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Wright Motorsports Headed for GT World Challenge Championship Weekend in New Orleans

BATAVIA, Ohio, (May 17, 2022) – One month has passed since the Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS 2022 season began at Sonoma Raceway. The Wright Motorsports Porsche customer racing effort is all too eager to resume the season this weekend in New Orleans at NOLA Motorsport Park. After sweeping the season-opening doubleheader, drivers Charlie Luck and Jan Heylen are looking to continue their winning streak in Louisiana for rounds three and four of the sports car racing championship.

“We’re looking forward to racing this weekend at NOLA,” said Team Owner John Wright. “This circuit was a recent replacement for Ozarks International Raceway, and we’re eager to see what it has in store. This track is new for most of the competitors, so this levels the playing field in some ways. Our team is ready to race and extend our championship lead.”

The father and son-in-law duo of Luck and Heylen started the season off at Sonoma Raceway last month with back-to-back wins in the GT World Challenge America Pro/Am class. The No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 R leads the championship standings in both the team and driver categories, bringing strong momentum to the team’s first time competing at NOLA Motorsports Park.

This event marks SRO America’s debut at the New Orleans circuit since the track opened in 2011, and 20 GT racing entries are set to compete on the 2.75-mile, 16-turn flat road course.

Based on current predictions, the weather will play an important role as temperatures are expected to reach the low 90s Fahrenheit leading up to the back-to-back race days on Saturday and Sunday. The final two days of the weekend will still be warm in the 80s, with a 40 to 50 percent chance of rain.

The No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 R will take the green flag for race one at 1:15 PM CT on both Saturday, May 21, and Sunday, May 22. The races will air live for free on YouTube.com/GTWorld.

DRIVER QUOTES

Charlie Luck // No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 R
I’m really excited about going to a new track and it looks like it’s mighty flat and will require a good handling race car. I’m certainly mighty proud of our performance at Sonoma and we’ll be ready to give a one-hundred-percent effort in Louisiana.

Jan Heylen // No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 R
We’re coming into the weekend leading the championship. It’s a new track, so this will be a big learning curve for all of us, both drivers and teams. We’re not sure what the surface is like, whether it has high or low grip. There is lots to learn for all of us, which is exciting, and I think it puts Charlie in a good spot because he’s a fast learner. Hopefully, that’s something that will show when we get there, and we can carry that into the weekend. For us, it’s all about collecting points. We’re going to try to win as many races as we can. We always want to do that, but our big picture is the championship. We’re going to try to keep our nose clean and come away with a bunch of points.

SCHEDULE // ALL TIMES U.S. Eastern
Thursday, May 19
9:51 AM – 10:15 AM Test 1
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM Test 2

Friday, May 20
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM Bronze Test
10:40 AM – 11:40 AM Practice 1
3:35 PM – 4:35 PM Practice 2

Saturday, May 21
8:35 AM – 8:50 AM Qualify Driver 1
8:55 AM – 9:10 AM Qualify Driver 2
1:15 PM – 2:45 PM GTWCA Race 1

Sunday, May 22
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM Autograph Session at Event Center
1:15 PM – 2:45 PM GTWCA Race 2

Wright Motorsports
Wright Motorsports is the premier Porsche race engineering facility in Ohio and a multi-series and international racing team known for superb car preparation, expert race strategy, and driver development. Located in Batavia, Ohio, it is owned and directed by John Wright, a certified Porsche factory-trained technician. As a crew chief John Wright has played a key role in winning eight driver and seven team championships in World Challenge, IMSA (ALMS) and the Grand-Am Rolex Series. Wright Motorsports won the team championship in Porsche GT3 Cup USA in 2012, 2013, and 2015, and went on to win the Pirelli World Challenge Overall, Sprint, Team, and Manufacturer’s titles in 2017. In 2020, the team captured the GT World Challenge America Am championship. In 2021, Wright Motorsports had a wildly successful season, capturing nine championships across their five racing efforts.

Magical Vacation Planner Racing: Chase Briscoe NASCAR All-Star Race Advance

CHASE BRISCOE
All-Star Advance
No. 14 Magical Vacation Planner Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: NASCAR All-Star Race (non-points race)
● Time/Date: 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 22
● Location: Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth
● Layout: 1.5-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 125 laps/187.5 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 25 laps / Stage 2: 25 laps / Stage 3: 25 laps / Final Stage: 50 laps
● TV/Radio: FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● When the NASCAR Cup Series arrives at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth for Sunday night’s non-points All-Star Race, Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), will feel right at home. Briscoe will be joined by Magical Vacation Planner (MVP), a powerhouse vacation planning agency founded in his hometown of Mitchell, Indiana, for the first of four races this season.

