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Chandler Smith – No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Tundra TRD Pro Camping World Trucks Atlanta Preview

Chandler Smith: Driver, No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass® Toyota

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event: Fr8 208, Race 3 of 23, 135 Laps –30/30/75; 207.9 Miles
Location: Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway at (1.54-mile Quad-oval)
Date/Broadcast: March 19, 2022, at 2:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

Mr. Smith Season 2:
Chandler Smith and the No. 18 Safelite team head to Atlanta Motor Speedway looking to continue the momentum they’ve built over the last seven races. The 19-year-old closed out the 2021 season with two victories (Bristol Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway) across the last five races and found victory lane in just the second race of the 2022 season at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway. Smith led a race-high 32 laps at Las Vegas and made an impressive crossover move on the final lap of the race to bring home his third career victory. After two events, Smith sits atop of the Camping World Truck Series standings, five points ahead of Tanner Gray.

Smith, who grew up 90 miles north of Atlanta Motor Speedway in Jasper, Ga., made a name for himself racing Bandoleros on the flat quarter-mile track located on the frontstretch known as the “Thunder Ring.” Smith earned 21 career Bandits Division victories across 40 starts in Atlanta’s Thursday Thunder Series and won three consecutive Bandits Division championships from 2012-2014. In 2014, the racing prodigy won eight consecutive races in the Bandits Division, tying the record set by Joey Logano in 2000. The record has since been broken.

Saturday’s race will be the 19-year-old driver’s second start on the big track at Atlanta. Unfortunately for Smith, a parts failure in the right front of his Safelite Tundra caused him to visit pit road for unexpected pit stops twice early in last year’s event and relegated him to a disappointing 35th-place finish.

Smith earned NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2021 and finished eighth in the championship standings after producing two victories, one pole, 213 laps led, six top-five and nine top-10 finishes in his first full-time season. He earned his first career Truck Series victory at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in September and in the series finale at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway earned his first career pole and swept all three stages en route to his second victory. Across 38 career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts, the Toyota Racing Development product has collected two wins, 14 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes.

Veteran crew chief Danny Stockman will once again call the shots for Smith and the No. 18 team in 2022. Stockman’s drivers have produced six victories at KBM across his first two seasons, including two with Smith behind the wheel in 2021. The veteran crew chief captured a Truck Series championship with Austin Dillon in 2011 and also won an Xfinity Series championship with Dillon in 2013. Stockman’s drivers have posted has two top-10 finishes across four starts at Atlanta, with a best result of sixth coming with Dillon in 2017.

Safelite, the nation’s largest provider of vehicle glass repair, replacement and recalibration services, returns to KBM for a fifth season and will be the primary sponsor on Smith’s Tundra TRD Pro Tundra for 16 races this year, including Saturday’s race at Atlanta. Charge Me will serve as an associate sponsor on the bedtop of Smith’s No. 18 Tundra TRD Pro for 16 races this season, including Saturday at Atlanta. Charge Me was founded on the principle that the electric vehicle (EV) revolution will require robust infrastructure support at all levels.

Two Georgia companies will be riding onboard Smith’s No. 18 Toyota as associate sponsors on Saturday. NGE Roofing, an experienced roofing contractor located in Smith’s hometown, Jasper, Ga., will share the bedtop with Charge Me. The Dawsonville, Ga. location of Bill Ballew Motorsports will be on the lower rear quarter panel. You can find the lowest prices on used Cars, Trucks and SUV’s at www.BillyBallewMotorsports.com.

Chandler Smith, Driver Q&A:

Does already having a win change how you race the rest of the regular season?
“It definitely won’t change how I race moving forward, it will just allow myself and my 18 Safelite group to sleep better when it comes to cutoff time for the first round of the playoffs. Last year, we were in a really sticky situation going to Watkins Glen and we were all stressed out. Now that won’t be a factor and we can just go out and race to win.”

