Talladega Superspeedway
Sunday, April 24, 2022
2.66-Mile Tri-Oval
3:00 PM ET
Location: Talladega, Alabama
TV: Fox
Event: NASCAR Cup Series (10 of 36)
Radio: SiriusXM logo PRN logo

5 KYLE LARSON
Age: 29 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Resides: Mooresville, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 9th

No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

MOVING ON UP: Sunday night on the dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson won stage one and led 27 laps en route a fourth-place finish. The driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 moved up four positions in the point standings to ninth and now trails leader and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott by 75 markers.

TOP FIVE FOR NO. 5: The Bristol result marked the fourth top-five finish of the season for Larson. The Elk Grove, California, native is tied with Ryan Blaney and teammate William Byron for second in that statistical category, trailing only Ross Chastain who has five finishes this season in the top five. Along with that fourth-place finish, Larson has a victory at Auto Club Speedway, a runner-up finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and a fifth-place result at Richmond Raceway.

’BAMA BOUND: In 14 starts at Talladega Superspeedway, Larson has two top-10 finishes. He posted a ninth-place result in his first race at the Alabama track in 2014 while his best finish of sixth occurred in October 2016.

POLE PLANS: At the most recent superspeedway event, Larson grabbed the pole for the season-opening DAYTONA 500 in February. The pole position marked the ninth in the last 14 superspeedway races with qualifying for Hendrick Motorsports.

PLAYING IN DIRT: On Friday and Saturday, Larson is scheduled to participate in the Florida Dirt Nationals at All-Tech Raceway in Lake City, Florida. HendrickCars.com will appear on Larson’s super late model, uniform, gloves and helmet.

HOME RACE: For the fourth time this season, Larson and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team will wear their “home” white uniforms at Talladega. Home races occur in markets where there are Hendrick Automotive Group dealerships nearby, and the Talladega area is home to three of them. Be sure to follow Hendrick Automotive Group’s social media channels and visit HendrickCars.com to view the complete home and away schedule.

9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 26 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 1st

No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

NINE IN: Through nine races in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, Chase Elliott has collected one pole, one top-five finish and six top-10s – which are tied for the most in the series with Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch. His average finish of 10.89 leads the series and his 276 laps led are the third-most in the field.

FOLLOWING THE LEADER: Elliott continues to lead the Cup Series standings with a three-point edge over Blaney. Including a tie earlier in the season, this marks the fifth consecutive week the Dawsonville, Georgia, native has been atop the standings.

‘DEGA DOWNLOAD: On Sunday, Elliott is set to make his 13th Talladega Superspeedway start in the Cup Series. His win at the track in April 2019 was his first superspeedway win at the Cup level. In his previous 12 starts at the venue, the 26-year-old driver has earned the pole position twice – his first start in May 2016, making him the youngest driver to do so at the age of 20, and in October 2019. Elliott has garnered four top-five finishes and led 173 laps in his Cup career at the Alabama track.

LAST SEVEN: In his last seven superspeedway starts, Elliott has scored three top-five finishes – including two runner-up results – five top-10s and led 83 laps. His average finish of 9.86 during that span is best among drivers with more than two starts.

GUSTAFSON AT TALLADEGA: No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson will call his 35th Talladega Cup Series race from atop the pit box on Sunday afternoon. He collected his first points-paying superspeedway victory at the 2.66-mile track on April 28, 2019, with Elliott and the No. 9 team. In his other 33 events at the Alabama-located track, calling the shots for five different drivers (Elliott, Busch, Casey Mears, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon), Gustafson’s teams posted eight top-five finishes, 10 top-10s, 276 laps led and six pole awards.

SUPERSPEEDWAY STRONG: Gustafson’s resume on superspeedways is impressive with two Daytona Duel victories (2017 and 2018) and a 2019 win at Talladega, all coming with Elliott behind the wheel. His 11 superspeedway poles are most among all active crew chiefs.

PIT ROAD POWER: The No. 9 team owns the third-best average time for four-tire pit stops at 11.902 seconds in 2022. The NAPA AUTO PARTS pit crew is comprised of jackman T.J. Semke, gasman John Gianninoto, tire carrier Jared Erspamer and tire changers Chad Avrit (rear) and Nick O’Dell (front).

NAPA IS BACK: NAPA AUTO PARTS, the Atlanta-based company that has been a primary partner of Elliott in all seven of his seasons at Hendrick Motorsports, will be on board the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend at Talladega. This will mark the ninth time they’ve served as the primary sponsor of the No. 9 team at this track.