● Briscoe earned his berth in the $1 million-to-win All-Star Race by virtue of his win March 13 at Phoenix Raceway. The win also earned the 27-year-old driver a spot in the 16-driver playoff field. While Briscoe hopes to add a few more victories and further secure his playoff standing, he can be sure of one thing – that he’ll have hometown backing with MVP sponsoring four races during the playoff run – No. 14 on Sept. 11 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas Speedway, Sept. 17 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Oct. 2 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, and Oct. 23 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

● MVP was founded by Jamie Ane Eubanks alongside her husband JJ, a former professional basketball player, as a storefront travel agency in 2006. Today, it is a company that provides one of the best vacation planning services in the industry. It operates through three branches: MVP Parks, MVP Cruising and MVP Getaways. The company provides its exclusive and personalized, stress-free planning service at no additional expense to its clients, making the extensive array of Disney options and add-ons easy to understand and navigate. MVP actively seeks savings for its clients, monitoring early-morning releases of discounted room or vacation packages while also scouring existing reservations for price drops to where they can modify an existing reservation at the newfound lower price. MVP will also plan a family’s itinerary, expertly navigating Disney’s Genie + and Lighting Lane systems to maximize resort and park times by avoiding long lines while also securing those premium Disney dining experiences that include coveted character meetings.

● During last year’s All-Star Race weekend, Briscoe finished 10th in the first two stages and fourth in the final 10-lap stage of the undercard event, the All-Star Open.

● This year’s All-Star Race at Texas will be 125 laps, broken into four stages with the starting lineup being determined by a four-round qualifying format featuring head-to-head elimination rounds that highlight the speed and efficiency of each team’s pit crew. Here’s how qualifying will work:

● Opening round is the traditional single-car, one-lap format in reverse order of the current 2022 owner points.

● Fastest eight qualifiers transfer to a three-round, head-to-head elimination bracket.

● Elimination bracket will feature two cars staged in adjacent pit stalls near the end of pit road.

● At the sound of an alert, each pit crew will perform a four-tire stop and, at the drop of the jack, drivers will exit their respective pit stalls and return to the track with no pit road speed limit.

● First car back to the start-finish line advances to the next round.

● Final pairing competes for the pole.

● Once the starting field is set, the 38th edition of the All-Star Race will consist of four stages, with the first three stages 25 laps in length and the fourth and final stage being a 50-lap shootout for the $1 million prize.

● Stage 1 (25 laps): Stage 1 winner will start on the pole in the final stage as long as he finishes 15th or better in Stages 2 and 3.

● Stage 2 (25 laps): Stage 2 winner starts second in final stage as long as he finishes 15th or better in Stage 3.

● Special Stage Break (Pit Stop Competition): Each team must pit and perform a four-tire stop.The team with the shortest time on pit road (pit in to pit out) wins the pit crew award, and the driver will start fourth in the final stage as long as he finishes 15th or better in Stage 3.

● Stage 3 (25 laps): Stage 3 winner starts third in final stage.

● Stage 4 (50 laps): Stage 1 winner starts first, Stage 2 winner starts second, Stage 3 winner starts third, and pit stop competition winner starts fourth.If a caution for an on-track incident or debris happens between laps 15 and 25 of the final stage, standard race procedures will be in effect. If there is no caution during that time, NASCAR will call a competition caution. Winner of the Stage 4 earns $1 million.

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Magical Vacation Planner Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

You’re in your second year of Cup Series competition and started this season with a new sponsor, but now you’ve got a hometown company coming on board for five races. How does it feel to have that kind of support?

“It’s pretty incredible. Jamie and JJ are great people and they’ve built an awesome company that makes planning vacations as easy as possible. We’ve used them a few times to plan trips and it’ll be cool to have them out there with us and to give them a cool experience at the track. Hopefully, we can give them a good run, but I might have to get JJ to give me some tips before the race. I used to do his basketball camps back home when I was a kid, and he was a great coach, so maybe he can give the team a pep talk before we get going.”

Is there any relief to not have to race your way into the All-Star Race through the Open this year?

“A little. Mostly, I just don’t have to worry about racing my way in while keeping the car in one piece for a second race. But it’s cool to get to know I’m already locked in. The All-Star Race is one of those races you want to have a chance to compete in when you get to the Cup Series but, if you don’t go into it knowing you’ve already got your spot, you know it’s going to be a pretty big task to earn your spot. Everyone wants to be part of it.”

The format is so different than what we typically experience on a normal race weekend. Do you do anything different to prepare for it?

“Not really. The stages are shorter, so the team will want to make sure we’ve got a good short-run car but, really, you race the same way. Points or not, you want to win. That’s why we do this, so it’s the same mentality we’ve got every race. You want to be the best and win, and if we can find something that works for us, we might be able to take that somewhere else and capitalize on it for another win.”

No. 14 Magical Vacation Planner 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

WISE-EV and McDowell Ready to Bring a Spark to Texas

No. 34 Team Looks to Improve on 12th Place All-Star Finish from 2021

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 17, 2022) – Michael McDowell and WISE-EV are starting their partnership with a spark at this weekend’s All-Star race in Texas. Following a 12th place run in the All-Star race last season, McDowell and the No. 34 WISE-EV team are looking to cash in big in Texas amid the electric All-Star atmosphere.