What does it mean to you to have a few Georgia companies coming onboard for this race?
“It’s so cool, NGE is a local sponsor, a roofing company in my hometown, Jasper, Georgia and Billy Ballew has been a part of Kyle Busch’s career for ages. It’s really cool to have two Georgia companies sponsoring my truck race at Atlanta. Overall, I’m really looking forward to racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway because there is going to be a lot of people coming down from my hometown and a lot of family, so it should be cool.”

Do you feel like with the new surface and configuration that Saturday will race like a superspeedway race?
“It’ll definitely be a superspeedway race to say the least, we are going to be running the same engine package, everything is practically going to be the same as Daytona. There isn’t going to be anybody that can just drive away from the pack because it is going to be so draft dependent. Kind of Las Vegas nowadays, there was nobody that could drive away except for Zane (Smith) at the start of Stage 1 and that was because second, third and fourth were all racing each other and sucking each other back. It’s definitely going to be a plate race to say the least and a race of attrition.”

Chandler Smith Career Highlights:

  • Across 40 career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts has recorded three wins, 338 laps led, 15 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 14.7.
  • Led 55 laps and finished eighth in his Camping World Truck Series debut at Iowa Speedway in July of 2019. Drove a limited schedule for KBM in 2019 (four races) and 2020 (12 races), before going full-time in 2021.
  • Has collected nine wins, 10 poles, 1783 laps led, 22 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes en route to an average finish of 5.4 across 34 career ARCA Menards Series starts. Set an ARCA Racing Series record by winning four consecutive poles to start his career and earned his first victory after leading a race-high 102 laps at Madison (Wis.) International Speedway in his fourth series start.
  • Has numerous Super Late Model victories across his career, including two marquee wins: the Snowball Derby at 5 Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla. (2021) and SpeedFest at Watermelon Capital Speedway in Cordele, Georgia (2018). Will compete in several Super Late Model events around his Truck Series schedule in 2022.

Chandler Smith’s No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Tundra:
KBM-63: The No. 18 Safelite team will unload KBM-63 for Saturday’s race at Atlanta. In its most recent outing, this Tundra TRD pro led 48 laps last June at Nashville in Smith’s 13th-place finish. KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch drove KBM-63 to its lone victory across seven starts in June of 2020 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway.
KBM-63 Performance Profile

KBM Notes of Interest:

  • KBM drivers have collected three wins, two poles, 689 laps led, 10 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.8 across 26 starts at Atlanta. KBM Owner-driver Kyle Busch won last year and in 2019 while Christopher Bell brought home the trophy in 2017.
  • KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (91) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at Bristol Motor Speedway last September, Smith became the 17th different driver to win a Truck Series event for KBM. In addition to collecting a series-record seven Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers: Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
  • The No. 18, the number which was on the first Tundra that went to victory lane for KBM in 2010, has 24 career victories.

Nemechek rejoins Joe Gibbs Racing for three-race Xfinity schedule

Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images.

John Hunter Nemechek has been added to the list of competitors who will be piloting the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra on a part-time basis throughout the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

The 24-year-old second-generation Nemechek from Mooresville, North Carolina, will be making his first Xfinity start in JGR’s No. 18 Toyota entry at Richmond Raceway on April 2 followed by Dover Motor Speedway on April 30. He will then make his third and final start in JGR’s equipment at Texas Motor Speedway on September 24 during the 2022 Xfinity Series Playoffs. With veteran Jason Ratcliff atop the pit box as the crew chief of JGR’s No. 18 team, Safeway, ACME and ROMCO will be sponsoring Nemechek’s three-race schedule with JGR.

“I am really excited to have this opportunity to race again in JGR’s Xfinity Series program after the success we had last season,” Nemechek said. “We were able to pick up a win in just three starts and hopefully we can add to that success this season. I am also looking forward to working with crew chief Jason Ratcliff, who has found victory lane with a lot of different drivers over the year. I really appreciate the support of my long-term partners Safeway, ACME, and ROMCO for coming on board to support me and of course Toyota.”

