Love’s Ford Driver Finished 12th in 2021

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (April 12, 2022) – Michael McDowell and his No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Mustang team head to the Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway this weekend for NASCAR’s only NASCAR Cup Series dirt race on the schedule.

The 2021 Daytona 500 champion, who had success last year at the Bristol dirt track in the iRacing Pro Invitational and in the real event, is ready to head back to the site where he finished 10th and 12th, respectively.

“Racing on the dirt in general is still something relatively new to a lot of us,” says McDowell. “Even though we have had one go of it last year, it is still fun to do something a little out of our normal comfort zone, and wheel these cars around what would otherwise be an asphalt track.

“Bristol in and of itself is a challenge, but with dirt added, it adds a layer of complexity to the race. While we take it all in stride and tune to the conditions, we won’t really know what will happen until we get to the track and see how the surface takes the dirt. It will be fun, and I’m excited to duplicate our success with our Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang this weekend.”

Michael McDowell and his No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang this weekend will race on the dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway this Sunday, April 17th, at 7 p.m. ET on FOX.

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS
Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Camping World Truck Series and the 2021 Daytona 500 champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team– from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

First Phase Returns to the 38 Team

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (April 12, 2022) – Todd Gilliland, driver of the No. 38 FirstPhaseCard.com Ford Mustang, will make his first NASCAR Cup Series start at the “Last Great Colosseum”, the Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway this Sunday night.

The Cup Series rookie last took to the Bristol dirt in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series where he earned a fourth-place finish. Gilliland looks for another solid weekend, excited for the challenge ahead.

“I actually really enjoyed the dirt races when they came around on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule,” Gilliland stated. “We finished fourth here last year in the truck, and I’m optimistic with how this new car will run. I look at this as an opportunity for us to capitalize and take advantage when the field is on an equal setting. I’m pumped for it.”

Gilliland comes back to the track with the anchor partner of the No. 38 program, First Phase. The new credit card from CURO Credit, LLC, issued by The Bank of Missouri is back for its second race of the season after making its debut earlier this season at the Clash at the Coliseum and the Daytona 500. The product provides pathways to financial freedom for people with unestablished or imperfect credit.

Gilliland is ready for another good race with First Phase.

“It’s cool to have First Phase credit card back as the primary partner this weekend in such a big event,” said Gilliland. “This is a new card and we’re trying to get more and more people to learn about the First Phase credit card and see if it’s perfect for them. For me, I love the car. It’s sharp and it will look cool under the lights this Easter Sunday.”

ABOUT CURO

CURO Group Holdings Corp. (NYSE: CURO) is a full-spectrum consumer credit provider across the U.S. and Canada. The Company was founded in 1997 by three childhood friends in Kansas to meet the growing consumer need for short-term loans. Today, CURO operates a robust, omni-channel platform providing comprehensive credit solutions to help customers achieve their financial goals. CURO’s decades of experience with alternative data power the underwriting and scoring engine, mitigating risk across the full spectrum of credit products. CURO operates under a number of brands including Speedy Cash®, Rapid Cash®, Cash Money®, LendDirect®, Flexiti®, Avío Credit®, Opt+®, Revolve Finance®, Heights Finance, Southern Finance, Covington Credit, Quick Credit and First Phase. Our diversified product channels allows us to meet the changing needs and preferences of our customers.

ABOUT FIRST PHASE

First Phase is a new credit card issued by The Bank of Missouri that provides pathways to financial freedom for people with unestablished or imperfect credit. It’s a powerful tool that can provide flexibility and help fuel the next chapter of their financial future. First Phase is the doing business assumed name of CURO Credit, LLC, whose ultimate parent company is CURO Group Holdings Corp (NYSE: CURO).

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.

Team: No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Twitter: @RFK17Team, @RFKRacing and @Chris_Buescher
Race Format: 125.5 miles, 250 laps, Stages: 75-75-100

First Practice – Friday, April 15 at 4:05 p.m. ET on FS1
Final Practice – Friday, April 15 at 6:35 p.m. ET on FS1
Heat Races – Saturday, April 16 at 6 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
Feature Race – Sunday, April 17 at 7 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Weekend Format

· Heat races return for this weekend’s dirt racing, with a random draw set to determine Saturday’s heat race starting lineups.

· Passing and finishing points from each heat race will determine lineups for Sunday night’s feature race. Drivers will receive one point for each spot improved in their respective heat, with finishing points on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale.