“Last year in the All-Star race, we had a strong run in our first go at the event, said McDowell We finished 12th, and really learned how the car was going to handle. That helped us develop our program going through the end of last season. This year with the new car, it is going to be different, but the same in some way.

“We have learned a lot with the new car in the last few weeks. We have made great progress to our intermediate program, but after Kansas we know we need more. The teams who hit on the setup early are capable of running in the top-10 all race. When we have play our cards right, we have proven to run up there with the best of them. The team is working hard now to get us a great car for Sunday night. We want to get a great result with WISE-EV on our car for the first time.”

McDowell and his WISE-EV Ford Mustang team will take to the Texas Motor Speedway this Saturday for practice and qualifying, followed by the All-Star race on Sunday at 8:00 p.m. ET on FS1.

ABOUT WISE-EV

WISE Power is changing the way the world uses energy through innovative storage and fast EV charging technology. The Las Vegas-based company provides solutions for home, business, industry and utility-scale applications with forward-thinking system design and comprehensive support infrastructure. For more information visit getwisepower.com and wise-ev.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.

DGR NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Advance: Texas Motor Speedway

Friday, May 20
Track: Texas Motor Speedway, 1.5-mile oval
Race: 9 of 23
Event: SpeedyCash.com 220 (147 laps, 220 miles)

Schedule
Friday, May 20
Practice: 4:00 p.m. ET
Qualifying: 4:30 p.m. ET
Race: 8:30 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 1)

Hailie Deegan, No. 1 Ford Performance F-150

  • Hailie Deegan will strap in for her second career appearance at Texas Motor Speedway for Friday’s SpeedyCash.com 220.
  • Deegan will look to build off the momentum of last week’s effort at Kansas Speedway, as the No. 1 team tied their season-high with a 17th-place finish.
  • In her lone visit to Texas Motor Speedway, the 20-year-old qualified 12th and had a likely top-10 finish slip away following a late tire puncture.
  • Statistically, Texas is Crew Chief Mike Hillman Jr.’s most successful track, having won six times, netting 12 top-fives, 14 top-tens, and two poles in 28 Truck Series appearances.

Tanner Gray, No. 15 Ford Performance F-150

  • Tanner Gray will make his ninth NCWTS start of the 2022 season and third career start at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday night.
  • In his three appearances at the 1.5-mile oval, Gray has two consecutive top-10s and led seven laps in last year’s ninth-place effort.
  • Following last week’s 18th-place finish, the 23-year-old driver maintained the 11th spot in the series standings and is 20 points behind Matt Crafton for the final playoff spot.
  • Across the top three national series, Jerry Baxter has 29 races to his credit with 15 of those coming in the Truck Series. In those 15 races, drivers guided by Baxter have accrued two top-fives and eight top-10s with Daniel Suarez finishing second twice in 2015.

Ryan Preece, No. 17 Morton Buildings Ford F-150

  • Ryan Preece’s fourth NCWTS start of the season will come with Morton Buildings adorning the No. 17 F-150.
  • In his last start, Preece qualified 13th and finished seventh at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway two weeks ago.
  • In five career Truck Series starts, the veteran NASCAR driver has yet to finish outside the top-10 and currently holds a 5.6 average finish.
  • Between the Cup Series and Xfinity Series, Preece has 10 career starts at Texas with a best finish of fifth in 2018 while driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Corey Heim – No. 51 JBL Tundra TRD Pro Camping World Trucks Texas Preview

Corey Heim: Driver, No. 51 JBL® Toyota

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event: SpeedyCash.com 220, Race 9 of 23, 147 Laps –35/35/77; 220.5 Miles
Location: Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth (1.5-mile quad-oval)
Date/Broadcast: May 20, 2022, at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

The Story on Corey:
Corey Heim returns to the No. 51 JBL Tundra TRD Pro for this week’s SpeedyCash.com 220 at Texas Motor Speedway. Friday’s 147-lap event will be the 19-year-old driver’s fifth Truck Series start of 2022 and the eighth of his career. Despite having just seven starts under his belt, the talented teenager already collected his first series win earlier this year at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway. Overall, in seven starts, he has tallied 42 laps led and an average finish of 20.1. Last week at Kansas, Heim led 23 laps and collected his first career Stage Win but was relegated to a 33rd-place finish after making contact with the wall and experiencing subsequent tire issues.

Despite not being slated for a full-time schedule this year, Heim is competing for the 2022 Truck Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year award. Having only competed in four of the eight events this season, he sits fourth in the standings, 30 points behind Lawless Alan. Heim will look to join three other KBM drivers that have won the award, reigning winner Chandler Smith, William Byron (2016) and Erik Jones (2015).

Heim made three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts for KBM in 2021, with a best result of 11th coming at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Heim had an impressive Truck Series debut at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway last May, where he led two laps, finished Stage Two in the runner-up position and was running second when he got turned from behind on a restart with just under 30 laps remaining. The incident forced him to the garage and ended his night with a disappointing 23rd-place finish.

