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Chandler Smith – No. 18 Safelite Tundra TRD Pro Camping World Trucks Charlotte Preview

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

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event: North Carolina Education Lottery 200, Race 10 of 23, 134 Laps –30/30/74; 201 Miles
Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile, quad-oval)
Date/Broadcast: May 27, 2022, at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

Chandler Chatter:

Chandler Smith heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway for Friday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 looking to pay off debt he owes to KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch from a challenge they made in March at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Tex. At COTA, the two engaged in a friendly challenge where the lower finisher would clean all the windshields at KBM the following week. Busch’s third-place result was two spots better than Smith, but he accepted Smith’s double or nothing bet for this week’s race at Charlotte, where the boss will once again be sporting the white reciprocal paint scheme of Smith’s No. 18 Safelite Tundra TRD Pro on his No. 51 Tundra TRD Pro. Safelite, the nation’s largest provider of vehicle glass repair, replacement and recalibration services, returned to KBM for a fifth season in 2022 and will be the primary sponsor on Smith’s Tundra TRD Pro Tundra for a total of 16 races this year as well as the two races with Busch.

Smith had a respectable outing last year in his first career start in any series at Charlotte, bringing home a sixth-place result. While Smith has just one Charlotte start, Busch is the all-time wins leader at the 1.5-mile quad-oval, winning in eight of his 14 Camping World Truck Series starts in the Queen City.

While he has just one prior start at Charlotte, the mile-and-a-half tracks have been a strong suit for the Georgia driver in 2022. Smith was victorious at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway in March, finishing one position ahead of Busch. At Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway Smith took the white flag with the lead before surrendering the lead to his KBM teammate Corey Heim and ended up finishing fourth. The past two weeks the 19-year-old driver had finished inside the top 10 at mile-and-a-half tracks, with a fourth-place result at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City two weeks ago and an eighth-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth last week.

After nine races Smith sits third in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series regular season point standings, 18 tallies behind his KBM teammate John Hunter Nemechek. Through the first nine events of the season Smith ranks second among Truck Series regulars in average starting position (7.7), third in average finish (9.9) and fourth in average running position (8.7) and driver rating (101.0). He has produced one win, four top-five and six top-10 finishes in his sophomore campaign.

The Georgia driver earned NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2021 and finished eighth in the championship standings after producing two victories, one pole, 213 laps led, six top-five and nine top-10 finishes in his first full-time season. He earned his first career Truck Series victory at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in September and in the series finale at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway earned his first career pole and swept all three stages en route to his second victory.

In addition to his Truck Series schedule in 2022, Smith is competing in a three-race schedule with Sam Hunt Racing (SHR). Smith finished 38th in his series debut at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway after a mid-race wreck and finished 21st at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway. His final race with SHR will come Oct. 22 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway.

Veteran crew chief Danny Stockman will once again call the shots for Smith and the No. 18 team in 2022. Stockman’s drivers have produced six victories at KBM across his first two seasons, including two with Smith behind the wheel in 2021. The veteran crew chief captured a Truck Series championship with Austin Dillon in 2011 and also won an Xfinity Series championship with Dillon in 2013. Stockman’s drivers have produced one top-five and three top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.5 across four Truck Series starts at Texas. His best result was a runner-up finish with KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch in 2020. Stockman won an Xfinity Series race with Dillon at Charlotte in October of 2015.

Chandler Smith, Driver Q&A:
Chandler Smith | Charlotte Motor Speedway Preview
How do like your chances of finishing ahead of Kyle and getting out of washing all the windows at KBM?
“I feel great. I’ve been racing the mile-and-a-halves here recently and I’ve got top 10s at every mile-and-a-half this year – won at Las Vegas and had really strong runs at all the other mile-and-a-halves and I have a little more seat time than Kyle at the mile-and-a-half tracks this year – so I think my chances are good! He’s really good at road course, I’m not going to lie, I don’t know why I made that bet at COTA. Really excited about doing it here at Charlotte and really excited for Safelite to have two trucks in the race.”

Why have you been so good on mile-and-a-half tracks this year?
“We’ve had a really fast Toyota Tundra every single weekend. Las Vegas obviously we won and that was our first mile-and-a-half with our new mile-and-a-half package that we’ve been running. We started running it at the end of last year and it was kind of ok. We worked on it in the off season and obviously it’s a lot better. We’ve been carrying it over to Kansas and Texas and all the mile-and-a-halves we’ve been to, and it has been successful, so we’ll be bringing it to Charlotte. It’s trending every single time we unload that we fight the same thing and then we know what to do to get it where it needs to be and then it’s really good for the race.”

How does Charlotte compare to the mile-and-half tracks you’ve raced recently?
“The biggest comparison is the obvious, it’s a mile-and-a-half and the second thing is the speed – the on throttle time especially. With mile-and-a-halves you have so much on throttle time that it really matters more than anything that you have a really good handling truck. The trucks that are really fast, they can get in the lead and take off, that’s good for them, but what happens when they get in dirty air? They can’t do anything about it, so how are they going to get back to the front. So, having a truck that is fast, but also drives really good. You can’t have both, so you have to find a fine line and a good balance of the that and I feel like that is where our mile-and-a-half program is really excelling right now.”