The 2022 season will mark Nemechek’s second part-time effort as an Xfinity competitor for JGR. He made his first start in the team’s No. 54 Toyota Supra last October at Talladega Superspeedway, where he finished 22nd. Two races later, he rebounded from a late pit road penalty by notching a dominant victory at Texas Motor Speedway, which marked his second career victory in the series and first since winning at Kansas Speedway in October 2018. Nemechek’s final start with JGR in 2021 occurred during the season finale event at Phoenix Raceway in November, where he finished in sixth place.

Nemechek, who is campaigning in his second full-time season as a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competitor for Kyle Busch Motorsports, is coming off back-to-back Xfinity Series starts of this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and at Phoenix Raceway, where he finished 12th and fifth respectively while driving for Sam Hunt Racing. He is scheduled to return to SHR for the series’ second trip to Las Vegas on October 15.

“John Hunter was impressive in his starts with us last year and we’re excited to have him back this season to work with Jason (Ratcliff) and our 18 team for a few races,” Steve de Souza, Executive Vice President of Xfinity Series and Development for Joe Gibbs Racing, said. “He really has made the most of every opportunity and we expect he will run up front again in these races.”

Nemechek is the fourth competitor alongside Drew Dollar, Trevor Bayne and Ryan Truex to be named a part-time competitor for Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Toyota entry for this year’s Xfinity schedule. The No. 18 entry has achieved two top-five results through the first four scheduled events, both made by Bayne as he finished third at Auto Club Speedway and fourth at Phoenix Raceway. Bayne is scheduled to drive the No. 18 Toyota Supra this upcoming weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 19.

The remainder of Joe Gibbs Racing’s driver lineup for the No. 18 team will be determined at a later date.

Nemechek’s first Xfinity Series start of the season with Joe Gibbs Racing is scheduled to occur at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, April 2, with coverage to occur at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

COUNTRY MUSIC SUPERSTAR BLAKE SHELTON TO PERFORM AT NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE ON SUNDAY, MAY 22

  • 10-time Country Music Association award winner to highlight NASCAR All-Star Race pre-race activities with a sixty (60) minute concert.
  • Fans can purchase a Track Pass for special access to the concert as well as NASCAR All-Star driver introductions at www.texasmotorspeedway.com.

FORT WORTH, Texas (March 15, 2022) – Blake Shelton, the five-time CMA Male Vocalist of the Year who has accumulated more than 13 million album sales over his illustrious career, will perform a pre-race concert for the NASCAR All-Star Race on Sunday, May 22, at Texas Motor Speedway.

Shelton will perform a full sixty (60) minute set featuring some of his biggest hits on the venue’s main racetrack. The concert will be the highlight of the pre-race activities leading into the second running of the NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway (7 p.m. CT, TV: FS1, Radio: PRN, SiriusXM and 95.9 The Ranch).

Texas Motor Speedway is offering fans premier access to enjoy the concert and the NASCAR All-Star driver introductions with the purchase of a Track Pass ticket upgrade while supplies last. While the pre-race concert is free with any race ticket, Track Pass holders will move from the grandstands to the front of the stage for the high-energy musical performance, driver introductions, and more.

Shelton added to his musical success this past December with the release of the deluxe version of his latest album, Body Language. The album featured four new tracks, including his Top 15 and climbing single, “Come Back As A Country Boy.” Body Language (Deluxe) features his Platinum-selling 28th country radio chart-topper, “Happy Anywhere” featuring Gwen Stefani.

Prior to “Happy Anywhere,” Shelton celebrated a 2x Platinum, multi-week No. 1 with “Nobody But You,” which has now reached 300 million streams. The single made its television debut on the 62nd GRAMMY Awards, where Shelton was also nominated for “Best Country Solo Performance” for his hit “God’s Country.” The 4x Platinum smash earned the 2019 CMA Award and 2020 ACM Award for “Single of the Year.” He continues to remain a force in the industry with ACM (5), AMA (3), CMA (10), CMT (11) and People’s Choice Awards (7), among many others.

He also continues to mentor future musical talents as a coach for NBC’s Emmy Award-winning television show, The Voice. He is an eight-time champion with his most recent title coming with contestant Cam Anthony in May of 2021.