In addition to his part-time Truck Series schedule Heim is competing in a six-race schedule for Venturini Motorsports in the ARCA Menards Series. Heim led 74 of 90 laps en route to the victory at Daytona in February to pick up his eighth career ARCA Menards Series victory. Most recently, Heim led 56 of the first 57 laps last Saturday at Kansas before getting taken out in an accident on a restart and being relegated to a 16th-place finish. Across 39 career ARCA Menards Series starts he has produced 644 laps led, 28 top-five and 37 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 4.4. Heim finished second to Ty Gibbs in the 2021 ARCA Menards Series championship standings.

Mardy Lindley returns to KBM for his second season atop the pit box of the No. 51 team. In addition to this year’s with Heim, the No. 51 team produced three victories in Lindley’s first season as a crew chief at KBM, two with owner-driver Kyle Busch and one with Martin Truex Jr. Before arriving at KBM, Lindley guided his drivers to 32 wins and four ARCA Menards Series East championships since 2013, including back-to-back titles with Sam Mayer the last two seasons. Additionally, he earned the ARCA Menards Series Sioux Chief Showdown championship with Mayer in 2020. Behind the wheel, the second-generation driver won 11 races on the Pro Cup Series from 2000 to 2006 and was crowned the series champion in 2001. In his lone Truck Series race at Texas, he finished 33rd with Drew Dollar last June.

JBL, the authority in engineering superior sound, returns to KBM for an eighth season and will be the primary sponsor on Heim’s Toyota for 10 races this season including Friday’s race at Texas. Crescent Tools, a premier hand tool brand from Apex Tool Group, will serve as a primary sponsor for four of Heim’s races, beginning July 29 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis (Ind.) Raceway Park.

Corey Heim, Driver Q&A:

This will be your first time racing at Texas in any series, how do you prepare for a new track?
“It’s definitely tough, I’ve had to prepare for a new track several times last year and have been to some new tracks again this year. Texas is definitely pretty unique — it got repaved I believe four or five years ago — and it’s definitely a little bit different than your average mile-and-a-half racetrack. KBM has had a lot of success there in the past, so I’m confident they are going to bring me a really good JBL Tundra TRD Pro there.”

Will you lean on your teammates that have raced at Texas before to help speed up your learning curve?
“For sure, John Hunter had a ton off success there last year – he won the truck race I believe and the Xfinity Series race, so I’ll be able to lean on him. Chandler (Smith) has been there a couple times as well and has had a lot of speed and Kyle (Busch) has had a lot of success there in the past. Being a part of this organization at KBM and being able to lean on so many people that have had success at certain race tracks, especially Texas coming this weekend is definitely key.”

Despite not having the result to show for it, can you take some positives out of the speed you showed at Kansas last week?
“For sure, we had so much speed in the first two stages. I felt like we were the best truck in the first two stages on the long run. So, setting up for that last stage of somewhere near 100 laps, I thought it was going to stay green and we were going to have a really good truck on the long run and hopefully take back the lead, but we didn’t have things go our way. This year has been a really up-and-down year as far as how we have been finishing races. Unfortunately, it’s been more on the downside for sure, but this weekend at Texas we are going to have a really fast truck and I’m looking forward to it.”

Corey Heim Career Highlights:

  • Picked up first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway March 19, 2022 in just his fifth start. Across six career starts has one win, 24 laps led, one top-five and one top-10 finish resulting in an average finish of 17.8.
  • Made three Truck Series starts in 2021 with a best result of 11th coming at Martinsville Speedway in October.
  • Finished runner-up in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings in 2021 after collecting six wins, three poles, 406 laps led, 16 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 3.1 across 20 starts.
  • Across 38 career ARCA Menards Series starts has eight wins, 588 laps led, 28 top-five and 37 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 4.1. Picked up his first career ARCA Menards Series victory at Kansas Speedway Oct. 16, 2020.
  • Corey Heim’s No. 51 JBL Tundra TRD Pro:
  • KBM-66: The No. 51 JBL team will unload KBM-66 for Saturday’s 147-lap event at Texas. It is the same Tundra TRD Pro that Heim picked up his first career Truck Series victory earlier this year at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway. KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch also picked up a victory with this Toyota at Atlanta in March of 2021.

Click here to see KBM-66 Performance Profile

KBM Notes of Interest:

  • KBM drivers have collected nine wins, three poles, 1050 laps led, 20 top-five and 35 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 11.0 across 56 starts in the Lone Star State.
  • Owner-driver Kyle Busch’s has four Texas wins for his organization (2010, 2014, 2019 & 2020). John Hunter Nemechek (2021), Greg Biffle (2020), Christopher Bell (2017), William Byron (2016) and Erik Jones (2015) all have one victory for KBM at Texas.
  • 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).
  • With 38 victories, the No. 51 is the winningest number in KBM’s Truck Series fleet.

Chris Buescher – All-Star Advance

Team: No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Twitter: @RFK17Team, @RFKRacing and @Chris_Buescher
Race Format: Explained Below
NASCAR All-Star Open – Sunday, May 22 at 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Weekend Format

· Buescher is one of 16 drivers who will compete in the All-Star Open on Sunday. Prior to that race, single-lap qualifying will take place Saturday in reverse order of 2022 owner points. The Open race format will break down into three stages – 20 laps, 20 laps, 10 laps. The winner of each stage will advance to the All-Star Race, along with the winner of the Fan Vote.

