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Dean Thompson – Heart of America 200 Race Advance

Race Advance – Heart of America 200 (134 Laps/201 Miles) | Kansas Speedway

Saturday, May 14 | Kansas City, Kan. | 8 p.m. ET

TV: FS1 | Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN), Sirius XM Ch. 90

Team: No. 40 Worldwide Express/GlobalTranz/Unishippers Chevrolet Silverado

Driver: Dean Thompson (Anaheim, Calif.) | Crew Chief: Joe Lax

Follow the Team: @NieceMotorsport; @deanthompsonr

Thompson on making his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Debut at Kansas: “It’s a big confidence-booster to go to a track for the first time this year that I’ve already raced at. Our Niece Motorsports No. 40 Worldwide Express team is excited to keep the momentum rolling into Kansas with our sights set on a top-10 finish.”

Thompson at Kansas Speedway: Thompson makes his first-career start at Kansas Speedway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Friday night.

Thompson ran to an eighth-place finish after starting 12th in last October’s ARCA Menards Series race at Kansas.

On the Truck: Thompson and the No. 40 Chevrolet Silverado will have the Worldwide Express/GlobalTranz/Unishippers paint scheme on display for Saturday night’s Heart of America 200 at Kansas.

Last Time Out (Dead On Tools 200 – Start: 33rd / Finish: 14th): Thompson and the No. 40 team’s strategy of staying out while the leaders pitted during the second caution of the night positioned them in ninth-place at the halfway point in Stage One before holding on for a 21st-place finish in the stage on old tires. Thompson continued to battle in the middle of the field in the second stage, crossing the line 26th.

The No. 40 team continued to make adjustments throughout the night and steadily made its way up the leaderboard over the course of several restarts, culminating in a 14th-place finish and his third Sunoco Rookie of the Race honor this season.

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About Niece Motorsports:

Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2022, Niece Motorsports enters its seventh season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices. Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel/lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry. Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as Twitter @NieceMotorsport.

Media Inquiries: media@niecemotorsports.com www.niecemotorsports.com

About Worldwide Express

Worldwide Express, LLC, is a full-service, non-asset-based logistics provider offering access to industry-leading small package, truckload and less-than-truckload shipping solutions and managed transportation services. The family of brands, comprised of Worldwide Express, GlobalTranz and Unishippers, serve more than 120,000 customers spanning from small and mid-size businesses to larger enterprises, with unmatched carrier options and strategic guidance for their supply chains. With an annual systemwide revenue approaching $4 billion, the company is the second-largest privately held freight brokerage and largest non-retail UPS® Authorized Reseller in the country. Through a selective portfolio of 65+ LTL and tens of thousands of truckload carriers, and powered by proprietary technology, clients benefit from an award-winning, relationship-backed approach to solving their shipping needs. To learn more about the brands, please visit www.wwex.com, www.globaltranz.com and www.unishippers.com.

Follow Dean Thompson on Instagram and on the web: @deankthompson / deanthompsonr.com

Era Motorsport Sails on Points Lead into Mid-Ohio Weekend

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., (May 11, 2022) – Era Motorsport has a short drive this weekend from their Indianapolis-based shop to Lexington, Ohio for the fourth round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the Lexus Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio. The team is entering the weekend as the LMP2 class points leaders in the driver standings, ready for the variety of weather the mid-west road circuit may have in store for Sunday’s race.

The team recently traveled to Lexington, Ohio’s Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for a private test, eager to get practice laps in for drivers Dwight Merriman and Ryan Dalziel, while the engineers obtained valuable data to get the jump on their race weekend set up. Though teams normally opt not to test in rainy conditions, Era Motorsport decided to get a few wet laps in, which may prove beneficial for this weekend’s upcoming event. While Friday’s track activities look to enjoy sunny and clear conditions, Saturday’s qualifying session may have afternoon thunderstorms, followed by a chance of scattered thunderstorms on Sunday, race day.

This will be the first time Merriman has raced at the 2.258, 13-turn road course and the first time since 2019 for Dalziel. Together with the team, the pair have momentum on their side, rebounding from an early retirement in round one at the Rolex 24 At Daytona to back-to-back podium finishes at the Twelve Hours of Sebring and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The team’s second-place finish at Laguna Seca brought the squad to the LMP2 points lead, giving them strong footing to keep moving forward this weekend at Mid-Ohio.

The LMP2 class will account for six of the 24 entries competing in the two-hour and forty-minute sprint race. The GTD Pro class will not be racing in the event, leaving the DPi, LMP2, LMP3, and GTD classes to race for overall and class position on the hilly road course.

This weekend’s on-track activities will be condensed into a three-day weekend, with practice one taking place on Friday afternoon. Saturday will hold practice two and qualifying before the field goes green on Sunday. The Lexus Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio will air live on Sunday, May 15 starting at 2:00 PM Eastern on the USA Network and stream live on Peacock. International audiences can stream on imsa.tv or check IMSA’s International Coverage page.

EVENT SCHEDULE | All Times Eastern

Friday, May 13

4:00 PM – 5:30 PM Practice 1

Saturday, May 14

9:00 AM – 10:30 AM Practice 2

2:05 PM – 2:20 PM LMP2 Qualifying

Sunday, May 15

8:40 AM – 9:00 AM Warm-Up

11:00 AM – 11:30 AM Autograph Session

12:55 PM – 1:50 PM Open Grid Fan Walk

2:10 PM – 4:50 PM Lexus Grand Prix at Mid Ohio | Live on USA & Peacock

DRIVER QUOTES

Dwight Merriman

While we don’t know what the weather has in store for us this weekend at Mid-Ohio, we’re expecting to be strong and consistent here. We’re coming off a great run at Laguna Seca, and we’ve also put in both some wet and dry laps to get ready for this weekend. We’ve got some good competition in the LMP2 class, but I’m feeling good about the team we have lined up.