Chandler Smith Career Highlights:

  • Across 47 career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts has recorded three wins, 362 laps led, 18 top-five and 24 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 14.0.
  • Earned NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2021 and finished eighth in the championship standings after producing two victories, one pole, 213 laps led, six top-five and nine top-10 finishes in his first full-time season. He earned his first career Truck Series victory at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in September and in the series finale at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway earned his first career pole and swept all three stages en route to his second victory.
  • Has posted an average finish of 29.5 across two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts in 2022, with a best result of 22nd coming at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway.
  • Has collected nine wins, 10 poles, 1783 laps led, 22 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes en route to an average finish of 5.4 across 34 career ARCA Menards Series starts.
  • Has numerous Super Late Model victories across his career, including two marquee wins: the Snowball Derby at 5 Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla. (2021) and SpeedFest at Watermelon Capital Speedway in Cordele, Georgia (2018). Will compete in several Super Late Model events around his Truck Series schedule in 2022.

Chandler Smith’s No. 18 Safelite Tundra:
KBM-63: The No. 18 Safelite team will unload KBM-63 for Friday night’s race. Smith produced a fourth-place finish with this Tundra TRD Pro two races ago at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City and finished fourth with it earlier in the year at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch drove KBM-63 to its lone victory in June of 2020 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway.
KBM-63 Performance Profile

KBM Notes of Interest:

  • Across 33 starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway, KBM drivers have earned seven wins, three poles, 14 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 9.7 and an average finish of 9.0.
  • John Hunter Nemechek picked up the victory in last year’s Charlotte race. Prior to that, owner-driver Kyle Busch had collected all six of his organization’s wins (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018).
  • KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (93) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway Corey Heim became the 18th different driver to win a Truck Series event for KBM. In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
  • The No. 18, the number which was on the first Tundra that went to victory lane for KBM in 2010, has 24 career victories.

Fr8 Auctions to Salute Heroes with McDowell

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Official Release
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Capt. Eugene William Kimmel, USMC

McDowell Ready to Race on Memorial Day

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 24, 2022) – FR8Auctions returns for the second race on the No. 34 Ford Mustang with Michael McDowell, for Memorial Day Weekend. The loyal supporter to Front Row Motorsports, come together with McDowell this weekend not only to race for the win, but to honor fallen hero Capt. Eugene William Kimmel, USMC.

Coming fresh off a top-15 finish in the All-Star Race this past weekend, and chalking up four top-10 finishes this season, McDowell heads into the weekend eager to replicate recent success in the Coke 600, as well as the season this weekend at the sport’s home track.

“We are proud to honor a hero that doesn’t come from the FR8 family specifically but from a fellow FRM sponsor, Horizon Hobby. As fellow FRM sponsors, we are both invested in the success of that program and believe that this weekend gives us all an opportunity to focus on the ultimate sacrifice of a fallen hero while supporting the race team and McDowell.” says Marcus Barela, owner of FR8Auctions.

“Racing on Memorial Day means a lot to myself and our sport. It honors not only our fallen heroes, but our active military as well to salute and thank them for their service. What has always been special to me about our race is that unlike other sports, we will pause in the middle of our event to show our respects, and that is always a powerful moment” McDowell states.

“Being able to honor a fallen hero also is a great honor. This year is special to me in honoring Capt. Gene Kimmel, by reading his backstory and understanding how special racing was to him. Racing on a local level, he too raced in the No.34, and to be able to share that this weekend is unique.” McDowell continues.

“We have ran well in the past at Charlotte not only in the 600, but in the previous off-season testing as well. Our intermediate program has improved tremendously, and we plan to translate that progress this weekend at our home race. It takes a lot to race 600 miles, but we are expecting a great result, and plan to put on a great show for all our fans and supporters.”

Michael McDowell and his FR8auctions, #BraveLikeWyatt Ford Mustang, honoring fallen hero Capt. Gene Kimmel, will race in Charlotte this Sunday, May 29th, at 6pm ET on FOX.

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.

Mahindra Tractors Racing: Chase Briscoe Charlotte Advance

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Official Release
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CHASE BRISCOE
Charlotte Advance
No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Coca-Cola 600 (Round 14 of 36)
● Time/Date: 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 29
● Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway
● Layout: 1.5-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 400 laps/600 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 100 laps / Stage 2: 100 laps / Stage 4: 100 laps / Final Stage: 100 laps
● TV/Radio: FS1 / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Chase Briscoe makes his second Coca-Cola 600 start this Sunday at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway in the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR). Briscoe finished 25th in the 2021 Coca-Cola 600.