Buescher at Bristol Motor Speedway

· Last season Buescher finished 14th in the No. 17 in the inaugural Bristol Dirt event after starting from the 11th spot.

· Overall at BMS, Buescher has two top-10s with a career-best fifth-place run back in the 2013 fall race. He most recently ran eighth in the fall of 2020.

· He also made five Xfinity starts at BMS with three top-10s, including a best effort of third in 2015.

Scott Graves at Bristol Motor Speedway

· Graves is coming off an impressive year one at the Bristol Dirt race, where he led Ryan Newman to a fifth-place run in 2021, which stands as his best finish at Bristol in his Cup career.

· Graves otherwise has one top-10 – a P9 – in the 2019 spring race, and five top-15s overall.

QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on racing at Bristol:
“Bristol weekend is always exciting for me as it stands as my favorite track and is always a blast. Putting dirt on it makes it that much more challenging, but hopefully in our case makes it more fun. We’re looking forward to a full weekend to continue our grind in the Fastenal Ford.”

Last Time Out
Buescher drove his Fastenal Ford to a 15th-place run at Martinsville last Saturday night after a career-best qualifying effort of fourth.

On the Car

Fastenal, in its 12th season with RFK in 2022, makes its sixth 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 Kimberly Clark Pro, CRC Industries, Sqwincher / Kent Precision, Duracell Industrial Operations and Bosch Tool 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.

Team: No. 6 Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Josh Sell
Twitter: @RFK6Team, @RFKRacing and @keselowski
Race Format: 125.5 miles, 250 laps, Stages: 75-75-100

First Practice – Friday, April 15 at 4:05 p.m. ET on FS1
Final Practice – Friday, April 15 at 6:35 p.m. ET on FS1
Heat Races – Saturday, April 16 at 6 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
Feature Race – Sunday, April 17 at 7 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Weekend Format

· Heat races return for this weekend’s dirt racing, with a random draw set to determine Saturday’s heat race starting lineups.

· Passing and finishing points from each heat race will determine lineups for Sunday night’s feature race. Drivers will receive one point for each spot improved in their respective heat, with finishing points on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale.

Keselowski at Bristol Motor Speedway

· In last year’s inaugural dirt race at Bristol, Keselowski finished 11th after starting 20th.

· Overall at Bristol Motor Speedway, Keselowski has three wins in 23 starts with a 16.8 average finish. He’s finished top-10 in eight of those races, six of which were in the top five.

· He most recently won the 2020 spring race after starting from the pole, and also won back-to-back races in the 2011 fall event and 2012 spring race.

· Dating back the last four races on the concrete at Bristol, Keselowski has three finishes of sixth or better. Separately, he’s led laps in 13 different Bristol events for 904 overall, his second-best effort among all tracks.

· Keselowski also made 14 Xfinity starts at Bristol with one win and eight top-10s, and seven Truck starts with one win and three top-10s.

Josh Sell at Bristol Motor Speedway

· Sell will be on the box for his fourth race as fill-in crew chief, as Matt McCall is set to return next weekend at Talladega.

QUOTE WORTHY
Keselowski on racing at Bristol:
“This will be yet another interesting weekend with still a lot of unknowns as to how the track will be, how these Next Gen cars will manage, and how teams react to all those factors. Last year was all over the place with how the weather affected our weekend, so hoping for a good weekend in that area. We’re going to give it our best shot, and glad to have Solomon Plumbing on the car with us for their first race.”

Last Time Out

Keselowski finished 17th last Saturday night at Martinsville in a race dominated by green-flag conditions.

On the Car

Solomon Plumbing makes its debut with RFK Racing this weekend on the Bristol Dirt as the primary for Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford. The Michigan-based company specializes in plumbing and fire services for new development, construction and complete remodeling.

About Solomon Plumbing
We specialize in plumbing and fire services for new development, construction and complete remodeling. We are the developer’s choice to provide turn-key plumbing and fire solutions from start to finish. This includes multi-unit housing, high rise buildings and complete residential developments. We are committed to fulfilling your plumbing and fire needs with honesty and integrity, exceeding your expectations for service, quality, and value.

Solomon Plumbing has been developing long term business relationships across the United States with a strong reputation for high quality craftsmanship and service commitment. Contact us today to discuss your next project.