Ryan Dalziel

Daytona was pretty rough on us. We had the early setback, but probably one of the best comeback races we ever had. With 23 minutes to go in fourth, we lost the gearbox. We had a good rebound at Sebring but got a puncture towards the end, otherwise, we would have been in contention. In Laguna Seca, we were strong from when we unloaded. Mid-Ohio is a continuation of that momentum and constant improvement. We try to do as much as we can with Dwight between races. There’s a balance in how hard you push your Am drivers to continue their development and racecraft. We tested at Mid-Ohio a few weeks ago to continue that development, and we were able to get in a couple of dry laps at the end of the day. Everybody likes to win races, but it takes consistency to win championships. Mid-Ohio ranks up there as one of the least enjoyable places in the rain, so hopefully, it stays dry.

About Era Motorsport
Era Motorsport was formed in 2018 with the idea of providing unmatched excellence in historic racing. Just two years later, the team expanded to the world of professional sports car racing, fielding an Oreca 07 in the prolific IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2021, the team went on to win at the iconic Rolex 24 At Daytona, in what was their second attempt competing in the event. Motorsport isn’t just a hobby, it is a way of life: a passion that is in the team’s blood. Whether you find us in the IMSA WeatherTech paddock with modern prototypes or chasing down lap records in our fully restored classic sports cars, or even globetrotting to experience historic F1 at some of the world’s most iconic circuits, Era Motorsport has something for everyone. In 2021, the team secured a prestigious victory at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, and also became class champions in the Asian Le Mans Series.

Rebel Rock Racing Looking to Improve Fortunes at Mid-Ohio

IMSA Weathertech Lagune Seca 2022

LEXINGTON, Ohio (11 May 2022) – Rebel Rock Racing will be looking to rebound when the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge returns to action with Saturday’s Round 4 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend. Frank DePew and Robin Liddell are coming off 15th-place finishes in the two most recent races at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Sebring International Raceway in the No. 71 Urban Grid Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R.

The team, which has demonstrated race-winning execution from both sides of the pit wall, is hoping that the quick turn-around between race events helps bring the squad back to the sharp end of the field as IMSA visits the central Ohio natural terrain road circuit.

“We’re going into this race with our eyes open, and we’re hoping to get out of there with a decent result, without any car damage,” DePew said. “We’re looking forward to getting to the tracks where we feel that we and the car can perform at our best.”

Liddell is hoping for a better showing than last week’s event at Laguna Seca.

“It’s been a short turnaround, but we got the car back to the shop in time and set it up, so that everything’s going ahead of plan,” said Liddell, who doubles in the role of team manager. “We’re a little disappointed with our performance at Laguna, but we’re hoping we should do a little bit better at Mid-Ohio. With that said, we’re not expecting to set the world alight there. We don’t really have the flat-out performance of the car right now, but we are optimistic about doing better than we did at Laguna.”

An uptick in fortunes at Mid-Ohio would be welcomed by the team. In last year’s Mid-Ohio 120, the team lost ground with a spin on Lap 5 and an ensuing pit lane procedure penalty. Liddell came back in the final hour to regain five positions on the way to a 14th-place finish. In 2020, the team missed both races in a doubleheader weekend due to an accident during opening practice.

“Historically, Mid-Ohio isn’t one of the better tracks for our Camaro,” said Depew. “It also hasn’t been one of the better tracks for me, from a performance perspective. We’re hoping to go there and have a good, clean race. If we’re in the top 10 and leave there with an undamaged Camaro, then we’ll be heading to a number of tracks where we believe the car is slightly more competitive and where the team has generally performed well.”

Practice for the Mid-Ohio 120 begins on Friday at 9:15 a.m., with a second one-hour session at 12:45 p.m. (all times ET). GS qualifying is Friday evening at 6:10 p.m. The two-hour race takes the green flag on Friday at 4:05 p.m. (Peacock, live).

Additional updates via:

http://rebelrockracing.co
https://twitter.com/rebelrockracing
https://www.instagram.com/rebelrockracing/

BRYAN CATHCART EAGER FOR SEASON OPENER

(May 11, 2022) Bryan Cathcart has been busy preparing for his return to competition in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series which gets underway this coming Saturday at Sunset Speedway near Innisfil, ON. Cathcart will pilot his familiar #71 Dodge at all events this season. This will be the Peterborough, ON drivers first Pinty’s Series races since 2016.

Quote:
“I’m looking forward to getting the season started and sharing the experience with my family at the racetracks. It’s phenomenal to see how the Pinty’s Series has grown, the field of cars this year will be big and with the return to Western Canada and the new event in Newfoundland, it should be a fun year to be part of it” Bryan Cathcart, Driver #71 Dodge

Weekend Race Event Preview
Saturday May 14th
NTN Ultimate Bearing Experience 250
Race one of 13 in 2022
This is the seventh NASCAR Pinty’s Series race at Sunset Speedway

The Track:
.333-mile, paved, semi-banked

Best finish: First race at Sunset

TV & Live Streaming
All races will be streamed live on TSN.ca and the TSN app in Canada and through FloRacing in the United States. Race broadcasts will also air on TSN Sunday May 22 at 4PM Eastern and on RDS2 Saturday June 4th at 7PM Eastern.

The 2022 NASCAR Pinty’s Series will consist of 13 total races in five provinces with a mixture of oval tracks, road and street courses.

Hendrick Motorsports Media Advance: Kansas

Kansas Speedway
Sunday, May 15, 2022
1.5-Mile Oval
3:00 PM ET
Location: Kansas City, Kansas
TV: Fox
Event: NASCAR Cup Series (13 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

SPORTING IN KC: Last October at Kansas Speedway, Kyle Larson led 130 of 267 laps en route to victory. The result marked the second time in 2021 that he won three consecutive NASCAR Cup Series points-paying races – the first driver to win three consecutive races on two separate occasions in one season since Dale Earnhardt did so in 1987.