24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 24 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 4th

No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, will be available to members of the media at the Talladega Superspeedway media center on Saturday, April 23, at 9 a.m. local time.

SEASON SO FAR: William Byron is off to his best start in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2022 with two wins in the first nine races. He is the only multi-time Cup Series winner this season and it is the first time he has scored multiple wins in a Cup season. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native has four top-five finishes and four top-10s. His 482 laps led are the most by a driver so far and the most he has ever led in a season at the Cup level. Byron has a 14.44 finishing average – eighth-best among drivers – and has spent 1,261 laps running within the top five – the second-most by a driver in 2022. Not only has Byron accumulated twice as many playoff points as any other driver (12), but he has also collected the most points overall in the last seven races (281).

SUPER ON SUPERSPEEDWAYS: Sunday’s race at Talladega Superspeedway will be Byron’s 18th superspeedway start in the Cup Series. In his previous 17 starts, Byron has scored one win (Daytona, August 2020), two runner-up finishes, four top-fives, and four top-10s with 149 laps led. In the last seven superspeedway races, Byron is one of three drivers (Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin are the others) who have scored top-five finishes in three races – tied for the second-most in the series over that stretch. Since the start of 2020, Byron ranks seventh for the most laps led on superspeedway tracks with 61.

TALLADEGA TELL-ALL: Byron will be making his ninth Cup Series start at the 2.66-mile oval when the No. 24 team hits the track Sunday. Byron’s top results at the Alabama-based venue came in October 2020 when he finished fourth and then he followed it up with his track-best second-place effort in April 2021.

DIGGIN’ DEGA: When the Cup Series heads to Talladega this weekend, it will mark Rudy Fugle’s third race at the venue as a crew chief in the top series. In his first Cup start, he helped Byron score his track-best finish of second after leading 12 laps. The duo was poised for another good run in the fall but was collected in two on-track incidents – the second of which ended their race. Aside from those two races, the Livonia, New York, native has eight starts at the sport’s biggest track under his belt (with seven in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and one in the NASCAR Xfinity Series). In those starts, Fugle has accumulated three top-five finishes and five top-10s. One of those previous starts was in 2016 with Byron, where the duo started eighth and raced to a 10th-place result.

THROWIN’ IT BACK: Earlier this week, Axalta unveiled Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet for the throwback weekend held at Darlington Raceway next month. Paying tribute to Jeff Gordon, the paint scheme dons the familiar blue and red flames that Gordon raced during the 2007 season. Byron picked this scheme based on his earliest memories of the Hall of Fame driver. That season, Gordon tied and passed Dale Earnhardt on the all-time Cup Series win list and he also won the spring race at the South Carolina track. For a closer look at Byron’s throwback scheme, click here.

LIBERTY U IS BACK: For back-to-back weekends, Byron will climb behind the wheel of the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, this time at Talladega Superspeedway. Featuring a white base with navy flames and red accents, the Liberty University No. 24 will be sure to stand out on track. Liberty University has a long history with Byron starting back in 2014 in the late model ranks. Liberty University has been Training Champions for Christ since it was founded in 1971. Located in the mountains of Central Virginia, Liberty University is a liberal arts institution with 17 colleges and schools that offers more than 600 degree programs from the certificate to the doctoral level, on campus and online. Working on an undergraduate degree in strategic communication, Byron is now in his junior year at Liberty University through its online program. For a better look at Byron’s new Liberty University paint scheme, click here.

48 Alex Bowman
Age: 28 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Greg Ives
Standings: 5th-Tied

No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

PLAYING IN THE DIRT: Alex Bowman notched a sixth-place finish in Sunday’s dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 started the 250-lap event eighth after Saturday’s qualifying races. Bowman finished the first stage in sixth and the second stage in 25th after being involved in two on-track incidents. He ultimately bounced back to finish the race in sixth. His top-10 finish puts him in a tie for fifth place in the Cup Series point standings with Kyle Busch – 51 markers behind the leader and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott.

SCOREBOARD: Bowman has tallied the fourth-most points over the last seven races of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season. He has collected 243 points from his one win (Las Vegas Motor Speedway), two top-five finishes, and five top-10s in that stretch. Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron (281) and Elliott (279) lead the way in that category with Ryan Blaney (251) just ahead of Bowman in third.