Food City Dirt Race
Bristol Motor Speedway
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Sunday, April 17 at 7 p.m. ET on FOX

Noah Gragson, No. 16 Chevy Truck Month Camaro ZL1

• Gragson has made two starts in the NCS, both in 2022
• Gragson made two dirt-racing starts at Eldora Speedway (2017 and 2018) in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) and finished in the top 10 in both events

“I’m really looking forward to racing at Bristol this weekend in our No. 16 Chevy Truck Month Camaro. There are a few unknowns going into the weekend with the new car, but I think with practice and the heat races, that will give us a good amount of track time to get a feel for everything. Our goal is to keep the car in one piece for the whole race and be there at the end.” – Noah Gragson

Crew Chief, Matt Swiderski on the Food City Dirt Race:

“Learning the new car on a dirt track will be a challenge, but we are trying to pay close attention to detail and focus on making sure we have a car that will withstand the full race, as well as something Noah can be competitive in and have a shot with at the end.” – Matt Swiderski

Justin Haley, No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1

Haley has earned two top-15 finishes so far during the 2022 NCS season
Although he did not compete in last year’s Bristol dirt race, Haley comes from a dirt-racing background and competes in the UMP Dirt Modified Series

“I’m excited to do some dirt racing, which is my bread and butter. I had an opportunity to race my dirt modified car at Bristol a few weeks ago and was able to get some track time. I think the NEXT Gen car will be pretty fast and have a good amount of grip. Hopefully we can all put on a good show for the fans.” – Justin Haley

Crew Chief, Trent Owens on the Food City Dirt Race:

“Given Justin’s (Haley) dirt-racing experience, I expect him to adapt quickly to the new car this weekend at Bristol. Everyone will be in a similar position as us with the new car and different tires. With practice and the heat races, we will have plenty of time to learn the track for the main event. I’m optimistic Kaulig Racing will do well this weekend.” – Trent Owens

About Kaulig Racing™

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started and made the Championship 4 round in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. They will continue fielding three, full-time NXS entries; the No. 10 Chevrolet driven by Landon Cassill, the No. 11 Chevrolet driven by Daniel Hemric, and the No. 16 Chevrolet driven by AJ Allmendinger. With multiple wins, Kaulig Racing has come to be one of the top competitors on track each weekend. The team made multiple starts in the NCS in 2021 and won in its seventh-ever start with AJ Allmendinger’s victory at “The Brickyard” for the Verizon 200 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The young team has acquired two charters for the 2022 NCS season, with Justin Haley competing as its first, full-time driver in the series. The team’s second entry will be shared by part-time teammates AJ Allmendinger, Daniel Hemric and Noah Gragson. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

COLE CUSTER
Bristol Dirt Advance
No. 41 Jacob Construction/HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Food City Dirt Race (Round 9 of 36)
● Time/Date: 7 p.m. EDT on Sunday, April 17
● Location: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway
● Layout: .533-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 250 laps/133.25 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 75 laps / Stage 2: 75 laps / Final Stage: 100 laps
● TV/Radio: FOX / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● The season’s first short-track swing concludes under the lights for the second weekend in a row but in a rare Sunday-night event for Cole Custer and the No. 41 Ford Mustang team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) on the dirt-covered Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway oval. The second-ever Food City Dirt Race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway – which joins the Memorial Day-weekend Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway and the Labor Day-weekend Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C) Raceway as the only Sunday-night races on this year’s NASCAR Cup Series tour – will be even more of a rarity as it’ll be just the 12th race in NASCAR’s 70-year history ever held on Easter and the first since 1989.

● Riding along with Custer and his SHR Mustang for the first time this weekend is Jacob Construction, a multifaceted construction firm with a focus on construction, development, design and technology services. Jacob provides clients with a wide range of services in the design build and construction management sectors of the construction industry. In conjunction with these services, Jacob self performs structural concrete, architectural and structural precast erection.

● Sunday night’s 250-lap race around the .533-mile, dirt-covered Bristol oval will be Custer’s 84th Cup Series start and his fifth at Bristol. The 24-year-old from Ladera Ranch, California, started 21st and finished 24th in last year’s inaugural Food City Dirt Race, the first Cup Series event held on dirt in 50 years.

● The 2020 Cup Series Rookie of the Year was no stranger to competing on dirt in a NASCAR event when he arrived at Bristol last spring. He drove the No. 00 JR Motorsports entry in the 2015 and 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races on the half-mile dirt oval at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, owned by SHR co-owner Tony Stewart. He qualified 24th and finished 29th in the July 2015 race, then came back a year later to finish sixth from 23rd on the grid.