● The No. 14 team will honor the memory of U.S. Army Sgt. Larry Robert (Bobby) Bowman, a North Carolina native, as part of NASCAR’s annual “600 Miles of Remembrance.” Sgt. Bowman, of Granite Falls, died April 13, 2007, when his vehicle struck a roadside improvised explosive device during a mission in Baghdad. He was serving his second tour in Iraq with the 513th Transportation Company, 57th Transportation Battalion, 593rd Corps Support Group as a heavy vehicle driver delivering food, water, fuel and other mission critical supplies. He was scheduled to return home just three months later.

● Briscoe will be back in the Mahindra Tractors-branded Ford Mustang for the longest race of the year. Mahindra Tractors, a brand of Houston-based Mahindra Ag North America and part of Mahindra Group’s Automotive and Farm Sector, is the No. 1-selling farm tractor company in the world, based on volumes across all company brands. Mahindra farm equipment is engineered to be easy to operate by first-time tractor or side-by-side owners, and heavy duty to tackle the tough jobs of rural living, farming and ranching. Steel-framed Mahindra tractors and side-by-sides are ideal for customers who demand performance, reliability and comfort at a great value. Mahindra dealers are independent, family-owned businesses located throughout the U.S. and Canada.

● In four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts on the Charlotte oval, Briscoe has a best finish of sixth last May after starting second. While he’s still looking for his first win on the oval layout, he has visited Charlotte’s victory lane after scoring his first career Xfinity Series victory on the Roval in October 2018.

● In addition to his Xfinity Series experience at Charlotte, Briscoe also made one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series appearance in 2017, when he started second and finished 11th in the N.C. Education Lottery 200.

● Briscoe is 14th in the driver championship with 13 of 36 races complete. He currently holds a spot in the 16-driver playoff field by virtue of his March 13 win at Phoenix Raceway.

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

We saw you run up front at Las Vegas, but then the team seemed to struggle to find the right balance at Kansas. Is there anything you have seen from those two races on 1.5-mile tracks that you can use to turn things around at Charlotte?

“At Vegas, we qualified fourth and ran up front and then we had a tire go down, but I felt really, really good about our mile-and-a-half stuff. Then we go to Kansas and that was a real struggle for us. I don’t know why that was. It wasn’t just a struggle for us, it was obviously a struggle for all the Ford teams. But then we saw Penske up front at Texas, so I’m not sure what to expect. This is definitely a race you don’t want to be off because it’s a long night if you are.”

Teams tested the NextGen car at Charlotte during the offseason. Does it help to already have laps on the track?

“It’s definitely the one track I feel like the most people have the most laps at as far as with this car. But, every time we were testing at Charlotte, we were running different packages. I’ve never run the current package at Charlotte. This track is unique and sensitive. It does have some tire falloff. It’s really heat-sensitive, and one of the rougher racetracks we go to. But yeah, I don’t know, I don’t know what to expect for the 600.”

No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Chase Briscoe
Hometown: Mitchell, Indiana

Crew Chief: John Klausmeier
Hometown: Perry Hall, Maryland

Car Chief: J.D. Frey
Hometown: Ferndale, California

Engineer: Mike Cook
Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Engineer: Marc Hendricksen
Hometown: Clinton, New Jersey

Spotter: Joey Campbell
Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Daniel Coffey
Hometown: Granite Falls, North Carolina

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

Tire Carrier: Jon Bernal
Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Jack Man: Brandon Banks
Hometown: High Point, North Carolina

Fuel Man: Corey Coppola
Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Stephen Gonzalez
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Interior Mechanic: Trevor Adams
Hometown: Naples, Florida

Tire Specialist: Keith Eads
Hometown: Arlington, Virginia

Shock Specialist: Brian Holshouser
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Engine Tuner: Jon Phillips
Hometown: Jefferson City, Missouri

Transporter Co-Driver: Todd Cable
Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Rob Fink
Hometown: Mocksville, North Carolina

DGR NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Advance: Charlotte Motor Speedway

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Official Release
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Friday, May 27
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway, 1.5-mile oval
Race: 10 of 23
Event: North Carolina Education Lottery 200 (134 laps, 200 miles)

Schedule
Friday, May 27
Practice: 1:30 p.m. ET
Qualifying: 2:00 p.m. ET
Race: 8:30 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 1)

Hailie Deegan, No. 1 Wastequip Ford F-150 

  • Hailie Deegan is set to line up for her second appearance at Charlotte Motor Speedway this Friday, the 33rd start of her NCWTS career.
  • During last Friday’s contest at Texas Motor Speedway, Deegan made her presence known by qualifying 6th on the 1.5-mile oval, her highest pavement qualifying result since joining the NASCAR ranks.
  • In her lone visit to Charlotte Motor Speedway, the 20-year-old brought home a 13th place finish, highlighting her consistency across the intermediate tracks on the NCWTS schedule.
  • Crew Chief Mike Hillman Jr. is a veteran of the speedway, calling 14 career NCWTS races, netting four top-fives, a pole and a career-best finish of second with Todd Bodine in 2010.