FAMILIAR SIGHT UP FRONT: During his 2021 championship year, Larson set the record for most laps led during a season on 1.5-mile tracks with 1,317 circuits at the front of the field. In two races at Kansas, he paced the field for 262 laps while all other drivers combined to lead just 10 more (272).

SECOND IN COMMAND: Larson ranks second this season in top-five finishes with five, trailing only Ross Chastain who has seven. Larson has a victory at Auto Club Speedway, a runner-up finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a fifth-place result at Richmond Raceway and fourth-place finishes at the dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

RANKING UP: Along with his win in 2021, Larson has four top-five finishes and six top-10s in 14 starts at the 1.5-mile Kansas track. His 426 laps led at the venue ranks sixth all-time. Larson also has three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the track with his best finish of fifth occurring in 2016.

WON.5 MILERS: Prior to his victory at Las Vegas in March 2021, Larson had scored nine runner-up finishes – the most all-time without a Cup Series victory – in 71 career starts on 1.5-mile tracks. The 29-year-old driver now has four victories in the last 10 races held on tracks of that length.

ONLY TWO: Since his first race with Hendrick Motorsports at the beginning of 2021, Larson leads the Cup Series with four victories on 1.5-mile tracks. Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron is the only other driver to post multiple wins (two) on that length of track during that span.

STAYING CLOSE TO HOME: From Wednesday to Friday of this week, the Elk Grove, California, native is scheduled to compete in a dirt late model on The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway. HendrickCars.com will appear on Larson’s car, uniform, gloves and helmet.

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME: For the fifth time this season, Larson and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team will wear their “home” white uniforms at Kansas Speedway. Home races occur in markets where there are Hendrick Automotive Group dealerships nearby, and the Kansas City area is home to five 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 UniFirst Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

KANSAS STATS: On Sunday, Chase Elliott is set to make his 13th Kansas Speedway start at the NASCAR Cup Series level. In his previous 12 races at the track, he garnered one win (2018), six top-five finishes – the second-most top-five results at a track in his Cup career – eight top-10s and 187 laps led. He has finished inside the top 10 in six of the last seven races at the 1.5-mile venue. Elliott also holds the second-best average finish (9.8) among active drivers with more than five starts at Kansas, behind only Kevin Harvick.

NO. 9 IS TOPS: Elliott expanded his hold of the Cup Series points lead to 65 markers over Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron and Ryan Blaney. Including a tie earlier in the season, this marks the eighth consecutive week the Dawsonville, Georgia, native has been atop the standings.

KINGS OF CONSISTENCY: Elliott and his No. 9 crew have been the most consistent team in the Cup Series garage in 2022. Following the weekend at Darlington Raceway, they now have an average finish of 9.25. That is the best in the field by nearly three positions and the only team to be in the single digits. Through 12 races in 2022, Elliott has nine top-10 finishes (most among all drivers), including five in a row, which is the longest active streak in the series.

FRONT RUNNER: The No. 9 team has spent a lot of time at the front of the field this season, with Elliott leading 349 laps and spending a total of 1,298 circuits inside the top-five. His 2,094 laps raced inside the top-10 this season is second most behind only his teammate Byron.

1.5-MILE STATS: This weekend at Kansas, Elliott will make his 68th start on a 1.5-mile track in the Cup Series. In his previous 67 races, Elliott has led 871 laps. Along with two victories (Charlotte Motor Speedway and Kansas), he has collected 22 top-five finishes – eight of which are runner-up results – and 37 top-10s on 1.5-milers.

TOP-10 STREAK: Elliott currently holds the longest active streak of top-10 finishes on 1.5-mile tracks in the Cup Series with eight. This streak is also the longest by a Hendrick Motorsports driver since Jeff Gordon had eight straight top-10s between 2008 and 2009. The last Hendrick Motorsports driver with more than eight consecutive top-10 finishes at mile-and-a-half facilities was Jimmie Johnson with 10 (2004-2005).

GUSTAFSON AT KANSAS: No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson is set to call his 29th Kansas Cup Series race. In his previous 28 starts at the track with five different drivers (Kyle Busch, Casey Mears, Mark Martin, Gordon and Elliott), he has accumulated two wins – one with Gordon and one with Elliott – 10 top-five finishes, 16 top-10s and 305 laps led.

BACK HOME: No. 9 team jackman T.J. Semke hails from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, less than 40 miles from Kansas Speedway. Before stepping on the football field at the University of Kansas in 2012, Semke was a part-time bounty hunter. The 29-year-old was a defensive lineman for the Jayhawks for three years, earning Academic All-Big 12 Second Team honors twice. Semke signed with Hendrick Motorsports in October 2016.

RETURN OF UNIFIRST: This weekend at Kansas, UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF), a North American leader in providing customized work uniform programs, corporate attire, and facility service products, will serve as the primary sponsor on the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. This will mark the second of three races that the UniFirst will partner with the team in 2022. Earlier this year, Hendrick Motorsports and UniFirst announced a partnership extension, keeping UniFirst with the team through the 2028 season.

24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 24 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Resides: Charlotte, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 2nd-Tied

No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

OH, SO CLOSE: On Saturday, William Byron climbed behind the wheel of the No. 24 Super Late Model at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. Taking the lead on lap 21, Byron commanded the field until a late race caution with 11 laps to go. Losing the lead on the restart, Byron was able to battle back and secure his fourth Super Late Model win of the year with Wilson Motorsports. The following day, Byron picked up where he left off, running up front for the majority of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway. Taking the lead on lap 268, Byron looked poised to pick up his third Cup Series win of the season until being moved out of the way prior to taking the white flag, sustaining right side damage that resulted in a 13th-place finish.