ABOVE AVERAGE: Through the first nine races of the 2022 Cup Series season, the Tucson, Arizona, native has the third-best average finish of all drivers at 11.33. Bowman trails only Elliott (10.9) and Blaney (11.2) in that stat.

DIGGING AT ‘DEGA: In 13 starts at Talladega Superspeedway heading into this Sunday’s race, Bowman has a runner-up result in April 2019, three top 10s (all in the spring event) and has led 46 circuits at the 2.66-mile venue.

BIRTHDAY BOY: Bowman will celebrate his 29th birthday on Monday, April 25. He has spent eight of those years racing in the Cup Series, taking home a trophy in seven races, all the wins coming with Hendrick Motorsports. To date, he has also notched 26 top-five finishes, 62 top-10s, and three pole positions in 234 Cup starts, completing 62,068 laps across all events and leading 1,091 of those circuits completed.

MORE DIRT: Bowman hit the dirt for Alex Bowman Racing in the No. 55 Ally sprint car in Bridgeport, New Jersey, on Tuesday and will make another stop in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, on Thursday before heading to the Alabama venue for the Cup Series event. Bowman is the only car fielded by ABR in both sprint car events this week.

SHOT CALLER: Crew chief Greg Ives has a storied career of success at superspeedways as a crew chief in the Cup Series. Through his 29 superspeedway starts in NASCAR’s premier level, Ives has tallied four pole positions (including the 2020 DAYTONA 500 pole with Bowman), two points-paying wins (Talladega and Daytona International Speedway in 2015 with Dale Earnhardt Jr.) and two victories in the Daytona Duel qualifying races (2015 and 2016 with Earnhardt Jr.). He also led Regan Smith to a NASCAR Xfinity Series win at Talladega in 2013.

THREE TIMES FOUR: Through the first nine-points paying events of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, Hendrick Motorsports has had at least three top-10 finishes in the same race four times. Two of those occurrences have come in the last three races: Richmond Raceway and the dirt event at Bristol Motor Speedway.

POLE POWER: In its history, Hendrick Motorsports has been very strong during qualifying on superspeedways. All four of its current drivers have won a superspeedway pole position in the last six races that held qualifying. The organization has earned 35 combined poles at the big tracks of Talladega Superspeedway and Daytona International Speedway, which is equal to the second- and third-best teams combined.

THIRTEEN IN THE BANK: With 13 Cup Series points-paying wins at Talladega, Hendrick Motorsports has the most victories at NASCAR’s biggest track. The wins have come from seven drivers: Jeff Gordon (six), Jimmie Johnson (two), Brian Vickers, Chase Elliott, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ken Schrader, and Terry Labonte.

CROSSING 2,000: With three top-10 finishes Sunday on the dirt layout of Bristol Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports now has 2,002 top-10s, making it the first team in Cup Series history to eclipse the 2K mark in that statistical category. The organization holds the all-time record for top-10 finishes at the Cup level – over 600 more than anyone else.

NEARING 100,000: Since Hendrick Motorsports was founded in 1984, it has led a record 99,245.94 miles in points-paying Cup Series races. The team is less than 800 miles from hitting 100,000 led at NASCAR’s top level. Last season, Hendrick Motorsports led 5,662.77 miles. Through nine races in 2022, it has led 788.46 miles. At Talladega, the organization has led 7,799.12 miles.

RACKING UP THE WINS: Since the start of the 2021 season, Hendrick Motorsports has 21 points-paying wins. The mark is most among Cup Series teams in that span. During the same period, all other teams combined have posted 24 victories. Hendrick Motorsports is also the only team to have each of its drivers win multiple times since the start of last year.

QUOTABLE /

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on how he is preparing for Talladega Superspeedway: “I’ve watched a lot of superspeedway races to see what I can do differently to be in contention at the end of stages and at the end of the race. I just never seem to be in a good position at the end – when I make it to the end. Hopefully, we can battle for stage points and have the HendrickCars.com Chevy near the front toward the end of the race.”

Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on whether he provides superspeedway strategic advice during the race or leaves it to Larson: “A little bit of both. If I see things developing that I can communicate to him to help his decision making in the moment, then that’s 100% my responsibility to do so. But some decisions are just dependent on what he sees on track. My responsibility it to make a fast car that can suck up well, push well, get pushed well, and we need to execute well during pit stops. We need to maximize what we can control since we are limited on superspeedways of where to get an advantage.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Talladega: “Talladega is one of those places where you just don’t know how your day is going to end up. I think that’s why driving smart and just doing what you can to make it to the checkered flag is the main focus. Your race can change so fast if you’re in the wrong lane or you get caught up in someone else’s mistake. I think if you can avoid those things and finish the race, you’re going to have a decent result.”

Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on Talladega: “A majority of things from Daytona correlate to Talladega, and we didn’t feel like we were as good as we needed to be in Daytona. So we’re going try to take a few different philosophies to Talladega and see if that works. Really, for us, this race will be in the playoffs, so this is a good opportunity to try some things and figure out what you need to do to be where you want to be here in the fall.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his approach for racing at Talladega: “Talladega is quite a bit different than Daytona even though they are both superspeedways. Talladega is a lot wider with more room for racing, but the handling of your car isn’t as important there as it is at Daytona. This race is more about how well you can push someone and how well you can receive a push. You need speed, but you need to be able to work well with others to get good runs to make it to the front and stay there. My approach doesn’t change though. You still want to be conservative at times to make sure you’re there at the end of the race, but you also need to push it early on to know what your car is capable of to set yourself up in the best position in the end. We’ve always seemed to run well at Talladega. We just haven’t always had the results to show it, but that’s part of superspeedway racing.”

Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the importance of Sunday’s race at Talladega: “We had a tough weekend on the dirt (at Bristol), but I’m proud of the effort the No. 24 team put in to keep getting us better as the weekend went on. We can put that race behind us now, though, especially since it’s not in the playoffs. I’m just ready to get to Talladega. This is a race that plays a factor in the playoffs, so it has a heavier importance in the notes we put together. Even though we only get one or two laps on track before the race, we do have some notes to work off of already. We’ll be running the same tire that we used in Daytona so that gives us a good starting point to build off.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on his preparation for Talladega: “Talladega has been a place that we have had our struggles at. We ran second in 2019 and have been caught in someone else’s mess a couple of times. So this weekend, I hope that we can change our luck. We have had a couple of solid runs recently. That gives us confidence to go out there, be aggressive and try to get another win this year.”

Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on how the team’s consistency in 2022 will help them at Talladega: “I think any time you can put together a string of good runs together, it boosts your confidence. Being able to have a fast car to overcome the adversity we had at Bristol and take home a top-10 result is a testament to the hard work by this team and helps us carry momentum into the next weekend. Talladega is a place we have had fast cars as well, so that helps us as we get ready for race day.”

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Talladega Advance | Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 2 Menards/Sylvania Ford Mustang, won the season’s first superspeedway race as he captured the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. As the series heads to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend, Cindric answered questions from the media about his expectations.

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Menards/Sylvania Ford Mustang – WHAT IS IT ABOUT TEAM PENSKE AND FORD THAT MAKES YOU SUCH A GOOD COMBINATION ON TRACKS LIKE DAYTONA AND TALLADEGA? “Obviously, it takes a lot of execution and sometimes positioning and sometimes luck at the speedway races to be there at the end and have a shot at winning the race. One of those pieces is having fast cars and I think the engine shop puts a lot of effort into these types of races as well as our team, whether that’s from a strategy standpoint or a driving standpoint. I feel like our two senior drivers, Ryan and Joey, are two of the best at this type of racing. You look at Talladega, I think six of the 12 wins Penske has at Talladega are from Joey and Ryan, so those guys are really capable of getting that done and learning from that and understanding how I can best do my part, I think you collaborate that with a lot of really quality cars in the Ford camp, I think that’s why you see a lot of Fords at the front. I think we work well together and it’s obviously proven to be successful.”

WHAT WOULD YOU GIVE YOURSELF FOR A GRADE THESE FIRST FEW RACES? “I think some things have been better than I thought and other things have been more of a challenge. Like the funny thing walking out of the track last week is I don’t think anyone in this group or this room or probably under the roof of this building would have thought that my Bristol Dirt Race I would have run legitimately better than I did at Phoenix. I think those things show that there’s a lot of changes and a lot of newness and a lot of moving parts and a lot of challenges as a rookie in the Cup Series. I kind of knew that going in, but it’s one of those deals where you have to learn and adapt and prepare yourself as best as possible. I’m not sure I’d give myself a grade, but I do think there’s been a lot of progress, whether that’s on the racetrack or off the racetrack with the team trying to build something. That’s been a fun process to be a part of. Every day is not easy, but it’s certainly rewarding on the good days.”

