-five finishes across six series. Richard Petty, a member of the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2010, serves as Chairman of Petty GMS. Petty, known as “The King,” accumulated 200 wins and was the first of three drivers to win seven championships in the Cup Series. For more information, visit www.pettygms.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow Petty GMS on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Richard Childress Racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway … In 156 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has earned nine wins and three pole awards, including Kevin Harvick’s emotional victory in 2001. Dale Earnhardt won eight times at the Hampton, Ga., track under the RCR banner (1984-fall, 1986-fall, 1988-spring, 1989-fall, 1990-spring, 1995-fall, 1996-spring, 2000-spring). The Welcome, N.C., based team has 29 top-five and 59 top-10 finishes at Atlanta and has led a total of 3,000 laps at the 1.54-mile oval. Team owner Richard Childress recorded his best finish at Atlanta, a ninth-place effort, in the 1980 Atlanta Journal 500.

RCR In the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Atlanta … RCR has recorded three wins, two by Jeff Burton (2006 and 2007) and one by Kevin Harvick (2013) in NASCAR Xfinity Series competition at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Harvick scored a dominating victory, leading 132 of 195 laps (67.7 percent) and his average running position was 2.85. The organization has racked up 14 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes over a span of 54 starts.

Introducing the Carolina Cowboys … Driven by the same passion for performance that guides his race team, Richard Childress’ latest endeavor brings Professional Bull Riding to the Carolinas. The Carolina Cowboys represent Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in the PBR Team Series, an elite new league featuring the world’s top bull riders competing in games beginning in July 2022. The team is operated by Richard Childress Racing with 2018 Daytona 500 Champion Austin Dillon serving as General Manager. Don’t miss the Carolina Cowboys inaugural “Cowboy Days” Home Stand September 9-11 at Wake Forest’s Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Tickets are on sale at PBR.com and Ticketmaster.

Catch the Action … The ALSCO Uniforms 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, July 9 beginning at 5 p.m. ET on USA and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Follow Sunday’s Action from Atlanta … The Atlanta 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway will be televised live on Sunday, July 10 beginning at 3 p.m. ET on USA and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

This Week’s Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Atlanta Motor Speedway … In 11 NASCAR Cup Series races at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Dillon’s best finish is sixth in March 2021. Dillon had a fast Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevy at his most recent appearance to Atlanta Motor Speedway in March but was taken out of the race in an on-track incident at the end of Stage 1. He has earned top-10 finishes in each of his three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the track and four NASCAR Truck Series starts at the track.

Tracker Off Road … Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 prominently features TRACKER ATVs, a game-changing new line of all-terrain vehicles and side-by-sides offering breakthrough performance, service and value in the off-road industry. TRACKER OFF ROAD was born out of a powerhouse partnership formed between Bass Pro Shops and TRACKER founder Johnny Morris and Textron Specialized Vehicles, bringing together the undisputed world leader in boating with a global leader in innovation and technology.

Bass Pro Shops … Bass Pro Shops is North America’s premier outdoor and conservation company. Founded in 1972 when avid young angler Johnny Morris began selling tackle out of his father’s liquor store in Springfield, Missouri, today the company provides customers with unmatched offerings spanning premier destination retail, outdoor equipment manufacturing, world-class resort destinations and more. In 2017 Bass Pro Shops acquired Cabela’s to create a “best-of-the-best” experience with superior products, dynamic locations and outstanding customer service. Bass Pro Shops also operates White River Marine Group, offering an unsurpassed collection of industry-leading boat brands, and Big Cedar Lodge, America’s Premier Wilderness Resort. Under the visionary conservation leadership of Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops is a national leader in protecting habitat and introducing families to the outdoors and has been named by Forbes as “one of America’s Best Employers.” Bass Pro Shops has a long relationship with NASCAR, dating back to 1998. For more information, visit http://www.basspro.com/.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:

What are your thoughts on racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend?

“I’m anxious to get to Atlanta Motor Speedway. We had a fast Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevy in March, but we didn’t get to finish the race so I feel like we have some redeeming to do there. We were going for the lead when we crashed, so I know our team is capable of running well at Atlanta. It’s going to be important to run well, and to try to win. Atlanta Motor Speedway has been a great track for us in the past, and I think it can be again. We have one race under our belts now with the new asphalt and running the NextGen cars, and I think everyone has learned a lot. There was some aggressive driving and blocking going on in March. It’ll be interesting to see how this race plays out.”

This Week’s Alsco Uniforms Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Atlanta Motor Speedway … Tyler Reddick has four previous NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway, highlighted by a sixth-place finish in the July 2021 event. In March, Reddick qualified fifth and led five laps before he was sidelined by an accident. Reddick is also scheduled to compete in the No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series event Saturday afternoon at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The Winner’s Club… Tyler Reddick enters Sunday’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway fresh off scoring his first NASCAR Cup Series win July 3 at Road America. The victory came in his 92nd career start and is his seventh top-10 finish in 2022. He became the fifth different driver to score their first-career win in NASCAR’s elite series this season and has now earned a NASCAR Playoffs spot for the second consecutive season.

About Alsco Uniforms … Alsco is a fifth-generation family-owned and operated uniform company founded in 1889 and recognized by the prestigious Hohenstein Institute for having invented the uniform rental industry. Celebrating over 130 years of business, Alsco provides uniform laundry services and other products that keep businesses clean and safe to all kinds of customers in the healthcare, automotive, industrial and hospitality industries. With more than 180 locations and 20,000 employees, Alsco provides laundry rental services to more than 355,000 customers in 14 countries, which makes Alsco Uniforms the largest uniform company in the world. Visit www.alsco.com to learn more about how Alsco Uniforms is the industry’s best kept secret.