RACKING ‘EM UP: Byron is continuing to have a career-best year in the Cup Series. The 24-year-old has scored two wins, four top-five finishes, eight top-10s, three stage wins, led 544 laps and accumulated 13 playoff points. All of those statistics are his best marks through 12 races in his Cup Series career – except for top-five finishes which are tied for his most. He is currently tied for second in the driver point standings behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott and is locked into the Cup Series Playoffs for a fourth consecutive season.

LEADING THE FIELD: With 12 races complete in 2022, Byron has led laps in nine of them – tied for the second-most with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson and the most races that Byron has led through 12 races. His 544 laps led, 1,565 laps run within the top-five and 2,276 laps run within the top-10 are all the top marks in the series. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native’s 13 playoff points are also the most by any driver so far this season.

1.5-MILE MOMENTUM: Byron is no stranger to success on mile-and-a-half tracks during his Cup Series career. In 2021, he picked up the win at the third race of the year at Homestead-Miami Speedway – his first on that configuration. He went on to collect seven top-10 finishes across nine races on 1.5-mile tracks throughout the season. This season, the Cup Series has raced at two 1.5-mile tracks – Las Vegas Motor Speedway – where Byron scored a top-five finish and Atlanta Motor Speedway where Byron captured his first win of the 2022 season. He is one of five drivers to finish in the top-10 in both 1.5-mile races this season and only one of two drivers to finish in the top-five of both races. In fact, since the start of 2021, Byron has nine top-10 finishes on that track length – tied for the most with Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. – and has an average finish of 7.45. He also has led laps in five consecutive races on 1.5-milers – tied for the most with Larson – and has the second longest active streak of top-10 finishes on this configuration.

HOT START AT KANSAS: Out of the gate, Byron found success at Kansas Speedway in just his first two NASCAR national series starts at the 1.5-mile track. With one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start in 2016 and one NASCAR Xfinity Series start in 2017, Byron finished no worse than fourth in both events. In his debut at the intermediate oval – just his fifth Truck Series start – Byron led 34 laps and collected his win which kickstarted the most successful season by a rookie in the history of the series.

MIDWEST MOJO: Byron has eight Cup Series starts at Kansas. While faced with bad luck in his first three races which included a mechanical failure, a late-race on-track incident and a pit road penalty, he has since turned that luck around. In his last five starts at the 1.5-mile track, Byron has collected one top-five finish and five top-10s. His five-consecutive top-10 finishes at Kansas are tied with Kevin Harvick and Truex Jr. for the longest active top-10 streak at the intermediate track. It is also the track where Byron has the longest top-10 streak in his Cup Series career. In 2021, Byron spent 403 laps running within the top 10 at Kansas – the fifth most among drivers – and 289 laps within the top five (the second-most) with 57 laps led (the third-most).

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE KANSAS: Looking to make his third start as a Cup Series crew chief at Kansas this Sunday, Rudy Fugle’s two Cup Series races at the Midwest track resulted in a ninth-place effort in the spring of 2021 and a sixth-place finish in the fall with the No. 24 team. Aside from those two Cup Series starts, the Livonia, New York, native has 12 previous starts at the 1.5-mile oval, with 10 coming in the Truck Series. At Kansas, Fugle’s drivers have started from the pole four times, led 396 laps, and collected two wins (2016 & 2018), five top-five finishes and six top-10s. In fact, his 2016 win came with Byron, who captured his first Truck Series win in just their fifth start together.

SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED: Last Thursday, Hendrick Motorsports announced a three-year contract extension for Byron and the 14-time championship organization. Per the agreement, Byron will remain behind the wheel of the No. 24 through the 2025 Cup Series season. To read more on the contract extension, click here.

RAPTOR® TOUGH: Returning for this weekend, Byron will race the No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Sunday’s event at Kansas. RAPTOR® is a durable protective coating and bed liner that is designed to tolerate the toughest climatic conditions and can be applied to a wide range of substrates from steel, wood, concrete and plaster to plastics and composites. Resistant to common fuels, U.V., scratches and stains, RAPTOR® is available at local paint distributors, auto parts stores and can also be purchased from online retailers like Amazon.

48 Alex Bowman
Age: 29 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Resides: Concord, North Carolina
Crew Chief: Greg Ives
Standings: 8th

No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

STILL BEST: Through 12 races in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series, Alex Bowman has a career-best seven top-10 finishes in those events. Prior to this year, the 29-year-old driver’s best start to the season saw him notch four top-10s through 12 races in his banner year in 2021. Bowman’s seven front-running results are tied for the third-most among drivers this season. Only Kyle Busch and teammate Chase Elliott have more, with eight and nine top-10s, respectively.

RACK THEM UP: The Tucson, Arizona, native currently sits eighth in points after tallying 357 markers through 12 starts in the 2022 Cup Series season. This is the second time in his Cup Series career that Bowman has been scored within the top 10 in the standings through 12 starts, matching this year’s performance in 2020.

KANSAS LOVE: Having already tallied a win at a 1.5-mile venue (Las Vegas Motor Speedway) this season, Bowman heads to Kansas Speedway this weekend with confidence. The driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has collected two top-five finishes with a track-best runner-up finish in May 2019. His five top-10s in the Sunflower State match his most at any track (with Dover Motor Speedway being the other track where he has five top-10s). An average finish of 9.7 is his best at any active oval on the circuit since he started racing at Hendrick Motorsports. Bowman also has a start at Kansas in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in October 2013 where he took home an 11th-place result.