Tanner Gray, No. 15 Black’s Tire Ford F-150

  • Tanner Gray will make his 10th NCWTS start of the 2022 season and third career start at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday night.
  • In his previous two appearances at the nearby 1.5-mile oval, Gray has finishes of 20th and 22nd. He has a sixth-place finish with the ARCA Menards Series in 2019.
  • Last time out at Texas Motor Speedway, the Ford driver peaked as high as sixth late in the race, but contact with the wall and a fellow competitor forced the No. 15 to pit road for repairs and he came home with a 24th-place finish.
  • Crew Chief Jerry Baxter has called eight career NCWTS races at Charlotte Motor Speedway with drivers such as Bubba Wallace, Matt Tifft, Christopher Bell, Kaz Grala and Brett Moffitt. He earned top-10 runs with Tifft and Bell in 2015 and 2016.

Ryan Preece, No. 17 Ford F-150

  • Ryan Preece will make an unscheduled appearance behind the wheel of the No. 17 for his fifth NCWTS start of the season in Friday night’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200.
  • Last Friday evening at Texas Motor Speedway, a dominant performance was soured by rear bumper damage early in the final stage. Preece led 27 laps and was victorious in the opening two stages, before the bumper damage forced him to pit and come from the rear of the field. He drove from 22nd to a third-place finish in the Morton Buildings F-150.
  • The impressive streak of top-10s continues for the Connecticut native as he holds six top-10s in six total Truck Series appearances spanning the last two seasons.
  • Friday’s race will kick off a busy Charlotte race weekend for the 31 year old as he will pull triple duty by also competing in the Xfinity and Cup Series on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

Gilliland, Boot Barn, and FRM to Honor Staff Sgt. Conrad A. Robinson

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Official Release
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Boot Barn Debuts Patriotic Scheme for 600 Weekend

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 24, 2022) – This Sunday evening, NASCAR Cup Series rookie Todd Gilliland will compete in his first Coca-Cola 600 at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. He will do so honoring the life of Staff Sgt. Conrad A. Robinson of the United States Army this Memorial Day weekend.

Staff Sgt. Conrad A. Robinson

Known as “Big Rob” while serving in the Army, Staff Sgt. Robinson was a decorated medical officer with 17 years of service until his untimely death serving his country in 2018. Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports, and Boot Barn will welcome the Robinson family to the track this weekend with Staff Sgt. Robinson’s name featured on the windshield of the Boot Barn Ford Mustang. Gilliland is both humbled and honored to carry Staff Sgt. Robinson’s name on the No. 38 car this weekend.

“This weekend is about honoring those who have served and sacrificed so we can go out and do cool things like race,” said Gilliland. “It is special for me to honor Staff Sgt. Robinson and have his family with us. It puts things in perspective, and I expect it to be a humbling experience. I want to thank my team and Boot Barn for making this honor happen.”

Gilliland is excited for the challenges of the Coca-Cola 600 – the first 600-mile race of his career.

“I have run really well in the past at Charlotte in both the NASCAR Truck Series and the ARCA Series,” stated Gilliland. “But nothing really prepares you for a 600-mile race. I just need that experience, but we have talked about it all season. We want to finish the race, be on the lead lap, and get as much as we can at the end of these races. I will be patient; we will work on the car all night and then give Boot Barn the best I have at the end.”

The green flag will wave for the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day Sunday at 6:00 p.m. ET on FOX.

ABOUT BOOT BARN

Boot Barn is the nation’s leading lifestyle retailer of western and work-related footwear, apparel, and accessories for men, women, and children. The Company offers its loyal customer base a wide selection of work, western, country, and lifestyle brands. As of the date of this release, Boot Barn operates 281 stores in 36 states, in addition to an e-commerce channel, www.bootbarn.com. The company also operates www.sheplers.com, the nation’s leading pure play online western and work retailer and www.countryoutfitter.com, an e-commerce site selling to customers who live in a country lifestyle. For more information, call 1-888-BOOT-BARN or visit www.bootbarn.com.

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.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Charlotte Advance

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Official Release
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FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: CHARLOTTE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND ADVANCE

The annual Memorial Day Weekend will once again feature a number of major NASCAR races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, highlighted by the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday night. Prior to that, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (Friday night) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (Saturday afternoon) will be in action.

This Week’s Schedule:

Friday, May 27 – NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, 8:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Saturday, May 28 – NASCAR XFINITY Series, 1 p.m. ET (FS1)
Sunday, May 29 – NASCAR Cup Series, 6 p.m. ET (FOX)

FORD IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES AT CMS

· Ford has 32 all-time series wins at CMS.
· Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski have oval wins at CMS with Ford while Ryan Blaney won the inaugural Roval event in 2018.
· Keselowski is the last Ford driver to win the Coca-Cola 600 (2020).

FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT CMS

· Ford has 22 series wins at CMS.
· Riley Herbst sat on the pole for this race a year ago.
· Brad Keselowski was the last Ford winner at CMS (2018).

FORD IN THE NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES AT CMS

· Ford is still looking for its first series win at CMS.
· Zane Smith has a pair of top 10 finishes in two career starts at CMS.
· Tanner Gray has two starts and Hailie Deegan one at CMS.

BLANEY HOPING TO KEEP MOMENTUM GOING

Ryan Blaney’s win in Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race wasn’t a surprise to many considering the fact he has been among the fastest drivers all season. Blaney, who is second in the point standings, is first among all drivers in poles (3) and stage wins (4) while ranking second in laps led (371). His best finish in the Coca-Cola 600 came two years ago when he finished third.

HERBST CONTINUING IMPROVEMENT

Riley Herbst is still looking for his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, but the improvement he has made this season is evident. After 12 races this season, Herbst is sitting eighth in the point standings with nine top-10 finishes in 12 starts. A year ago at this time, he had managed only three top-10 runs and was 14th in the standings.

ZANE SMITH LOOKS FOR FOURTH TRUCK SERIES WIN OF 2022

Zane Smith leads the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with three wins this season and heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway looking to add one more. This marks his first appearance in a Ford F-150 at the 1.5-mile track, but in two previous career starts he has finished third and 10th. Smith, who is fifth in the regular-season point standings, leads all drivers with seven top-10 finishes in nine starts while ranking second with four others in top-5 runs with four.

COCA-COLA 600 HIGHLIGHTS

HOLMAN & MOODY CONQUER THE WORLD

Ford won the Coca-Cola 600 for the first time on May 27, 1962 when the race was still referred to as the World 600. This marked the third running of NASCAR’s longest race and in the end it was Nelson Stacy, behind the wheel of a 1962 Holman & Moody Ford, that ended up in victory lane. Stacy passed David Pearson, who developed engine trouble with eight laps to go, and went on to beat Joe Weatherly to the finish line by 32 seconds in posting the third of his four career victories. Fellow Holman & Moody teammate Fred Lorenzen finished third. The win was Stacy’s second straight after he took the checkered flag two weeks earlier in Darlington.

THREE MAJORS FOR DJ IN ONE SEASON

Dale Jarrett won his share of major races during a sterling career in the NASCAR Cup Series, but no season may have been better than his first year driving at Robert Yates Racing in 1996. After winning the season-opening Daytona 500, his second of three triumphs in that event, Jarrett came to Charlotte in search of winning the Coca-Cola 600 for the first time. Jarrett, who qualified 15th, wasn’t much of a factor when the race started, but when the sun went down his No. 88 Quality Care Service/Ford Credit Ford Taurus came to life. He took the lead for the first time on lap 175 and ended up leading 199 of the final 226 laps for RYR to win going away. Jarrett eventually went on to win the Brickyard 400 a couple of months later to give him three of the sports biggest victories in one season.

FIRST-TIME WINNER

Matt Kenseth joined an exclusive club when he made the Coca-Cola 600 his first NASCAR Cup Series victory in 2000. Kenseth, who was in his rookie season driving for car owner Jack Roush, joined David Pearson (1961), Jeff Gordon (1994) and Bobby Labonte (1995) as drivers who made the marquee event their first series win. Kenseth, who nearly won in Fontana (CA) a couple weeks earlier before settling for third, left no doubt on this night as he led the final 26 laps and beat Bobby Labonte to the finish line by half-a-second.

KESELOWSKI ADDS ANOTHER JEWEL

Brad Keselowski became the first Ford driver since Mark Martin in 2002 to win the Coca-Cola 600 when he held off Jimmie Johnson in an overtime finish to take the checkered flag in 2020. The race ended up going five laps past the advertised distance and ended with Keselowski adding another crown jewel victory with Ford to go with his wins in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis (2018) and Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (2018).

FORD COCA-COLA 600 WINNERS

1962 – Nelson Stacy

1963 – Fred Lorenzen

1965 – Fred Lorenzen

1970 – Donnie Allison

1982 – Neil Bonnett

1987 – Kyle Petty

1991 – Davey Allison

1996 – Dale Jarrett

1999 – Jeff Burton

2000 – Matt Kenseth

2001 – Jeff Burton

2002 – Mark Martin

2020 – Brad Keselowski

FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS AT CHARLOTTE

1992 – Jeff Gordon (Sweep)

1993 – Mark Martin (2)

1995 – Chad Little (1) and Mark Martin (2)

1996 – Mark Martin (Sweep)

1998 – Mark Martin (1)

1999 – Mark Martin (1)

2000 – Jeff Burton (1)

2001 – Jeff Green (1) and Greg Biffle (2)

2002 – Jeff Burton (2)

2003 – Matt Kenseth (1)

2006 – Carl Edwards (1)

2011 – Matt Kenseth (1) and Carl Edwards (2)

2014 – Brad Keselowski (2)

2016 – Joey Logano (2)

2017 – Ryan Blaney (1)

2018 – Brad Keselowski and Chase Briscoe (Roval)

RTA’s gigFAST INTERNET to Support Smith and Troops at Charlotte

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Official Release
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RTA Reminds Fans “Got Freedom!, Thank a Soldier?” This Memorial Day Weekend

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 24, 2022) – Zane Smith, Front Row Motorsports (FRM) and RTA will partner this Memorial Day weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway to thank our men and women who are serving and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.