WITH ALL THE WINNERS THIS YEAR, ARE YOU LOOKING AT POINTS AT ALL AMONG WINNERS AND ANY PRESSURE THAT YOU MAY NEED A SECOND WIN? “Yeah, a second win certainly cancels out a lot of that conversation. The thing I do look at from our standpoint is that we’re above the top 16 in points. We’ve been solidly above the top 16 in points, so if you look at it as everybody in the playoff picture has a win, we still would have more points than those that are not in the top 16. From that standpoint, I think we just have to keep operating as usual. I completely agree that a second win pretty much cancels out anything from keeping us out of the playoffs and obviously that’s what you try and do every week, but it’s certainly a conversation worth looking at. We can’t just go all-out and not care about points because points are certainly important, but it’s also important for lining you up in the playoff picture beforehand, so I’m not sure it changes much other than some days could maybe be more pressure-filled, but a lot of the best ways to cancel that out is to win another race.”

HOW MUCH PREPARATION AND TALK WITH THE TEAM HAVE YOU DONE WITH THE PLAYOFF TRACKS? “I think we work on a week-to-week basis. You look at Martinsville and Phoenix as two incredibly important races to the schedule, whether that’s for me, for the organization, for my teammates. I’ve got two teammates that are championship capable drivers and I think those races are really important to them and I think we as a company have to recognize that if we want a chance to win a championship we have to be good at at least those two racetracks specifically, so I think that’s important for us as a company. From that standpoint, yes, and from obviously the standpoint from all tracks you’ll return to – you think about the challenges every team and driver has been faced with that’s going to these tracks with very limited practice, with very limited knowledge on the car. I can just look at having the three short tracks back-to-back-to back understanding the tire a little bit better, understanding even though things don’t really transfer from a Martinsville to a Richmond you can still take things away from those racetracks and take trends away, so I think everybody is looking for the smallest amount of information they can to try and progress their stuff forward, so I think we’re all looking forward to going back to tracks again for the second time.”

WHAT KIND OF VIDEO ARE YOU PREPPING WITH THIS WEEK? “Pretty much wrapped up all my film prep for the week, whether it’s with my spotter or my team. We’re looking at Daytona. There are so many unknowns going into Daytona, you kind of have to remind yourself not only the car and the things that you learn throughout Speedweeks, but also the fact that Talladega is a different racetrack, still being able to keep an open mind, but also Daytona you’re gonna race different because everyone kind of looks at it as an exhibition. There are a lot of times in the race where guys will be making moves that aren’t necessarily for points or trying to win stages or lag back – a lot of the final stages of the race everyone was saving fuel, so you kind of have to take that with a grain of salt. So, I would say Talladega and now that the season has started a lot of people probably look at it like, ‘Austin, you already have one win, you’d really want two.’ Well, of course, but there’s a lot of guys in the field that really want one win because they see that as their only way to make it in the playoffs. We’ve only got one guy with multiple wins, so from that standpoint I would see this being maybe a desperate race already with business picking up in the win column. I definitely look at that as far as a mentality standpoint from my competitors, even in some stages for myself. Obviously, everybody’s got their own motivations to win the race, but I look at it as Talladega certainly has different offsets than Daytona and handling usually doesn’t come into play as much, but I’m looking forward to building off what I learned at Daytona. We obviously had a lot of strengths and try to build on that.”

WHAT DID YOU DO RIGHT AT DAYTONA AND WERE THERE TIMES YOU WONDERED WHY YOU MADE CERTAIN MOVES? “Yeah, I think it’s really hard to have a perfect plate race. I think there are always things that you can look at. The hardest part for me when I’m watching film, especially when it’s races that I’m in is it’s hard to not just watch yourself. You watch the race and you’re like, ‘Oh, I remember this. I remember that. This guy was an idiot.’ You try and remember the race that you were in, but the bigger picture of doing the film study is to watch other moves other people make and different trends. Kyle Busch was leading a lane, for example, and understanding and looking at the data and looking at the film. OK, what’s he doing to try and keep the lead? What are the other guys playing with? How does that evolve throughout the race as people learn things? Those are the things that you pause the video and look at and understand. It’s a lot of information and trying to figure out what the things that are most important to look at and think about, but also at the same time, like I said before, keeping and open mind is important because I think with this car, I feel like there was a pretty good science to it with the Xfinity car, if I’m being honest, where as I feel like with this car it’s much more dependent on what’s happening in the pack versus what’s happening with the air.”