● The two Truck Series appearances by Custer on the dirt at Eldora came during a successful seven-year run by the series that began in 2013. The inaugural race there in July 2013 marked the first time in more than four decades a top NASCAR series had competed on dirt – the previous occurring on Sept. 30, 1970 at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, where Richard Petty drove to the 117th of his record 200 career Cup Series wins. Like the annual Eldora Truck Series races, it was on a Wednesday night and contested on a half-mile oval. There was never a repeat winner in the Truck Series race at Eldora, and five of its seven winners are entered in this weekend’s Food City Dirt Race – Austin Dillon (2013), Bubba Wallace (2014), Christopher Bell (2015), Kyle Larson (2016) and SHR’s Chase Briscoe (2018). and Stewart Friesen (2019). The two Eldora winners not entered at Bristol are Matt Crafton (2017) and Stewart Friesen (2019).

● Saturday night on the half-mile, paperclip-shaped Martinsville (Va.) Speedway oval, Custer qualified third and ran in the top-five during the opening two stages before he was penalized for an uncontrolled tire during a pit stop, leaving him with a 21st-place finish. He arrives at Bristol 24th in the driver standings.

Cole Custer, Driver of the No. 41 Jacob Construction/HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

What are your expectations for Bristol dirt with the new NextGen car?

“I don’t know if it’ll honestly be that much different than the old car. It looked like they had a good test with the NextGen car with Stewart Friesen, and I think they changed the track a little bit to make it more racey, but overall it looked like it was pretty similar. I think we’ll just have to see when we get there.”

How different do you think it’ll be racing at night this year instead of the daytime?

“I think it’ll definitely make the racing better, make visibility better. Last year, you couldn’t even see a foot in front of you, at times, just because of all the dust and the sun and the glare and everything. So, from a driver’s standpoint, it’ll definitely help a lot and it’ll also hopefully help the racing by keeping more moisture in the track.”

Have you done anything special to prepare for this weekend’s race?

“I went out and tested a Dirt Late Model, and obviously it’s not going to be extremely similar. But just getting in the dirt and getting a feel for it again and kind of seeing how the track changes and everything, it’s good to get your feet wet again and get a jumpstart for the weekend.”

What do you think will be the key to running well on the dirt this weekend?

“I think it’s going to be important to get through your heat race good and kind of start your race off good because, if you start behind, it can definitely kind of throw you for a loop, and then you’re kind of fighting and maybe you do something that you don’t want to and you get yourself in a bad position. I think the heat race is important, and then it’s going to be a lot about attrition. I think just staying clean is going to be one of the biggest things, and not making mistakes and just being there at the end, because there are going to be a lot of guys who do make mistakes and it’s going to be a matter of limited mistakes. Last year, it was a lot to take in, being our first time on dirt there. And this weekend, we wipe the slate clean going back with the NextGen car.”

Who do you expect will do well this weekend?

“I think it’s going to be the guys who have raced a lot of dirt before, obviously guys like Kyle Larson and Ricky Stenhouse and Chase (Briscoe) – those guys are going to be good just because they’ve raced a lot of dirt before and at a high level. There are going to be some guys who are pavement racers who are going to get up there and race, but I think we’re going to try to make sure we cross the T’s and dot the I’s and hopefully not make any huge mistakes, and try to get as much speed out of our Jacob Construction Mustang as possible.”

No. 41 Jacob Construction/HaasTooling.com Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Cole Custer
Hometown: Ladera Ranch, California

Crew Chief: Mike Shiplett
Hometown: Amherst, Ohio

Car Chief: Tony Cardamone
Hometown: Bristol, Virginia

Engineer: Lee Deese
Hometown: Rockingham, North Carolina

Engineer: Scott Bingham
Hometown: Lawrenceville, Georgia

Spotter: Andy Houston
Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Josh Leslie
Hometown: Mount Clemens, Michigan

Rear Tire Changer: Coleman Dollarhide
Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Chad Emmons
Hometown: Tyler, Texas

Jack Man: Matthew Schlytter

Hometown: Ponte Vedra, Florida

Fuel Man: Dewayne Moore
Hometown: Griffin, Georgia

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Joe Zanolini
Hometown: Sybertsville, Pennsylvania

Shock Specialist: Aaron Kuehn
Hometown: Kensington, Connecticut

Tire Specialist: Austin Greco
Hometown: Harrisburg, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: David Rodrigues
Hometown: Santa Clarita, California

Transporter Co-Driver: Charlie Schleyer
Hometown: Youngsville, Pennsylvania