“It only makes sense to have next-level talent like Blake Shelton perform for this festival of fun and part of one of the crown jewels of motorsports racing, the NASCAR All-Star Race,” said Texas Motor Speedway General Manager Rob Ramage. “We are offering a priceless experience for our fans and have countless activities planned for this festival. Keep watching our website, we will have so many other next-level fan experiences to announce. It’s going to be huge, something for everyone, and we are so excited to have this super star, Blake Shelton, perform live during our All-Star Race and festival.”

The NASCAR All-Star Race will be the marquee event of a race weekend featuring all three of NASCAR’s premier series. The SPEEDYCASH.COM 220 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race will be held Friday, May 20, at 7:30 p.m. and the Texas 250 Xfinity Series race on Saturday, May 21, at 12:30 p.m. Both will be televised live on FS1 and aired locally on 95.9 The Ranch.

Tickets for the NASCAR All-Star Race begin as low as $35 for adults & $10 for kids 12 and under. For more ticket and race weekend information, please visit www.texasmotorspeedway.com.

Keep track of all of Texas Motor Speedway’s busy schedule by following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Keep up with all the latest news and information on the speedway website and TMS mobile app.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Ryan Blaney Going For Atlanta Repeat This Weekend

FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: ATLANTA NOTES

A doubleheader highlights this weekend’s NASCAR action as the NASCAR Camping World Truck and NASCAR Xfinity Series take to the track on Saturday with the NASCAR Cup Series wrapping up the action on Sunday. Ryan Blaney is the defending champion of this weekend’s Folds of Honor 500, which capped a five-race win streak for Ford at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

This Week’s Schedule:
Saturday, March 19 – NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, 2:30 p.m. (FS1)
Saturday, March 19 – NASCAR XFINITY Series, 5 p.m. (FS1)
Sunday, March 20 – NASCAR Cup Series, 3 p.m. (FOX)

FORD IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES AT AMS

· Ford has 35 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins at AMS.
· NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen won the Atlanta 500 three straight years (1962-64).
· Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick and Ryan Blaney have Ford wins at the track.
· Georgia native Bill Elliott is Ford’s all-time leader at AMS with five wins.
· The Wood Brothers rank second with 12 series wins at AMS.

FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT AMS

· Ford has 10 NASCAR XFINITY Series wins at AMS, all but two by RFK Racing.
· Kevin Harvick won at the track in 2018 and eventually swept the weekend.
· Jeff Gordon won his first series race, and the first one ever held at AMS, with Ford in 1992.
· Harvick leads all drivers with five series wins.
· Mark Martin has the most Ford wins with three while Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards have two each.

FORD IN THE CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES AT AMS

· Grant Enfinger recorded Ford’s first series win at the track in 2020.
· Ford has 107 all-time series victories.

BLANEY GOES FOR REPEAT WHILE FORD LOOKS TO START NEW WIN STREAK

Ford saw its five-race winning streak at Atlanta Motor Speedway come to an end in July, but Ryan Blaney’s victory in this event a year ago gave the manufacturer at least one win at the 1.5-mile track in five straight seasons. Blaney passed Kyle Larson eight laps to go and extended his lead the rest of the way as he took the checkered flag by 2.083 seconds ahead of Larson. Blaney led 25 laps on the day as he won for the first time in Atlanta and fifth time his career. He was going in the top 10 by fellow Ford drivers Chris Buescher (7th) and Kevin Harvick (10th). Ford’s AMS streak started when Brad Keselowski and Harvick alternated wins from 2017-2020.

THE FIRST TIME SINCE…

Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe have become first-time NASCAR Cup Series winners in the season’s first month. Cindric captured the season-opening Daytona 500 while Briscoe won last weekend’s Ruoff Mortgage 500 at Phoenix Raceway. This marks the first time since 2011 that multiple Ford drivers have recorded their first series win in the same season. On that occasion, Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500 with the Wood Brothers, David Ragan took the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, and Marcos Ambrose captured the road course event at Watkins Glen with Richard Petty Motorsports.