YOU SAID SUNDAY COULD BE A DESPERATE RACE, SO HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? “It’s a great question and I’m not sure you really can. You’re kind of just more of a passenger. You might just tighten up your belts more before every restart, but, other than that, that’s about it. You can understand and you can maybe expect guys to make mistakes. Sometimes when the pressure is high people make more mistakes, but at the same time expecting big blocks, expecting people to take runs when they have them. Those types of things are probably what you can do at least to prepare ahead of time as a driver, to maybe anticipate other peoples’ moves, but, otherwise, I’m not promising more wrecks, but it’s usually the late blocks, I mean, similar to what you saw at the end of the second Duel. These cars are very, very challenging to block runs and they’re very challenging to take pushes, but I think there’s gonna be a lot of pushing. I think it’s a lot of the normal stuff you see, especially you’re kind of Daytona end of the year race, but, like I said before, there’s a lot of people noticing that there’s a lot of wins and you have to win to make it into the playoffs with the way things are trending at the moment.”

HOW DID YOU DEVELOP INTO SUCH A GOOD SPEEDWAY RACERS SO QUICKLY? “I’m not exactly sure there’s one moment or one defining moment. I would say when I first started racing stock cars and the mentality is you go and you kind of watch things on TV. That’s all you kind of really know about it. There’s no other discipline in racing that you can really relate to to speedway racing. You can be a dirt racer and go to Bristol and think of certain things or I can go to Road America and apply some certain things or even Martinsville, but there’s nothing on the planet that’s even remotely close to what we do on speedways – bump drafting and all those certain things. I feel like nothing really prepares you for that other than going out there and doing it, so I think the more laps I got – kind of an obvious statement – but the more laps I got at it, the more comfortable I got. The biggest challenge for me is like, OK, I understand how to work in a pack and what to do to get myself forward and the smarter decisions to make and obviously understanding your competition, but it’s really hard to lead. It’s really hard to change your mindset like a light switch because the moment you’re in the lead you’re having to manage gaps, you’re having to do certain things you weren’t having to do in the pack. I think your relationship with your spotter is incredibly important. The last couple of years I’ve gotten to work with Coleman Pressley. He and I have developed a great relationship, really great communication and I think that mentality for me has carried over working with Doug Campbell. I think he’s been doing an exceptional job, not just on the speedways, but obviously winning the 500 together in our first race was pretty cool, but I would say that was due in large credit to the amount of time we spent together. He came to a lot of my pre-race meetings in Xfiinty when we knew we were gonna work together, and I spent a lot of Sundays last year watching races from the spotter stand, so I think that relationship is pretty important and being able to knock out the communication.”

HOW MUCH OF DAYTONA CAN YOU BRING INTO TALLADEGA WITH THE NEW CAR SETUP-WISE? “Setup-wise, I’ll be interested to see how much handling does or doesn’t matter. I feel like you had times in the race where the bottom lane would fade at Daytona even though it was probably the most dominant lane for restarts and early run, whereas Talladega you don’t really see the off of turn four slides that guys usually have at Daytona. Granted, it’s gonna be high 80s or low 90s while we’re in Talladega. Obviously, awesome weather to watch a race, but handling-wise interesting to see how this tire reacts to the changing conditions. Otherwise, I look at Talladega as more of a speed racetrack than a handling racetrack. Some people would argue different, but that’s kind of how it’s always been for me. Otherwise, car-wise, I’m interested to see where we qualify and what gains we were able to make just from having the cars longer. I think everyone is kind of in that same boat, so it’ll be interesting to see who has done more homework after the first event of the year.”

HOW HAVE YOU SEEN YOURSELF GROW SINCE THE START OF THE YEAR, NOT JUST AS A DRIVER BUT LEARNING THIS NEW CAR? “I think you certainly recognize, the funny thing is you have guys who say this is the easiest year to be a rookie and in some ways I think that’s based off of the fact that everyone is having to learn quite a lot and there’s a lot of newness with the cars. That doesn’t mean that I don’t have habits I’m having to unlearn as well. My whole basis of how to drive a stock car has been in an Xfinity car. That’s pretty much it. I had one year in the trucks, but it’s pretty much four years of Xfinity racing and that’s what I’ve defined racing on an oval, period. I think some of those things puts me in the same boat as everybody else, and then you’ve got to stack on top of that what it means to be a rookie in the Cup Series and racing against the best guys in the business. Some days are better than others. Some days are worse than others. I think it’s just a process and in some ways it’s nice with the new car because there are a lot of very humanizing days for a lot of different drivers in the field. Some days you’ll be back racing for 20th with Martin Truex Jr. This guy is a Cup champion. This guy is expecting to be in the hunt for this championship. He came really really close to winning the championship last year and they have bad days because everyone is learning. Everyone is having highs and lows, and that’s why I feel like the points are still really close. That’s why we’re having new winners every weekend. It’s challenging, for sure. It’s just about minimizing those bad days and learning from them and applying them to make the next day better.”