Smith and the No. 38 RTA gigFAST INTERNET™ Ford F-150 team will race with the “Got Freedom?, Thank a Soldier!” message during Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. RTA’s gigFAST INTERNET will also debut a stars and bars patriotic paint scheme during their first primary race with FRM. Smith is honored to carry the brand and message this weekend.

“As a veteran myself, we selected Memorial Day weekend to do something special with Zane and FRM to honor those who served and are currently serving in the military protecting our great nation,” said RTA Chairman Donald Workman.

“Memorial Day weekend is always really special to me,” Smith stated. “Partnering with RTA to promote the ‘Got Freedom?, Thank a Soldier!’ message is appropriate and the right thing to do. To be able to show my appreciation to all our service members is very humbling.”

Smith is also excited to hit the track at Charlotte Motor Speedway- a track he feels the team is well prepared for.

“Charlotte has always been fun,” said Smith. “You really have to get into a rhythm there and it suits my driving style very well. We have been fast at the mile-and-a-half racetracks this season and we want to have another great run for RTA.”

Smith’s RTA’s gigFAST INTERNET No. 38 takes the green flag on Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and gigFAST™ TV Channel 83.

About Rural Telecommunications of America, Inc.

RTA’s nationwide gigFAST NETWORK™ provides affordable gigFAST INTERNET, VOICE, and TV to rural America. Having access to quality internet enhances how people live, work and play every day in our rural communities. RTA is hiring veterans and offers everyday discounts to veterans, first responders and teachers. Visit RTA at www.rtatel.com.

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.

Acclaimed Actor Miles Teller To Serve as Indianapolis 500 Honorary Starter

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Official Release
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INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, May 24, 2022) – Miles Teller, star of blockbuster action movies and character-driven independent films, will serve as honorary starter for the 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, waving the green flag Sunday, May 29 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Teller stars as Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, son of the beloved “Goose,” in Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick” with Tom Cruise, the sequel to “Top Gun.” The film will be released nationwide May 27. He also can be seen in the making of “The Godfather” series, “The Offer,” for Paramount+.

“Miles is no stranger to action-packed roles, and waving the green flag for the 33 drivers racing for history will provide him with a similar adrenaline-fueled experience,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “We’re happy to welcome him to ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ for a day he’ll never forget.”

This summer, Teller will also appear in the science-fiction thriller “Spiderhead,” an adaptation of a George Saunders short story that first was published in The New Yorker and was later included in the author’s book “Tenth of December.”

In 2014, Teller starred opposite JK Simmons in the Sony Pictures Classics critically acclaimed and Oscar-nominated drama, “Whiplash.” The hit film received the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at Sundance and the Deauville Film Festival, and landed Teller a Best Actor nomination at the 2014 Gotham Awards.

Teller began reaching critical success after starring in the James Ponsoldt film, “The Spectacular Now,” for which he won the Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. He made his feature film debut in 2010 in “Rabbit Hole,” after being picked for the role by co-star Nicole Kidman.

Live coverage of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge starts at 11 a.m. (ET) Sunday, May 29 on NBC, Telemundo Deportes on Universo and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Visit ims.com to purchase tickets for the 106th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and for more information on the complete Month of May schedule at IMS.

COREY LAJOIE, SPIRE MOTORSPORTS PARTNER WITH USO, COCA-COLA FOR MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND 600-MILER AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

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Official Release
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U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Rylee McCollum honored as part of NASCAR’s 600 Miles of Remembrance Program

CONCORD, N.C. (May 24, 2022) – Spire Motorsports and Corey LaJoie will partner with the USO and The Coca-Cola Company for the 63rd running of the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway as NASCAR, its drivers and teams, pay tribute to the men and women who sacrificed their lives while serving in the United States Military.

The USO strengthens America’s military service members by keeping them connected to family, home, and country, throughout their service to the nation.

“This Memorial Day weekend, we’re proud to partner with The Coca-Cola Company, as well as Corey LaJoie and Spire Motorsports, to honor our military service members and pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives protecting our freedoms,” said Brian Cowart, Chief Development and Marketing Officer of the USO, the nation’s leading military nonprofit organization. “Together, we’re driving support and building connections between the public and the military community to keep our heroes in uniform strong and resilient.”