THE SHOWMAN ON 1.5-MILERS: In his last two appearances on 1.5-mile tracks, Bowman has won (Las Vegas, March 2022) and finished 10th at Atlanta Motor Speedway (March 2022). He is one of five drivers to notch top-10 finishes at both Las Vegas and Atlanta this season. Dating back to the start of the 2021 season, Bowman has garnered six top-10s on 1.5-mile circuits (the eighth-most in that stretch).

DYNAMIC DUO: Since Bowman and No. 48 crew chief Greg Ives have teamed up in the Cup Series, the duo has racked up two wins (Las Vegas in March 2022, Chicagoland Speedway in June 2019) one second-place finish, 10 top-fives and 21 top-10s in their 49 starts on 1.5-mile tracks. Across all starts in the Cup Series on these circuits, Bowman and Ives have an average finish on 14.4.

A TRIP TO THE DIRT: Bowman will run the No. 55 Ally sprint car for Alex Bowman Racing on Wednesday in the World of Outlaws at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pennsylvania. Last time at the dirt track, he made the feature race after placing fifth in his heat race. Bowman finished the 30-lap feature in 17th after being involved in an on-track incident on lap 27.

GREAT EIGHT: Hendrick Motorsports has won eight times at Kansas Speedway, which is the most among all NASCAR Cup Series teams. Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson each earned three victories. Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson have both won once at the venue.

1-2 SWEEP: Last season’s 1-2 finish in the October race at Kansas by Larson and Elliott is one of two times that a team swept the top two spots at the Sunflower State track. The team now known as RFK Racing swept the top three spots in the October 2005 race.

STILL STREAKING: Dating back to last October at Texas Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports has won the last four races at 1.5-mile tracks. Larson won at Texas and Kansas in 2021. This season, Alex Bowman won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and William Byron won at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Such a streak has occurred only one other time in the Cup Series with Furniture Row Racing accomplishing it in 2017.

BIG BOUNCE BACK ON THE HORIZON: Hendrick Motorsports has followed up a last-place finish in a race with a win eight times. Larson finished last at Darlington Raceway after an engine issue. Two of the last three times this has occurred, the organization rebounded to win with the most recent instance being Elliott following up a last-place result at Pocono Raceway with a win at Watkins Glen International in 2019.

QUICK WORK: With all four drivers visiting victory lane in the season’s first 11 races, the 2022 driver lineup of Hendrick Motorsports is the fastest to have all four win. The previous top mark belonged to the 2007 Hendrick Motorsports four-car brigade and the 2016 Joe Gibbs Racing quartet – which each needed 12 races before all its drivers were victorious.

FLY THE W: Since the start of the 2021 Cup Series season, Hendrick Motorsports has recorded 22 points-paying race wins. The total is equal to that of the next four teams combined: Joe Gibbs Racing (11 victories), Team Penske (seven), Stewart-Haas Racing (two) and Trackhouse Racing (two). Four other active teams have recorded one win apiece during that span.

NEARING 100,000: Since Hendrick Motorsports was founded in 1984, it has led a record 99,599.90 miles in points-paying Cup Series races. The team is less than 401 miles from hitting 100,000 led at NASCAR’s top level. Last season, Hendrick Motorsports led 5,662.77 miles. Through 12 races in 2022, it has led 1,142.43 miles. At Kansas, the organization has led 2,535 miles. Earlier this season, the team hit another major milestone – its 2,000th top-10 finish in the Cup Series – at the dirt track of Bristol Motor Speedway.

QUOTABLE /

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the racing groove at Kansas Speedway: “At Fontana, we were able to run really close to the wall, so I would imagine it’s pretty easy to run next to the wall at Kansas. I love Kansas – it’s definitely one of my favorite tracks. It does have multiple lanes, typically. If that top lane gets going really fast, it does make it hard to pass. I hope we can run the bottom, middle and top.”

Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on if 2021 success translates to this year: “We had success there last year, but this weekend is another track we are visiting for the first time with the Next Gen car so there is still a lot to learn. Kansas is just one of those tracks where you have to respect the track because it can draw you into thinking it’s pretty straightforward, but the lanes can change a lot throughout the race. Everybody thinks you can run up top, then everybody does and it’ll fall off, so you have to be good enough to move down the track. And right as you think the strategy will be simple, a caution will come out and change everything you’re doing. You really have to be on your game in the moment and respect the track and the race. Past success always gives you confidence, but it’s still the new car at a track we haven’t competed on with it yet.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Kansas: “We’ve had some pretty good finishes at Kansas in recent years and had built up a solid playbook, but I feel like a lot of that is out the window with this new car. We weren’t that great at Vegas earlier this year, but we were pretty decent in Atlanta. I think we’ve learned a lot more about the car in general since those races and the changes that we can make to get the most out of it. Each track presents its own set of challenges, but I think our team as a whole has done a good job of adapting and I don’t think that will be any different this weekend.”

Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the challenge of the Next Gen car as teams continue to head to tracks for the first time: “It’s a big challenge. Probably a bigger challenge than what’s conveyed, just watching the races and what the fans would see at home. There’s a huge amount of unknowns and there’s a lot of pressure and focus for us to get the car right off the truck, because with just 15 minutes of practice there’s really few things you can do. And then I think for the drivers too, there’s a lot of pressure.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 on what he expects this weekend at Kansas: “While most of these tracks this year we’ve had to re-learn because of the Next Gen car, I think I’m a bit more confident on what to expect heading to Kansas this weekend. Not all mile-and-a-half tracks are the same but I feel like Kansas and Las Vegas are the most similar to each other. We raced at Vegas earlier this year and ran really well. The only real difference is I feel like Kansas is a more temperature sensitive racetrack and has less grip. We’ve ran well at Kansas over the past couple years, so I think with the notebook we’ve built so far and our past experiences there, we should have a good shot at the win this weekend.”