CONCORD, N.C. (April 20, 2022) – Corey LaJoie will pay tribute to late country-music star and former NASCAR competitor Marty Robbins with a vibrant pink and yellow paint scheme featuring Robbins’ No. 777 during the Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR at Darlington Raceway.

The Official Throwback Weekend of NASCAR is beloved by the entire NASCAR industry for paying homage through special paint schemes to NASCAR Hall of Famers, legends, team owners and sponsors across the history of the sport.

Robbins, who passed away in 1982, made 35 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) starts from 1966 – 1982, logged one top five (Michigan) and six top 10s between 1971-1974, including two at Darlington. The 1982 Country Music Hall of Fame Inductee recorded 52 studio albums and 17 number one singles on the country music charts.

LaJoie’s Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will showcase his podcast “Stacking Pennies with Corey LaJoie” on the hood and the Fraternal Order of Eagles (FOE) on the decklid during Darlington’s annual Mother’s Day Weekend festival of speed.

“I’ve always been intrigued by Marty Robbins and his stint in NASCAR during the ‘60s, ‘70s and early ‘80s,” said LaJoie. “It would’ve been comparable today if Morgan Wallen was lining up for the occasional Cup race in his spare time and running competitively. I love the 777 scheme of Marty Robbins’ Grand National car, so I’m glad NASCAR let us take some creative liberty and allowing us to utilize three numbers for the throwback weekend. As always, our Spire Motorsports team answered the call and brought this vision to life.

“It’s even cooler to have Stacking Pennies on the hood. That podcast is such a huge part of what I do. Pair that with the Fraternal Order of Eagles founding Mother’s Day and having a presence on the car – it’s going to be a really special tribute for me at Darlington.”

For more than a century, the second Sunday in May has been set aside to honor mothers everywhere – and it all started with a push from the FOE On February 7, 1904, FOE Past Grand Worthy President Frank E. Hering made a public plea to recognize mothers everywhere. A decade later, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation making Mother’s Day a reality.

The achievement remains one of the most significant milestones in the history of the organization. From preparing brunch to buying cards and flowers, the spirit of Hering and the FOE lives on through America’s actions each Mother’s Day.

LaJoie has eight previous NCS starts at the “Track Too Tough To Tame” dating to 2017 and has completed just over 92 percent of the laps contested over that span.

In the series most recent visit to Darlington Raceway, he started 25th, raced competitively for the entirety of the 367-lap affair, and came away with a solid 15th-place finish.

“I’m always impressed with Corey’s creativity and commitment to honoring the pioneers of our sport during Darlington’s throwback weekend,” said Spire Motorsports co-owner T.J. Puchyr. “Last year we honored Alan Kulwicki with a paint scheme that was one of the best of the weekend. This year, Corey and our creative team raised the bar and absolutely knocked this design out of the park. We take a great deal of pride in what we bring to the track for this particular race, and this is proof positive of that philosophy.”

The Goodyear 400 from Darlington Raceway will be televised live on FS1 Sunday, May 8 beginning at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The 12th of 36 races on the 2022 NCS schedule will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

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 will also field 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.

Team: No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Twitter: @RFK17Team, @RFKRacing and @Chris_Buescher
Race Format: 500 miles, 188 laps, Stages: 60-60-68

NCS Race at Talladega – Sunday, April 24 at 3 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Weekend Format

· The weekend at Talladega features single-car qualifying only for the Cup cars, which will take place Saturday morning at 11 a.m. ET.

Buescher at Talladega Superspeedway

· Buescher makes his 14th Cup start at Talladega on Sunday, and is coming off one of his best finishes at the 2.66-mile Superspeedway just last fall (sixth).

· He finished sixth in the 2020 spring race, as well, with now two of his best career results in 13 starts coming in the last four events at Talladega. In last season’s spring race he finished 21st.

· Buescher has an average starting position of 26.6 with a career-best starting spot of 15th (2020).

