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

This Week in Motorsports: April 18-24, 2022

· NCS/NXS/ARCA: Talladega Superspeedway – April 23-24
· NHRA: Houston Raceway Park – April 24

PLANO, Texas (April 20, 2022) – NASCAR and ARCA are back on the high-banks as they compete in their first superspeedway race of the season at Talladega Superspeedway, while NHRA is on-track this weekend at the final race at Houston Raceway Park.

NASCAR National Series – NCS | NXS

Busch delivers in the clutch… Kyle Busch led just one lap, but it was the one that counted as the now 60-time NASCAR Cup Series winner drove to the win at Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt. Busch has won in 18 consecutive Cup Series seasons, tying a record held by Richard Petty. Busch was Toyota’s first winner at Talladega Superspeedway in the Cup Series, scoring the win in April 2008.

Wallace superspeedway success… Bubba Wallace looks to be one to beat this weekend at Talladega. Last fall’s winner at the Alabama superspeedway also has two consecutive runner-up finishes at Daytona International Speedway.

Hamlin continues to be stellar on superspeedways… Three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin continues to show his prowess on superspeedway style drafting. The Virginia-native has two victories at Talladega – May 2014 and October 2020.

Jones looks to mark off another first… Brandon Jones earned his first short-track win at the series’ last stop at Martinsville Speedway, and now the five-time winner looks to mark off another first – a superspeedway victory. Jones has been close with runner-up finishes twice at Talladega – 2018 and 2021.

Dollar returns… Drew Dollar returns to the NASCAR Xfinity Series this weekend for his second career start aboard the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) No. 18 Toyota GR Supra. Dollar is a former ARCA winner at the track and will be competing in both the Xfinity and ARCA races on Saturday afternoon.

Smith debuts… After a strong start to the 2022 Truck Series season for Chandler Smith, he will make his Xfinity Series debut this weekend at Talladega in the No. 26 Toyota GR Supra for Sam Hunt Racing. The 19-year-old will make three starts for the team as he is back behind the wheel next weekend in Dover and at Homestead-Miami Speedway later this season.

NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA

Heim looks to continue superspeedway success… Corey Heim is back aboard the No. 20 Toyota Camry for Venturini Motorsports at Talladega and looks to continue his run of success on superspeedways for the team. Heim has won the last three superspeedway races, including driving to his second win at Daytona earlier this season.

NHRA – Top Fuel | Funny Car

Torrence duo ready to compete for another win in their home state… Longview, Texas native Steve Torrence is looking for a repeat victory in the final race at Houston Raceway Park. Torrence, who took the points lead after Las Vegas despite still looking for his first victory of the season, will be joined in the race by his father Billy Torrence, who will compete in his second race this year.

DeJoria looks to make history… Alexis DeJoria drove her Toyota GR Supra to the first four-wide final for the new body in Las Vegas, coming home in fourth after a close race to the finish line. She looks to continue to make history in the new Funny Car in her adopted home state as she currently resides in Austin, Texas.

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