SIX FORD DRIVERS IN CUP TOP 10

Ford leads all manufacturers with six drivers currently in the top 10 of the NASCAR Cup Series point standings. Joey Logano leads the overall standings while fellow Blue Oval teammates Chase Briscoe, Aric Almirola, Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric are fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively. Kevin Harvick, on the strengths of his season-best sixth-place run on Sunday, rounds out the top 10 in 10th.

AT LEAST ONE TOP 10 FINISH

Ford has 15 full-time teams competing in the NASCAR Cup Series this season and after four races all but five of them have at least one top 10 finish. Aric Almirola was the only driver to have a top 10 in the first three races and narrowly missed extending that to four after a 12th-place finish on Sunday. Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe, Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick each have a pair while Austin Cindric, Michael McDowell, Brad Keselowski, Chris Buecher and David Ragan (No. 15 RWR) have one each.

FORD ATLANTA HIGHLIGHTS

KESELOWSKI GETS FIRST CUP WIN FOR MUSTANG

Brad Keselowski gave Mustang its first NASCAR Cup Series victory as he held off Martin Truex Jr. at the finish to win the Folds of Honor 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2019. Keselowski, who was battling an illness all weekend and had Austin Cindric standing by in case he needed relief, led the final 33 laps to post his 28th career victory. In all, Ford led 177 of the 325 laps and won for the third straight year at the 1.5-mile track.

HARVICK DOMINATES

Kevin Harvick led eight times for a race-high 181 laps in winning the Fold’s of Honor 500 in 2018 and completing a sweep of the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY races. After winning all three stages the day before in his Ford Mustang, Harvick took the first stage in the Cup race and then led the final 25 laps to post his 38th career victory and third with Ford. Brad Keselowski finished second and Clint Bowyer third to give Ford a 1-2-3 sweep. Ford dominated from start to finish as four drivers combined to lead 272-of-325 laps. Harvick became the first Ford driver to sweep a Cup/XFINITY weekend since Joey Logano did it in 2015 at Watkins Glen International.

SNOW DAYS

Morgan Shepherd captured Ford’s 400th series victory in 1993 when snow delayed the Motorcraft Quality Parts 500 for nearly a week. The original race date was Sunday, March 14, 1992, but a blizzard that would eventually be called the ‘Storm of the Century’ pounded the Atlanta area with 6-8 inches of snow. An estimated 82,000 fans came back the following Saturday, where they were greeted by souvenir rigs that sports t-shirts proclaiming ‘I Survived the Atlanta Blizzard 500.’ When the race started, Mark Martin had the dominant car as he led 140 of the first 225 laps, but engine problems put him out of the running and Shepherd took advantage as he stretched his fuel mileage to the finish, leading the final 12 laps and winning by a whopping 23.50 seconds. The win for Shepherd, who was 51 at the time, was his fourth and final victory in the NASCAR Cup Series.

SWEEP DREAMS

Marvin Panch was the first driver to sweep both AMS races in a single season when he did it in 1965 with the Wood Brothers. Georgia native Bill Elliott posted a pair of season sweeps (1985 and 1992) and won five times overall while Carl Edwards registered the first win of his career at the speedway in 2005 and matched it later that fall.

LORENZEN LAPS THE FIELD

Ford went to victory lane at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the first time in 1961 when NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen captured the Festival 250 on July 9 while driving for Holman-Moody. He did it in dominating fashion as well by lapping the field. Lorenzen, who led 52 laps on the day, beat runner-up Bob Welborn by one lap in his 1961 Ford. Richard Petty finished third that afternoon, but was three laps down. That victory served as a springboard for Lorenzen’s future success at AMS, which included becoming the first driver to win the Atlanta 500 three straight years (1962-63-64).