“Coca-Cola is incredibly proud of our 81-year partnership with the USO and our shared values of honoring our military service men and women,” said Alba Baylin, Vice President of Community and Stakeholder Relations for Coca-Cola North America. “The Coca-Cola 600 which is held on Memorial Day weekend, is a special time to bring racing fans together to recognize and honor our nation’s Armed Forces while bringing awareness to the USO’s mission of supporting those who have sacrificed and served our country.”

Meanwhile, LaJoie will pay tribute to Lance Corporal Rylee McCollum, a United States Marine, who was killed in action on August 26, 2021 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Lance Cpl. McCollum was manning a checkpoint at the Kabul airport when a bomb went off, killing him, 12 other American troops, and more than 100 Afghans.

McCollum’s name will be displayed on the windshield of LaJoie’s USO Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 throughout the weekend as part of NASCAR’s 600 Miles of Remembrance program.

“Representing the USO on Memorial Day weekend is a dream come true,” said LaJoie. “The Coca-Cola 600 is one of my favorite races on the schedule, as well as my home race. The opportunity to partner with the USO and Coca-Cola allows us to really show the service members and their families a great time at the track while remembering the brave men and women who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.”

LaJoie has logged eight previous NCS starts at the legendary 1.5-mile Concord, N.C. oval and earned a venue/race-best 12th-place finish in the 2019 running of NASCAR’s longest race.

“Spire Motorsports is proud to partner with the USO and Coca-Cola for this initiative to honor and support the servicemen and servicewomen of the United States,” said Spire Motorsports co-owner T.J. Puchyr. “At the same time, we’re humbled to have Corey LaJoie carry Lance Corporal McCollum’s name on the windshield of the No. 7. We can’t ever let the bravery of those who make the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of the United States to be forgotten. NASCAR does a tremendous job every Memorial Day weekend of making sure we recognize those who deserve the highest of honors. Spire is privileged to play a small part.”

The Coca-Cola 600 from Charlotte Motor Speedway will be televised live on FOX Sunday, May 29 beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The 14th of 36 races on the 2022 NCS schedule will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

About the USO …
The USO strengthens America’s military service members by keeping them connected to family, home, and country, throughout their service to the nation. At hundreds of locations worldwide, we are united in our commitment to connect our service members and their families through countless acts of caring, comfort, and support. The USO is a private nonprofit organization, not a government agency. Our programs, services, and entertainment tours are made possible by the American people, the support of our corporate partners, and the dedication of our volunteers and staff. To join us in this important mission and learn more about the USO, please visit USO.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About The Coca-Cola Company …
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Our company’s purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference. We sell multiple billion-dollar brands across several beverage categories worldwide. Our portfolio of sparkling soft drink brands includes Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta. Our hydration, sports, coffee and tea brands include Dasani, smartwater, vitaminwater, Topo Chico, BODYARMOR, Powerade, Costa, Georgia, Gold Peak, Honest and Ayataka. Our nutrition, juice, dairy and plant-based beverage brands include Minute Maid, Simply, innocent, Del Valle, fairlife and AdeS. We’re constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We seek to positively impact people’s lives, communities and the planet through water replenishment, packaging recycling, sustainable sourcing practices and carbon emissions reductions across our value chain. Together with our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide. Learn more at www.coca-colacompany.com and follow us
on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports was established in 2018 and is co-owned by Jeff Dickerson and Thaddeus “T.J.” Puchyr. In 2022, Spire Motorsports will field two full-time NASCAR Cup Series entries. Corey LaJoie will drive the team’s No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in NASCAR’s premier series for the entire 2022 campaign while Josh Bilicki and Landon Cassill will split time in the team’s No. 77 entry. The team also fields a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team in select events.

Spire Motorsports earned an upset victory for the ages in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 7, 2019.

John Hunter Nemechek – No. 4 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety Tundra Camping World Trucks Charlotte Preview

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Official Release
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John Hunter Nemechek: Driver, No. 4 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety Toyota

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Defending North Carolina Education Lottery 200 winner John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 4 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety team roll into Charlotte Motor Speedway with momentum on their side after posting yet another top-10 finish at Texas last weekend. With a sixth-place finish at Texas, Nemechek has now finished sixth or better in six straight races, tying his longest streak of top-10 finishes since 2018. The second-generation driver moved into the top spot in the Camping World Truck Series championship standings after Texas and currently claims a four-point lead ahead of reigning champion Ben Rhodes.

Nemechek has made just five starts in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competition at Charlotte. In 2021, Nemechek led a race high 79 laps in route to his third win of the season. Through his first five starts, he has tallied one win, 92 laps led, one top-five and three top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 10.0. The second-generation driver led a race-high 71 laps en route to victory in last year’s event picking up his third victory of 2021. In two NASCAR Cup Series starts at Charlotte, Nemechek has an average finish of 14.5 and earned a best finish of 13th in the second race there in 2020. In his lone Xfinity Series start at Charlotte, he finished 12th in 2019.