Rudy Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on preparing for Kansas: “We’re continuing to build on our intermediate package as the season goes with the Next Gen car. Since the second Charlotte test, we’ve raced at Las Vegas and Atlanta and been able to add those notes in. I think we can really use some of our notes from Vegas for this weekend especially since we will be using the same right side tire we ran there. I also think some of our notes from the fall race at Kansas last season will correlate as well. With its progressive banking and with how sensitive it is to temperature, we’ll have to keep up with the track not only throughout the weekend but throughout the race on Sunday to be in contention at the end.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 on heading to one of his favorite tracks: “Kansas Speedway has always been a place I feel like I run well at. Getting the win at Las Vegas this season helps our confidence at a similar track. We have to stay focused and take it one race at a time and this week, it is a place that I enjoy racing at.”

Greg Ives, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 on resetting his focus for Kansas: “We had a tough weekend in Darlington and didn’t get it right when it came time to adjust the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, but that stays at Darlington. We have a brand new weekend ahead of us at a track that Alex (Bowman) really likes. We will go back to what works for us and get the car in a place that we think will give Bowman the best chance to be competitive and work on it during practice to get the little details right.”

RFK Weekly Advance | Kansas I

Roush Fenway Keselowski Weekly Advance | Kansas I

The NASCAR Cup schedule heads next to Kansas Speedway for the first of two trips to the track, where Jack Roush has nine wins overall including four in the NCS.

NASCAR Cup Series Race at Kansas
Sunday, May 15 | 3 p.m. ET
FS1, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
· Brad Keselowski, No. 6 King’s Hawaiian Ford Mustang
· Chris Buescher, No. 17 Castrol GTX Ford Mustang

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Overall, RFK has started 175 races across the three national series, earning nine wins, 41 top-five finishes, 76 top-10 finishes and has an overall average finish of 14.8.

Winning at Kansas

RFK swept both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NCS races at Kansas in the fall of 2012 with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Matt Kenseth. Stenhouse became the sixth driver to win at the track for the organization via his Xfinity victory.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin earned RFK’s first NCS win at Kansas in 2005 and former driver Greg Biffle bested the 1.5-mile track in 2007 and 2010. RFK’s first overall win at Kansas came in 2002 via Jeff Burton in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Three drivers (Jon Wood in 2003, Carl Edwards in 2004 and Erik Darnell in 2007) have won in the NCWTS at Kansas for RFK.

Tale of the Tape

RFK has started 106 NCS races at Kansas, recording four victories, 20 top-five finishes, 36 top-10 finishes, an average finish of 16.5 and has led 970 laps. Kenseth earned the most recent victory at Kansas in the fall of 2012.

RFK Kansas Wins

2002 Burton NXS

2003 Wood Truck

2004 Edwards Truck

2005 Martin Cup

2007 Biffle Cup

2007 Darnell Truck

2010 Biffle Cup

2012-2 Kenseth Cup

2012 Stenhouse NXS

RV Retailer Named Official Motorcoach Partner of Petty GMS

Petty GMS Joins the RV Retailer Family of Drivers

STATESVILLE, N.C. (May 11, 2022) – Petty GMS announced today a partnership with RV Retailer, LLC, a leading recreational vehicle retail company with 97 stores in 30 states, to become the “Official Motorcoach Partner” of its NASCAR Cup Series team for both sales and service.

“RV Retailer is proud to be associated with one of the sports all-time winning legends in Richard Petty along with his winning team in Petty GMS,” said Jon Ferrando, Chief Executive Officer and President of RV Retailer. “This relationship deepens our roots with our enthusiast base of customers we seek to serve in and around NASCAR. The engagement level of RVers at NASCAR events is incredible to see, as races have seen thousands attend NASCAR events live in their RV from race to race for a great family experience.”

Whether visiting a state-of-the-art RV repair and service center or shopping for a new or used motorhome or towable trailer for your next grand adventure, RV Retailer strives to provide an exceptional experience. No matter where the journey begins, RV Retailer is ready to help get you on the road and ready to explore.

“Partnering with RV Retailer allows our front office team to have a place to base operations from while at the track each weekend,” said Mike Beam, President of Petty GMS. “In addition, we will utilize the luxury motorcoach to host and entertain our partners. RV Retailer looks to provide an exceptional experience for all of their guests, and this partnership will allow us to do the same in return.”

The NASCAR Cup Series season continues this weekend at Kansas Speedway, with Petty GMS drivers Ty Dillon and Erik Jones taking to the Kansas tri-oval on Sunday, May 15 at 3:00 p.m. ET. Watch live television coverage on FS1, while the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 carry the radio broadcast.

About RV Retailer, LLC

RV Retailer, LLC is a leading recreational vehicle retail company in the United States with a focus on providing an outstanding experience for recreational vehicle customers in new and used sales, service and parts, and customer financial services. RV Retailer has 96 RV stores in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. Regional store brands include: RV One Superstores, Motor Home Specialist, ExploreUSA, Sonny’s Camp-N-Travel, Cousins RV, Camper Clinic, Lifestyle RVs, Family RV Group, Northgate RV, Tom’s Camperland and Blue Dog RV, which sell a wide range of new and used RV brands with thousands of RVs in inventory.

RV Retailer is led by co-founders Jon Ferrando, Chief Executive Officer and President, and John Rizzo, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. Jon Ferrando and John Rizzo were instrumental in building America’s largest automotive retailer from start-up to over $20 billion in revenue. RV Retailer’s leadership team has over 250 years of automotive and RV retail industry experience.