FORD’S ATLANTA NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS

1961 – Fred Lorenzen

1962 – Fred Lorenzen

1963 – Fred Lorenzen

1964 – Fred Lorenzen and Ned Jarrett

1965 – Marvin Panch (sweep)

1967 – Cale Yarborough and Dick Hutcherson

1968 – LeeRoy Yarbrough

1969 – LeeRoy Yarbrough

1975 – Buddy Baker

1978 – Bobby Allison

1981 – Neil Bonnett

1985 – Bill Elliott (sweep)

1987 – Ricky Rudd and Bill Elliott

1990 – Morgan Shepherd

1991 – Mark Martin

1992 – Bill Elliott (sweep)

1993 – Morgan Shepherd

1994 – Ernie Irvan and Mark Martin

1997 – Dale Jarrett

2002 – Kurt Busch

2005 – Carl Edwards (sweep)

2008 – Carl Edwards

2017 – Brad Keselowski

2018 – Kevin Harvick

2019 – Brad Keselowski

2020 – Kevin Harvick

2021 – Ryan Blaney (1)

FORD’S ATLANTA NASCAR XFINITY WINNERS

1992 – Jeff Gordon

1997 – Mark Martin

1998 – Mark Martin

2000 – Mark Martin

2004 – Matt Kenseth

2005 – Carl Edwards

2008 – Matt Kenseth

2011 – Carl Edwards

2012 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

2018 – Kevin Harvick

FORD’S ATLANTA NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES WINNERS

2020 – Grant Enfinger

KRIS WRIGHT: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series News and Notes – Atlanta

KRIS WRIGHT
No. 44 F.N.B. Corporation Chevrolet Silverado
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series News and Notes
Event: Fr8 208
Date: Saturday, March 19, 2022
Venue: Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway
Track Description: 1.54-mile quad-oval
Race: 135 laps, 207.9 miles

Niece Motorsports’ NASCAR Camping World Truck Series History … Since entering the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) in 2016, the Mooresville, N.C.,-based organization has logged 289 starts with 40 drivers, including NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) drivers Trevor Bayne, Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson. Niece Motorsports has collected three victories (Ross Chastain, 2019: Kansas, Gateway and Pocono), 19 top-five finishes and 55 top-10 finishes, and has logged an average starting position of 19.6 and an average finishing position of 18.9.

NIECE MOTORSPORTS STATISTICS
Niece Motorsports’ NASCAR Camping World Truck Series History at the Atlanta Motor Speedway … This weekend will mark Niece Motorsports’ 14th NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at the Hampton, Ga.,-facility. The organization posted a team best sixth-place finish at the track both in February 2019 and in June 2020 with driver Ross Chastain. The 13 previous starts at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, now with new 28-degree banked corners, have earned Niece Motorsports five top-10 finishes that produced an overall average starting position of 22.5 and an average finish of 12.6.

Catch the Action … The Fr8 208 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway will be broadcast live on FS1 on Saturday, March 19 at 2:30 p.m. (ET). It will also broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio at 2:00 p.m. (ET). Qualifying for the third event of the 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule will air on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. (ET) on FS1. In addition, the practice session for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be broadcast on FS1 on Friday, March 18 at 3:00 p.m. (ET).

Kris Wright
No. 44 F.N.B. Corporation Chevrolet Silverado

The Fastest Track In The South Facts … This weekend marks Kris Wright’s debut appearance at the Atlanta Motor Speedway with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Speedway Stats: Kris Wright has 11 combined NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts on speedways (tracks 1 to 2- miles in length).

KRIS WRIGHT STATISTICS
Peach State Connection … The Wexford, Pa.,- native has one start at the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, located in
Braselton, Ga., with the IMSA Prototype Challenge. In October 2018, Kris Wright started the 65-lap event in the second
place and finished in the second place.

Meet Kris Wright … Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing display located in the fan midway at the Atlanta Motor
Speedway for a question-and-answer session with Kris Wright on Saturday, March 19 at 12:15 p.m. (ET).