Pye-Barker Fire & Safety, an industry leader in commercial fire protection since 1946, will serve as the primary sponsor for Nemechek at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Pye-Barker, who acquired Nemechek’s long-term partner Fire Alarm Services in 2021, will also serve as the primary sponsor of the No. 4 Tundra TRD Pro at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (9/15) and the season finale at Phoenix Raceway (11/4).

The 24-year-old driver continues his strong run in 2022, leading all Camping World Truck Series regulars in poles (four), average starting position (5.8), average running position (6.765) and driver rating (105.9). Nemechek is also second in laps led (171) and has led at least one lap in seven out of the nine events this season.

Nemechek is a 12-time winner in Camping World Truck Series action, winning at least one race each season from 2015 to 2018 for his family-owned team, NEMCO Motorsports, and returning to victory lane in 2021 and 2022 with KBM. Across 133 career starts in NASCAR’s third division, he has compiled six poles, 1,352 laps led, 44 top-five and 72 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.4.

Eric Phillips returned to lead the No. 4 team in 2022. His 42 career Truck Series victories make him the winningest crew chief in Truck Series history, with 33 of those coming while at KBM including five last year. Phillips led the No. 18 team at KBM in its debut season in 2010 and helped build the organization into one of the premier teams in all of NASCAR before departing at the end of the 2014 season. Under his guidance, the No. 18 team won eight races in its inaugural campaign and became the first team in Truck Series history to capture an owner’s championship in its first season of competition. In 2014, the Illinois native led the No. 51 team to an owner’s championship and his team’s 10 wins spearheaded KBM to a single-season Truck Series record of 14 wins. Phillips has called the shots for 10 starts at Charlotte in Camping World Truck Series action. In those 10 starts, his drivers have tallied two poles, four wins (Kyle Busch – ’10, ’11, & ’14 and John Hunter Nemechek – 2021), 304 laps led, five top-five and nine top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 6.8.

John Hunter Nemechek, Driver Q&A:
John Hunter Nemechek | Charlotte Motor Speedway Preview
Talk about the effort it’s taken to rebound from the start of the season to now being in the points lead.
“It’s kind of crazy that we’re the points leader now. I feel like with the season that we’ve had with not so strong of runs at the beginning of the season and now we’re into our sixth consecutive top-six finish and we’ve got a win underneath our belt, so we’re gaining momentum. We’ve still got to get better for the rest of the year but we’re getting up there. So, to become the points leader it’s nice to see the front side again and hopefully we can continue this on and gain some more valuable points, some more wins and the regular season championship for the second year in a row. Playoff points are huge and being the points leader at the end of the regular season is huge for the points you gain for the playoffs.”

How does Charlotte compare to the other mile-and-a-half tracks you’ve been to in recent weeks?
“I really enjoy Charlotte. It’s a little bite different than Texas and different than Kansas as well. They’re three different unique mile-and-a-half racetracks. Charlotte is worn out and pretty bumpy, you can run multiple grooves, you can run up against the fence and you can run the bottom kind of like you can for Kansas. Texas is a little bit of a different animal in its own. I don’t know if they’re going to be using the PJ1 again this week or not but that has played a factor in the past at Charlotte, so we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Is Charlotte one of the bigger races of the year?
“I think the Charlotte race is always a big one, with Memorial Day weekend and racing for the veterans who have served and those that have passed serving our country. As well as everyone from KBM, family, friends, it’s a home racetrack for us, this is where we live so it’s a pretty big deal to have everybody there and perform well.”

John Hunter Nemechek Career Highlights:

  • Twelve-time winner in Camping World Truck Series action, winning at least one race each season from 2015 to 2018 for his family-owned team, NEMCO Motorsports. Across 133 career starts in NASCAR’s third division, has compiled six poles, 1,352 laps led, 44 top-five and 72 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.4. Registered a career-high and series-leading five victories in 2021 and earned the NCWTS Regular Season championship and third in the final standings after qualifying for the Championship Four for the first time in his career.
  • Produced three top-10 finishes and an average result of 22.4 while competing for rookie of the year honors in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2020. He recorded a career-best eighth-place finish twice, both coming at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
  • Across 61 career XFINITY Series starts, has totaled two wins, one pole, 510 laps led, 17 top-five and 36 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 11.8.

John Hunter Nemechek’s No. 4 Pye-Barker Tundra TRD Pro:
KBM-73: The No. 4 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety team will unload KBM-73 for the first time this Friday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In his 2021 victory at Charlotte, Nemechek piloted KBM-58 and led a race-high 71 laps.

KBM Notes of Interest:

  • KBM drivers have collected seven wins, three poles, 744 laps led, 14 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 9.0 across 33 starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
  • John Hunter Nemechek picked up the organization’s most recent win at Charlotte in 2021. Owner-driver Kyle Busch has earned the other six victories for KBM coming in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2019.
  • KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (93) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 19, Corey Heim became the 18th different driver to win a Truck Series event for KBM. In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
  • The No. 4 has 17 career victories at KBM and was the number for both of the organization’s driver championships.
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