ABOUT PETTY GMS:

Petty GMS competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, operating the No. 42 Chevrolet for Ty Dillon and the No. 43 Chevrolet for Erik Jones. The newly formed team brought together two storied organizations in December 2021. Over the last decade, owner Maury Gallagher built a victorious team, capturing two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championships, one ARCA Menards Series title, and two ARCA Menards Series East championships, as well as 65 wins and 235 top-five finishes across six series. Richard Petty, a member of the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2010, serves as Chairman of Petty GMS. Petty, known as “The King,” accumulated 200 wins and was the first of three drivers to win seven championships in the Cup Series. For more information, visit www.pettygms.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow Petty GMS on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

WIGHT MOTORSPORTS READY FOR MORE SUCCESS IN 2022

-Five drivers ready to take the green flag

(May 11, 2022) Wight Motorsports Inc (WMI) race shop has been humming for months in preparation for the 2022 NASCAR Pinty’s Series season opener this weekend at Sunset Speedway in Innisfil, ON. And now the team is ready to open the new campaign.

WMI will field five full-time entries this season with Brandon Watson joining the series and gunning for rookie of the year honours. Returning veterans Mark Dilley and TJ Rinomato are back for a second season with WMI. Recently elected to the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame, Glenn Styres is joining the group after a successful debut weekend during last year’s finale. Rounding out the WMI stable of drivers is Three-time Pinty’s Series Champion Andrew Ranger.

Entering their third season in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series WMI is continuing to grow and is looking to build on the success already achieved. Sunset Speedway was the sight of the first two race victories for WMI last season.

Weekend Race Event Preview
Saturday May 14th
NTN Ultimate Bearing Experience 250
Race one of 13 in 2022
This is the seventh NASCAR Pinty’s Series race at Sunset Speedway

The Track:
.333-mile, paved, semi-banked oval

Best finish:
Watson has not raced here, Styres, has not raced here, Dilley-8th in 2021, Rinomato-15th in 2021, Ranger second in 2021.

Quotes:
“It’s been a busy offseason for the WMI team building and preparing new cars and moving into a larger race shop to accommodate the growth we’ve experienced. Getting Brandon to come aboard for the season is very exciting, he’s the only two-time APC Champion and he proved last season he’s ready to win in the Pinty’s Series”.

“Mark and TJ joined us last year and fit in seamlessly, really good to work with. And what can I say about Glenn Styres, he’s had so much racing success, he’s a Hall of Famer and he’s going to attack this new challenge with everything he has. I couldn’t be more excited for the start of the season”.

“Obviously there’s a familiarity with Andrew and we’ll have Cayden Lapcevich as his Crew Chief, that’s a lot of championship experience working together”.

“What a team we’ve assembled, to be entering only our third season in the Pinty’s Series and have this group of five drivers together, it’s pretty special what we’ve been able to accomplish”. -David Wight, WMI Principal

TV & Live Streaming
All races will be streamed live on TSN.ca and the TSN app in Canada and through FloRacing in the United States. Race broadcasts will also air on TSN Sunday May 22 at 4PM Eastern and on RDS2 Saturday June 4th at 7PM Eastern.

The 2022 NASCAR Pinty’s Series will consist of 13 total races in five provinces with a mixture of oval tracks, road and street courses.

Race fans can get the latest information regarding WMI and the drivers on these social media channels:

Wight Motorsports Inc Twitter @Wightmotorsport Instagram @wightmotorsport

Brandon Watson: Instagram @brandonwatson_9

Mark Dilley: Twitter @MarkDilley9 Instagram @markdilley

TJ Rinomato: Twitter TJ_Rinomato Instagram @tjrinomato

Andrew Ranger: Twitter @AndrewRanger51 Instagram @andrew_ranger27

Glenn Styres: Twitter @GlennStyres Instagram @glennstyres

Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Racing: Chase Briscoe Kansas Advance

CHASE BRISCOE
Kansas Advance
No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: AdventHealth 400 (Round 13 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, May 15
● Location: Kansas Speedway in Kansas City
● Layout: 1.5-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 267 laps/400 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 80 laps / Stage 2: 85 laps / Final Stage: 102 laps
● TV/Radio: FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) is 13th in the driver championship point standings, 166 points out of first. With just 12 races complete, he currently holds a spot in the 16-driver playoff field by way of his March 13 win at Phoenix Raceway.

● Briscoe racked up a pair of top-20 finishes in last year’s Cup Series races at Kansas with a best finish of 19th in the October event. Before he arrived in the Cup Series, Briscoe scored several strong runs at the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway in NASCAR’s Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series. Among his four Xfinity Series starts there, he has a pair of top-three finishes, including a win in opening race of the Round of 8 in the 2020 playoffs. He also placed fifth in his lone NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at Kansas.

● Kansas is also the site of the last of Briscoe’s six ARCA Menards Series victories in 2016, which propelled him to the series championship. He totaled 14 top-fives and 18 top-10s in 20 ARCA races that year. In the October 2016 Kansas 150, Briscoe started from the pole and led twice for a race-high 67 laps to secure the victory by 1.464 seconds over Austin Cindric.

● Rush Truck Centers returns to the No. 14 Ford Mustang for the first of several races this year.All of the SHR cars travel from race to race in haulers from Rush Truck Centers, the premier service solutions provider to the commercial vehicle industry. And those haulers are supported by the RushCare team of parts and service experts, who also provide concierge-level service and maintenance, technical support, schedule mobile service, dispatch roadside assistance, help locate the nearest dealer, and more. Rush Truck Centers is the largest network of commercial vehicle dealerships in the United States with 139 locations, and takes pride in its integrated approach to customer needs – from vehicle sales to aftermarket parts, service and body shop operations, plus financing, insurance, leasing and rental, as well as alternate fuel systems and other vehicle technologies.

● Rush Truck Centers is also a leader in all-makes parts for the commercial vehicle industry, and has released its third All-Makes Parts Catalog. The catalog features 16,000 parts from more than 125 manufacturers, the most common parts needed for commercial vehicles. No matter what brand of truck you drive, you’ll find what you need in this catalog. It also is filled with product and technical tips to help keep you up and running. Contact your local Rush Truck Centers location to pick up a copy today.