· For the 125-lap main event, there will be four stages — three 25-lap stages and one 50-lap stage. The winner of stage 1 will start on pole in the final stage as long as they finish 15th or better in stage 2 and stage 3. The winner of stage 2 will start second in the final stage as long as they finish 15th or better in stage 3. The winner of stage 3 will start third in the final stage.

· There will be a special stage break at the conclusion of stage 2 where all teams must pit and perform a four-tire stop. The driver and team with the shortest time on pit road (pit in to pit out) will win the pit-crew award and start fourth in the final stage as long as they finish 15th or better in stage 3.

· Another added feature will be unique to the final stage. If a natural caution does not occur between lap 15 and lap 25, NASCAR officials will throw an “All-Star” competition caution.

Buescher in the All-Star

· Buescher will be in his sixth All-Star preliminary race on Sunday. He made one All-Star Race start (2017).

· Overall at Texas Motor Speedway, Buescher has a best finish of 15th (2018).

Scott Graves in the All-Star

· Graves has three All-Star Race starts all-time – all of which came with Ryan Newman in the No. 6.

· Overall at Texas, Graves has a best finish of 11th (2019 – Newman).

QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on the All-Star Race:
“Our goal is to obviously put our Fastenal Mustang into the All-Star race by winning a stage or the Open race itself. We were close last year, and despite our poor result in Kansas, we were strong in terms of speed. For me, it’s always great to get back home and I can’t wait to see family and friends ahead of what should be a fun Sunday in Fort Worth.”

Last Time Out
Buescher finished 27th at Kansas after overheating issues put him on pit road under green-flag conditions, ultimately losing multiple laps to the leaders.

On the Car

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

Fastenal will feature top suppliers Klever, ARC and Brady on Buescher’s Mustang as he competes this weekend. For more information on these suppliers, visit Fastenal.com, and stay up-do-date on social @FastenalCompany.

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

Brad Keselowski – All-Star Advance

Team: No. 6 Kohler Generators Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Twitter: @RFK6Team, @RFKRacing and @keselowski
Race Format: Explained Below
NASCAR All-Star Race – Sunday, May 22 at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Weekend Format

· This year’s running of the All-Star Race will feature a new qualifying format for drivers already locked into the All-Star Race. Qualifying will consist of two rounds. The first round will see a single lap in reverse order of the current 2022 owner points. The top-eight qualifiers in the first round will transfer to a head-to-head elimination bracket.

· The eight-car elimination bracket will put a heavy emphasis on pit crews, allowing their talents to shine to better their drivers’ qualifying position. It will feature two cars staged in temporary side-by-side pit stalls near the end of pit road. At the sound of an alert, each pit crew will perform a four-tire stop, and at the drop of the jack, drivers will exit their pit stalls onto the track with no speed limit on pit road. The first car back to the start-finish line will advance to the next round.

· The final pairing will compete for the pole. Drivers eliminated in the Round of 8 will start in positions 5-8 based on their one-lap speeds from the first round of qualifying. Drivers eliminated in the Round of 4 will start in positions 3 and 4 based on their one-lap speeds.

Keselowski in the All-Star Race

· Keselowski makes his 14th start in the All-Star Race. He has three second-place finishes all time, first in 2012, then in 2016, and most recently last season (2021).

· Overall he’s finished top-10 eight different times in the annual exhibition event, four of which were inside the top five.

· Keselowski has 26 starts to his credit in the Cup Series at Texas Motor Speedway with a best finish of second (twice – 2012, 2015). He’s finished top-10 11 times, and last season finished fourth in the No. 2 machine.

Matt McCall in the All-Star Race

· McCall will call his eighth All-Star Race on Sunday with his third different driver. He and Jamie McMurray ran fifth together back in 2017 for his best finish to date, while last season he led Kurt Busch to a P10 finish.

· Overall at Texas McCall has eight top-10s in 13 starts.

QUOTE WORTHY
Keselowski on racing in the All-Star Race:
“The All-Star Race each year is one of the highlights of our sport, no matter where it is. Despite the format changes from year to year, it’s an action-packed short sprint for bragging rights and a boost in morale to be able to go out and beat the best of the best. We’ve been close there over the years, and can’t wait to see what we’ve got in the Kohler Generators Ford come Sunday.”

Last Time Out

Keselowski finished 14th last weekend at Kansas in the King’s Hawaiian Ford, his sixth top-15 of the season.

On the Car

Kohler Generators returns to the No. 6 car for its fourth primary race of the season. They will serve as the anchor partner for the No. 6 team in 2022 and be the primary in 14 races. Kohler initially joined the RFK family in 2021 as a partner in eight events with the No. 6 team.