· Buescher also made a pair of Xfinity starts at Talladega with finishes of second (2014) and sixth (2015) for Jack Roush in the No. 60.

Scott Graves at Talladega Superspeedway

· Talladega stands as Graves’ best track statistically with a 12.6 average finish, his best among active tracks, with five top-10s in 11 starts.

· He’ll be on the box for his 12th Cup event come Sunday, and has a best finish of second with Ryan Newman in the 2019 fall event. He and Newman teamed together for three top-10s in the seasons, including a P7 finish in 2019 in the spring, and a sixth-place result in the 2020 fall race.

· He carries an average starting position of 18.2 into the weekend with a career qualifying result of seventh (2017 – spring).

QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on racing at Talladega:
“Talladega is one of those places that just feels different pulling in. With our Superspeedway program and everything Jimmy Fennig and guys back at the shop put in on these cars, I know we have a shot every time we show up here, and that’s a very comforting feeling. The big thing is obviously staying out of the trouble as best you can and giving yourself a shot at the end. We’re excited for our go at it with the Fastenal Ford, and can’t wait for Sunday.”

Last Time Out
Buescher avoided much of the chaos in the Easter Sunday dirt race at Bristol to bring home a 15th-place finish in the Fastenal Ford, his third-straight P15.

On the Car

Fastenal, in its 12th season with RFK in 2022, makes its seventh 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 Milwaukee Tool, Nord-Lock, Inc., OSG USA, Rustoleum and Louisville Ladders 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.

CHASE BRISCOE
Talladega Advance
No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: GEICO 500 (Round 10 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, April 24
● Location: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway
● Layout: 2.66-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 188 laps/500 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 60 laps / Stage 2: 60 laps / Final Stage: 68 laps
● TV/Radio: FOX / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Chase Briscoe and the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) visit Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway for the second superspeedway race of the year. Briscoe finished 11th at the 2.66-mile oval last April and returned in October to finish 14th.

● In the first superspeedway race of 2022, the season-opening Daytona 500, Briscoe scored his first top-five finish in Cup Series competition with a third-place result, then bested that finish two weeks later with a win at Phoenix Raceway.

● Briscoe is 10th in the driver standings, 79 points out of first following last weekend’s Food City Dirt Race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. He currently holds a spot in the 16-driver playoff field by virtue of his win March 13 at Phoenix.

● Briscoe has made four Xfinity Series starts at Talladega with a best finish of fourth in 2019. He also has one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start there in 2017 when he finished 22nd, and one ARCA Menards Series start in 2016, when he finished third. Briscoe completed all 454 laps available in his six career starts at Talladega.

● Mahindra Tractors, a brand of Houston-based Mahindra Ag North America, returns to the No. 14 Ford Mustang for this weekend’s GEICO 500. Part of Mahindra Group’s Automotive and Farm Sector, Mahindra Ag North America 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.

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

You had a great run at Daytona, but the tracks are fairly different, so how do you approach this weekend’s race?

“I don’t think much changes from how we used to prepare for the superspeedway races. You know that anything can happen, so it’s important to be in the best position possible, but do we really know what that is? Sometimes it’s safer to be up front, sometimes you want to be in the back, out of the way. I think Daytona and Atlanta taught us a lot about how the NextGen handles in this type of racing, so you kind of know how the car is going to react in the pack or when you’re being pushed. We had some things we knew we had to look at but, overall, I think we should have a good run if we can just keep the car clean until the end.”

It seems you’re driving with a lot more confidence this year. Was there a moment that it changed for you?

“Yeah, I said earlier this year after the Phoenix win that I feel more like I belong in the Cup Series, and I think that as a lot to do with it. But I don’t know if there was one thing that changed it other than just experience. I’m here to win races and we work hard to make sure we put ourselves in position to do that. Races happen quickly and you have to make quick decisions. We know there are a few ways things could go when we make moves, but you can’t just hang back and stay out of trouble all the time. If I’ve got a chance to win or better my position, I have to take it. Sometimes it doesn’t work out and maybe you ruin someone else’s day, but it’s not on purpose. That’s never what I want and you hope that the other person understands, or is at least open to talking about it. You kind of know when you’re going to have to explain yourself and I have no problem doing that but, yeah, I definitely feel more confident in this position and all I can do is go out and do my best to put this team in position to win. We’re all really good drivers who are capable of winning and I feel more comfortable in my experience and knowing I’m capable, too.”

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