● Indiana-based Cummins, from car owner Tony Stewart’s hometown of Columbus, is also along for the ride at Kansas. Cummins is a corporation of complementary business segments that design, manufacture, distribute and service a broad portfolio of power solutions. It is best known for its diesel truck engines. Since its founding in 1919, Cummins now employs approximately 61,600 people and serves customers in about 190 countries and territories through a network of some 8,000 wholly owned and independent dealer and distributor locations.

● Before heading to Kansas, Briscoe will climb behind the wheel of a Kent Robinson Racing super late model at the Dirt Track at Charlotte to compete in The Colossal 100 on Wednesday and Thursday, May 11 and 12. The Charlotte events are the third stop on the Chase’n Dirt Tour, a schedule of dirt racing events that Briscoe will run through July. In addition to super late models, the third-generation dirt racer will compete in 360 sprint car, 410 sprint car, micro sprint, and midget events leading up to the start of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

The last few races haven’t gone as planned, so is this Sunday’s race at Kansas a chance for the No. 14 team to turn things around?

“I’m excited to get to Kansas. I think we’ve shown a lot of improvement on the mile-and-a-halves this year and we’ve definitely and speed. If we can put everything together and get a good starting spot I think we should be able to turn things around. The last few weeks haven’t been the best but we’ve got a good group of guys who don’t give up and I know we’re capable of more, we just need everything to go right to put ourselves in position for another win.”

Does your past success at Kansas help with confidence after a few tough races?

“A little. It helps to know I have been successful at Kansas, but the Cup Series is a whole different level of competition. Now, I got the win earlier this year and we’ve been up front more in these first few races than in all of last season, so I think mentally I’m more prepared for what’s coming than I was last year. We can’t really compare what we saw last year to what is coming because of the new car. I’m used to adapting, that’s something you have to do a lot in dirt racing, and we’ve had to do it a lot with this new car. Once we get on track for practice and see what we’ve got I think I’ll be better able to judge what I need to be comfortable and then I can start thinking about how I can use what I know about Kansas to run my best race.”

No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins 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

Burton Headed to Kansas Hoping To Build on Darlington Speed

With his confidence boosted by the speed he and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team found at Darlington, Harrison Burton is headed to Kansas Speedway with renewed determination to step up his and the team’s performance.

“I think there’s been some growing pains there, and I feel like now we’re getting rolling in the right direction,” Burton said on a call with reporters Wednesday morning. “So I’m excited to get back to the race track and hopefully be in that spot to try and contend for wins and just take it one step at a time and get some top 10s, get some top fives and build there.”

He said last Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway, which saw him have his best Cup run to date, leads him to believe he and the DEX Imaging team are on the verge of a significant improvement in performance.

“It’s like the first time where I wasn’t uncomfortable in this race car, which is pretty wild when you think about it,” he said. “This [Next Gen] is a hard race car to drive, which is great for our sport, I think.

“When you hit it right, it drives really well, so we had some notes to build off of now, things that I like…and hopefully that can carry over.

“For me, it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can finally get be aggressive in this car.’ I hadn’t felt that yet, and now I kind of feel like we’ll be able to replicate that and go get after it more.”

Burton said that having been to several different kinds of race tracks this season gives him and crew chief Brian Wilson some notes to use in preparing for upcoming events.

“Now we’re going to places that you can relate to other places and when we first started with the car it was Daytona, California, Vegas, Phoenix, all different tracks,” he said. “Every time we went there it was kind of a guess.”

“Now we have a notebook of every kind of race track that you could think of, and we can go try to build off of that and show up off the truck closer than what we have been in the past.”

And he said that he, Wilson and the rest of his team members, who are rookies at their positions in the Cup series are trying to start to benefit from the experiences they’ve had so far.

“I think the first few weeks were pretty eye-opening for us about what was so different about Cup from Xfinity,” he said. “Then you look at us now, and we feel like we’re in a rhythm of we know our jobs. We know what we’re responsible for. We know what the other person is kind of thinking before they say it now, and so that’s really good.

“As a team, I think we’ve really grown.”

He also said it’s been good to know for the team to know that their car owners, the Wood Brothers, have had their backs through the early season struggles.

“The biggest positive for me has just been getting to know the Wood family and learning about their history and trying to represent them well has been really cool,” he said. “Something that I’ll always remember is their support in us and belief in us as a group has never wavered, and the same with our relationship with the Penske organization as an alliance team.

“That group has been really helpful for us and believes in us.”

Practice for the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway is is set for Saturday at 3 p.m. (4 p.m. Eastern Time) to be followed by qualifying at 3:35 (4:35 Eastern).

Sunday’s 267-lap, 400-mile race is scheduled to start just after 2 p.m. (3 p.m. Eastern Time) with TV coverage on FOX Sports 1.

Stage breaks are planned for Laps 80 and 165.

#

About DEX Imaging
DEX Imaging is the digital document imaging division of Staples, the world’s largest business solutions provider. DEX sells and services the broadest selection of copiers, printers and data management solutions, such as HP, Konica Minolta, Canon, Kyocera and numerous others.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES:
Reducing Operating Costs
Reducing Paper Consumption
Increasing Productivity

DEX Imaging has been the recipient of virtually every industry award since the company’s inception, including the JD Power & Associates Award for Best Customer Experience, the prestigious ProTech Service award by Konica Minolta, the Diamond Premier Dealer Award by Kyocera, and the Elite DEALER Award by ‘ENX’ magazine. Other accolades include being named ‘Best Place to Work’ by numerous business journals in the markets DEX serves.

Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glenn Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glenn’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Harrison Burton in the famous No. 21 racer.