About Kohler Co.
Founded in 1873 and headquartered in Kohler, Wisconsin, Kohler Co. is one of America’s oldest and largest privately held companies comprised of more than 40,000 associates. Kohler is a global leader in the manufacture of kitchen and bath products; engines and power systems; premier cabinetry, tile and lighting; and owner/operator of two of the world’s finest five-star hospitality and golf resort destinations in Kohler, Wisconsin, and St. Andrews, Scotland.

A global force in power solutions since 1920, Kohler manufactures engines and complete power systems, including generators (portable, marine, residential, commercial and industrial), automatic transfer switches, switchgear, monitoring controls, and accessories for emergency, prime power and energy-management applications all around the world. The business is committed to reliable, leading edge power-generation products, clean energy solutions, as well as comprehensive after-sale support. Visit KohlerGenerators.com, facebook.com/KOHLERPower, and on Twitter at @KOHLERPower.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Tripleheader Highlights Texas Race Weekend

FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: ALL-STAR RACE NOTES

The annual NASCAR All-Star race headlines this weekend’s activity as Texas Motor Speedway hosts the event for the second straight year. In addition, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series will be featured at the 1.5-mile facility with each competing separately on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

This Week’s Schedule:

Friday, May 20 – NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, 8:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Saturday, May 21 – NASCAR XFINITY Series, 1:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Sunday, May 22 – NASCAR Cup Series, All-Star Open, 5:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Sunday, May 22 – NASCAR Cup Series, All-Star Race, 8 p.m. ET (FS1)

FORD IN THE NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE

· Ford has won the All-Star Race 12 times.
· NASCAR Hall of Famers Davey Allison and Mark Martin each won it twice.
· Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick have All-Star wins with Ford.

FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT TEXAS

· Ford is second for the most series wins at Texas with 14.
· Mark Martin has the most series wins with Ford at Texas (3).
· Austin Cindric is the last Ford winner at the track (2020).

FORD IN THE NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES AT TEXAS

· Ford has three series wins at Texas.
· Ford won the first two series races at Texas with Kenny Irwin Jr. and Tony Raines.
· Greg Biffle won at Texas in his championship season of 2000.

FORD’S ALL-STAR LINEUP

There are eight Ford drivers guaranteed a place in the All-Star field with additional spots available through the preliminary Open qualifying race and fan vote. Currently, all three drivers from Team Penske — Joey Logano, Austin Cindric and Ryan Blaney — are in the race while Stewart-Haas will be represented by Kevin Harvick, Aric Almirola and Chase Briscoe. Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing has co-owner Brad Keselowski in the field while Michael McDowell of Front Row Motorsports makes his second straight appearance.

TWO FIRST-TIME FORD ALL-STARS

This will mark the first All-Star Race appearance for Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe after each of them posted their initial NASCAR Cup Series victory earlier this year. Cindric, of course, won the season-opening Daytona 500 while Briscoe took his checkered flag a few weeks later at Phoenix Raceway. Only three drivers have won the All-Star Race in their first appearance. Darrell Waltrip won the inaugural event in 1985 while Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2000) and Ryan Newman (2002) are the only rookies to ever take the checkered flag first.

ZANE SMITH OFF TO FAST TRUCK START

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has conducted eight races so far in 2022 and Ford F-150 driver Zane Smith is serving notice that he’s a championship contender. Smith won for the third time when he took the checkered flag last weekend at Kansas Speedway, doubling his career total heading into the season. Smith, the only multiple winner on the circuit this year, is the first Ford F-150 driver to win more than once in the same season since Grant Enfinger did it four times with ThorSport in 2020.

HERBST AND SIEG GATHERING VALUABLE XFINITY POINTS

There have been eight different winners in the first 11 NASCAR Xfinity Series races (seven full-time NXS drivers) and while Ford’s Riley Herbst and Ryan Sieg are still looking to join that group, they’ve consistently scored enough points to keep them firmly in the hunt for one of the 12 playoff berths. Herbst and Sieg go into this weekend’s race eighth and ninth, respectively in the standings, but they’re second and third among drivers who have not won a race in 2022.

FORD ALL-STAR RACE HIGHLIGHTS

ELLIOTT WINS ALL-STAR RACE IN FRONT OF HOMETOWN FANS

The first time Ford won the All-Star Race was in 1986 when Bill Elliott drove his Thunderbird to Victory Lane, but that race is remembered for another trivial fact as well. That marked the only time, prior to this year, that the event has been run at a track other than Charlotte Motor Speedway. Elliott’s home track of Atlanta Motor Speedway served as host on Mother’s Day that year, a date NASCAR traditionally does not race. With only 10 cars making up the field, Elliott darted to the lead from his outside front row starting position and never gave it up as he led all 83 laps en route to a popular victory with the fans.