TYLER REDDICK QUOTES:

How mentally draining was the race earlier this year at Atlanta Motor Speedway?

“We’re zipping around a mile-and-a-half at really high speeds, running upper 180s (miles per hour) for the entire lap. Not a lot of rest down the straightaways and the corners are so long and all the aggressive pack racing that we had really drains you mentally. I was surprised after that race by the physical toll that it had. Normally speedways like Daytona and Talladega are a mental drain but it seemed like Atlanta was both. It’s going to be hotter when we go back this weekend with our ALSCO Uniforms Chevrolet so it’s going to be even more of that.”

Atlanta Motor Speedway is the first race that the Next Gen car will be competing at for the second time. It’s the first track that you will go back to for the second time. Talk about that.

“That was an interesting one in my opinion because it’s a speedway-type race like Daytona and Talladega. I thought we were pretty good when we were there in March. Unfortunately, we cut a tire that took us out of that race. It’s going to be interesting to see compared to the first time that we were there. It sounds like they made a number of improvements to the racetrack. It will be interesting to see how some of those details of the track have been changed.”

This Week’s Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Camaro SS at Atlanta Motor Speedway … Sheldon Creed will make his second NASCAR Xfinity Series career start at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend. Earlier this season, Creed started 13th and finished ninth at the Georgia track, leading 15 laps. During his time in the NASCAR Truck Series, Creed made three starts at the track and scored a best finish of fifth in 2021. The No. 2 team didn’t see the results they wanted last weekend at Road America and are looking to bounce back with another strong finish at Atlanta. Currently, Creed is 17th in the driver standings.

About Whelen … Whelen Engineering is a family-owned company with a pioneering spirit and a passion to protect the lives of those who protect and serve others. The company mission is to provide industry-defining safety solutions around the world, while creating a community of problem-solvers who are inspired to push boundaries and continue our legacy of delivering ground-breaking innovation. As a global leader in the emergency warning industry, Whelen has been trusted to perform since 1952, when George Whelen III invented the first rotating aviation beacon. Whelen now encompasses two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Connecticut and New Hampshire with over 750,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing space and the largest design staff in the industry. Every part of every Whelen product is proudly designed and manufactured in America. We embrace quality as our foundation, we celebrate innovative engineering in every product we produce.

Manufactured in America for 70 Years – We Never Left, and We’re Here to Stay … Whelen designs and manufactures reliable and powerful warning lights, white illumination lighting, sirens, controllers, and high-powered warning systems for Automotive and Mass Notification industries worldwide. Whelen products have been proudly designed and manufactured in America since 1952. With quality as the foundation, Whelen celebrates innovative engineering with every product made.

SHELDON CREED QUOTE:

Are you looking forward to getting back to Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend?

“I’m really excited to get back down to Atlanta this weekend. The repave and redesign of the track was brand new for everyone earlier this season and no one really knew what to expect. Since we had a race at Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this season already, we were able to take some notes and utilize them while preparing for this weekend. We finished ninth earlier this season and led 15 laps. Our speed was there and I think our Whelen Chevrolet is going to be fast again. We’ve brought fast racecars with us every weekend and we just need to capitalize on that. I’m confident that we can bounce back after a tough ending to last weekend’s race at Road America.”

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This Week’s Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet Camaro SS at Atlanta … Austin Hill made his first NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this season, where he started 14th and finished runner-up to Ty Gibbs, leading 27 laps. During his time in the NASCAR Truck Series, Hill made six starts at Atlanta and had to back-to-back second-place finishes in 2020 and 2021. In total, he had one pole, two top fives, three top 10s, an average start of 13.2 and an average finish of 9.8. Last weekend, Hill scored another solid finish with a fourth-place finish at Road America, and he is currently eighth in the driver standings.

Hangout with Bennett in the FanZone on Saturday … This weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, fans have the opportunity to hangout with the Bennett Transportation and Logistics crew in the FanZone at their display. This is a home race for the McDonough, Georgia based company and Austin Hill is scheduled to make an appearance at the display for an autograph session on Saturday, July 9 from 1:45 – 2 p.m. ET. Their autographed Bennett truck will also be on display for fans to take pictures with.

About Bennett Family of Companies … McDonough, Ga.-based Bennett Family of Companies is a woman-owned, Women’s Enterprise Business Council (WBENC) certified, diversified transportation and logistics company. Through its 12 affiliated operating companies, the Bennett Family of Companies delivers integrated transportation and supply chain management solutions worldwide. The company will use race experiences to recruit and retain hundreds of truck drivers for their organization in 2022. For more information, visit www.Drive4Bennett.com.

AUSTIN HILL QUOTE:

Are you looking forward to this weekend’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway?

“I can’t wait to get back to Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend. With Atlanta being a hometown race for me, I really want to go out there and get the win. We were so close earlier this year and finished runner-up. I led 27 laps and my team brought me a really fast Chevrolet. I’ve done a lot of simulator time and we had some notes from the race in March that we’ve been able to go over and study. You’re pretty much wide open on this new track configuration so clean air is going to be important, along with running up front and staying out of trouble. I’m really looking forward to it. Bennett Transportation & Logistics is located about 15 miles away from the track and they’ll have a lot of guests there supporting me as well as my friends and family so I’m ready to put on a good show and win it.”