WALTRIP-WOOD FIRST-TIME WINNERS

Michael Waltrip’s win in 1996 marked his first victory in NASCAR’s top division and was the first in the event for Wood Brothers Racing. Waltrip almost didn’t get into the big show because he had to battle it out in the preliminary Winston Open, where he grabbed the final transfer spot by holding off Johnny Benson to finish fifth. That meant he started last in the 20-car main event, which was called the Winston Select. After the first two 30-lap segments had been completed, Waltrip found himself fourth for the final 10-lap shootout. He passed Rusty Wallace for third after an aborted restart, and then was riding behind Dale Earnhardt and Terry Labonte, who were battling side-by-side. As the two entered turn one with eight laps to go, they made contact which slowed them down enough to allow Waltrip to dart to the inside and pass both of them for the lead. He held on the rest of the way to post his first win of any kind in NASCAR’s top division.

ONE HOT NIGHT

Davey Allison had won the 1991 version of the All-Star Race, but when he and the other competitors came back the following year it was a totally different experience. Why? The 1992 Winston at Charlotte Motor Speedway was the first NASCAR superspeedway race run under the lights. Billed as “One Hot Night” it lived up to that billing as the final 10-lap shootout featured a battle between Dale Earnhardt and Kyle Petty, who were racing for the win on the final lap. Earnhardt was in the lead coming down the backstretch, but as they entered turn three Petty appeared to tap the familiar No. 3, which sent Earnhardt sliding toward the outside wall. That enabled Allison to get to Petty’s rear bumper coming off turn four and then go to the inside as they entered the tri-oval. As the two hit the finish line, Petty and Allison made contact sending the No. 28 Texaco Havoline Ford into the outside wall. Allison ended up winning by half-a-car-length, but didn’t get to experience Victory Lane as he had to be cut out of the car and removed through the roof before being placed on a stretch and airlifted to an area hospital with a concussion and bruised lung.

EDWARDS WINS IN 2011

Carl Edwards took home the $1 million prize for winning the main event in 2011, capturing three of the four segments, while Roush Fenway teammate David Ragan won the preliminary Sprint Showdown. The race came down to a mandatory four-tire pit stop to begin the fourth and final 10-lap dash to the checkered flag. The 99 crew got Edwards out first and he was never threatened over the last 15 miles as he beat Kyle Busch to the finish line. It marked the third time in history Ford swept the Showdown and All-Star Race. The other two occasions came in 1996 with Jimmy Spencer (Showdown) and Michael Waltrip (All-Star), and 1998 with Jeremy Mayfield (Showdown) and Mark Martin (All-Star). The win was the fourth for car owner Jack Roush, who also won with Matt Kenseth (2004) and Mark Martin (1998 and 2005).

LOGANO AND KESELOWSKI FINISH 1-2

Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski made All-Star history as they became the first teammates to sweep the top two spots in the All-Star Race when they did it in 2016. Logano came out on top of a side-by-side battle with Kyle Larson in the final two laps, getting clear with just over one lap to go after Larson hit the outside wall coming off turn two. That enabled Keselowski to get the runner-up spot and successfully commemorate the 50th Anniversary of car owner Roger Penske’s career in motorsports. It marked Ford’s 11th All-Star Race win and first in five years since Edwards won in 2011.

HARVICK DOMINATES

Kevin Harvick used a push from Ford teammate Joey Logano down the stretch to win the 2018 All-Star Race, a race that featured a new aerodynamic package that utilized restrictor plates for the first time on a 1.5-mile track. In addition, a larger spoiler designed to keep the cars packed together and create passing through the night was used and resulted in 38 lead changes. Harvick was the dominant driver as he won Stage 1 and Stage 3 before leading all 10 laps of the final segment. Daniel Suarez finished second with Logano third.

FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES ALL-STAR RACE WINNERS

1986 – Bill Elliott

1991 – Davey Allison

1992 – Davey Allison

1994 – Geoffrey Bodine

1996 – Michael Waltrip

1998 – Mark Martin

2002 – Ryan Newman

2004 – Matt Kenseth

2005 – Mark Martin

2011 – Carl Edwards

2016 – Joey Logano

2018 – Kevin Harvick

FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES RACE WINNERS AT TEXAS

1997 – Mark Martin

1999 – Mark Martin

2000 – Mark Martin

2004 – Matt Kenseth

2007 – Matt Kenseth (1)

2010 – Carl Edwards (2)

2011 – Carl Edwards (1) and Trevor Bayne (2)

2012 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (1)

2013 – Brad Keselowski (2)

2015 – Brad Keselowski (2)

2018 – Ryan Blaney (1) and Cole Custer (2)

2020 – Austin Cindric (1)

FORD NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES RACE WINNERS AT TEXAS

1997 – Kenny Irwin

1998 – Tony Raines

2000 – Greg Biffle (1)

RENASCENT DEMOLITION PARTNERS WITH RYAN ELLIS IN MUSIC CITY

MOORESVILLE, N.C- (May 17th, 2022) – NASCAR Driver Ryan Ellis and Alpha Prime Racing are proud to announce today that Renascent will be the primary sponsor for Ellis and the No.44 Chevy Camaro for the June 25th NASCAR Xfinity Series race, the Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville Superspeedway. 

In their first NASCAR race, Renascent will be debuting a sharp white, red, and black scheme at the 1.33 mile, D-shaped oval. The race looks to be Ellis’ seventh of the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season with Alpha Prime Racing. Currently, Ellis has run four races with his new team with three top-20 finishes. Ellis’ only non-top-20 was a DNF that occurred at Talladega Superspeedway, where he was collected in a crash running within the top-15.

Renascent means: “Rebirth” and “Rising to New Life.” Renascent, the company, specializes in the demolition and repurposing of old structures and value creation for communities. With roots thirty years deep in the racing city of Indianapolis, Renascent has grown rapidly, with offices also in Nashville and Washington, D.C. They specialize in campuses, hospitals, stadiums/arenas, convention centers, airports, and public works projects, renewing and repurposing urban and rural land and buildings, large and small. Renascent offers essential expertise and safety in structural demolition, selective demolition, abatement services, and recycling, as well as consulting, planning, and budgeting support.

“2022 has already been a great year, the best year I’ve ever had on and off the track. We’ve had so many new partners join our team, and we’ve had some great results on track. I’m so thankful for Renascent taking a chance on us and the sport. I think it’s a perfect fit and hope we can bring them some new business so we can do it for years to come! We’ll do all we can to get the Renascent car up towards the front and bring the No.44 home in one piece,” said Ellis, driver of the No.44 Renascent Chevy. 

“Many of our clients and employees are big NASCAR fans, and we couldn’t be more excited to sponsor Ryan and watch him race with our big circle R on his hood,” said Joshua Campbell, Division President of Renascent. “The car will also be sporting our two other brands, CW and CW Recycling. We’re grateful for this amazing opportunity.”

“We feel very fortunate to welcome Renascent to Alpha Prime Racing. Nashville is a really exciting market for NASCAR fans, and we know that they’ll welcome Renascent with open arms. We’ve got a lot of positive momentum going right now in our program, and having Renascent join us this year, and hopefully for many more, means a lot to Ryan and our entire team,” said Tommy Joe Martins, GM of Alpha Prime Racing,

The Renascent No.44 Chevy Camaro will make its on-track debut Friday, June 24th, for a 50-minute practice session. Single-lap qualifying will take place Saturday morning, and race coverage of Saturday’s Tennessee Lottery 250 will begin at 3:30 pm ET on FS1. Stay tuned to Ryan’s and Renascent’s social media for giveaways and more information!

About Renascent:

Renascent is a national demolition services expert, intensely focused on safety in structural demolition, selective demolition, abatement services, and recycling, as well as consulting, planning, and budgeting support. Renascent is a certified 100% Women Business Enterprise. Find out more at https://RenascentDemo.com  ALSO: CW (https://CWexperts.com) is a central Indiana roll-off dumpster provider, and CW Recycling (https://CW-Recycling.com) is a central Indiana construction and demolition waste processor.

Girl Named Tom To Perform ‘America the Beautiful’ at Indianapolis 500

American Sibling Trio Won Season 21 of NBC’s ‘The Voice’

INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, May 17, 2022) – Girl Named Tom, an American sibling trio known for its distinctive harmonies and heartfelt performances, and winner of Season 21 of NBC’s “The Voice,” will perform “America the Beautiful” during pre-race ceremonies for the 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 29 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Girl Named Tom, consisting of siblings Caleb, Joshua and Bekah Liechty, rose to fame on Season 21 of “The Voice,” earning the distinction of being the first trio to win the American talent competition. Coached by Kelly Clarkson, who previously sang the national anthem three times at the Indianapolis 500, the trio earned her fourth victory as a coach.

While Girl Named Tom calls the small town of Pettisville, Ohio, its hometown, the three members have strong Indiana ties. The sibling trio moved to South Bend, Indiana, last year, and both Caleb and Joshua graduated from Goshen College before forming Girl Named Tom with their little sister, Bekah.

“Caleb, Joshua and Bekah captured the attention of America during their winning run on ‘The Voice,’ and their performance will be one of the highlights of pre-race ceremonies,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “We welcome them back home again to Indiana along with the huge crowd on Race Day and live national TV audience on NBC and eagerly look forward to their rendition of this beautiful tribute to our great nation.”

Originally intending to go to medical school, the siblings instead decided to form a band. The band name is inspired by Joshua and Caleb’s desire to have another brother, leading Joshua to call Bekah “Thomas” when she was a baby.

Girl Named Tom released its first single, “Barrier Island,” independently in November 2019 and its first EP, “Another World,” the following month. On New Year’s Day 2021, a second single, “Backup Plan,” was released. In February 2021, Girl Named Tom released its first album, “Hits from the Road,” an album of covers. In addition, a holiday single, “No Snow for Christmas,” was released the day after “The Voice” finale, under Republic Records.

Follow Girl Named Tom on Facebook @GirlNamedTom, on Instagram @GirlNamedTom and on YouTube at youtube.com/girlnamedtom. For more information, visit www.girlnamedtom.com.

NBC’s live coverage of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge starts at 11 a.m. (ET) Sunday, May 29.

Visit ims.com to purchase tickets for the 106th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 29 and for more information on the complete Month of May schedule at IMS.