In the Rearview Mirror: Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway … Kris Wright, driver of the No. 44 iHeartRadio Chevrolet Silverado for Niece Motorsports, finished in the 17th-place in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday, March 4. Wright started in the 16th-place in the 36-truck field, and at the end of Stage 1 on Lap 30 he was in the 27th-place. By the end of Stage 2 on Lap 60, Wright was scored in the 14th-place. He came to pit road for service to the No. 44 iHeartRadio Chevrolet Silverado on Lap 62. On Lap 119 Wright was involved in a single-truck incident in Turn 2 while in the 17th-place resulting in the yellow flag being waved. He was scored as high as the 12th-place at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

QUOTE WORTHY
Kris Wright, driver of the No. 44 F.N.B. Corporation Chevrolet Silverado for Niece Motorsports
On the Atlanta Motor Speedway:
“I am really looking forward to racing at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on the new repaved surface. The limited information I have received about the new track and how it drives is basically that there are so many unknowns. As a team, we have so many questions: How many lanes can you use? What is the drafting going to be like on a 1.5-mile track? What is the preferred groove? The track is going to be very fast and interesting for sure. “I cannot wait to get there after the great speed our Niece Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado showed at Vegas (Las Vegas Motor Speedway).”

Kris Wright on Social Media … To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, visit KrisWrightMotorsports.com or connect with Kris Wright on Facebook (/KrisWrightRacing), Twitter (@KrisOnNASCAR) or Instagram (@krisonnascar).

About F.N.B. Corporation
F.N.B. Corporation (NYSE: FNB), headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a diversified financial services company
operating in seven states and the District of Columbia. FNB’s market coverage spans several major metropolitan areas
including: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland; Cleveland, Ohio; Washington, D.C.; and Charlotte, Raleigh,
Durham and the Piedmont Triad (Winston-Salem, Greensboro and High Point) in North Carolina. The Company has total
assets of approximately $42 billion and nearly 340 banking offices throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia,
North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, D.C. and Virginia.

FNB provides a full range of commercial banking, consumer banking and wealth management solutions through its
subsidiary network which is led by its largest affiliate, First National Bank of Pennsylvania, founded in 1864. Commercial
banking solutions include corporate banking, small business banking, investment real estate financing, government banking,
business credit, capital markets and lease financing. The consumer banking segment provides a full line of consumer
banking products and services, including deposit products, mortgage lending, consumer lending and a complete suite of
mobile and online banking services. FNB’s wealth management services include asset management, private banking and
insurance.

The common stock of F.N.B. Corporation trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “FNB” and is included
in Standard & Poor’s MidCap 400 Index with the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) Regional Banks SubIndustry Index. Customers, shareholders and investors can learn more about this regional financial institution by visiting the
F.N.B. Corporation website at www.fnbcorporation.com.

JR Motorsports’ No. 7 to Carry ‘Door, Bumper, Clear’ Podcast at Dover

Limited-Supply Diecasts Available Now for Pre-Order at RacingUSA.com

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (March 15, 2022) – Justin Allgaier’s No. 7 Chevrolet will showcase Dirty Mo Media’s Door, Bumper, Clear podcast for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Dover Motor Speedway (April 30). Allgaier helped announce the one-race primary sponsorship on this week’s episode of Door, Bumper, Clear, which is available now on DirtyMoMedia.com and all major podcasting platforms.

Allgaier also said during his DBC appearance that a limited supply of 1:24-scale diecast collectibles of the blue and red paint scheme are being sold exclusively at RacingUSA.com. Pre-orders are being accepted now. Each car will have Allgaier’s autograph on the windshield, the driver confirmed.

“This whole thing started when our friends at RacingUSA.com had the idea of creating a Door, Bumper, Clear fantasy diecast,” said Mike Davis, founder and managing director of Dirty Mo Media. “I loved the idea, but it just so happens our little media company is inside a very successful race shop. We started thinking, ‘Maybe this fantasy car doesn’t have to be fantasy at all. It could be real!’ The stars aligned, and the Door, Bumper, Clear Chevy became an actual thing that we cannot wait to watch on April 30.”

Door, Bumper, Clear is part of Dirty Mo Media’s original podcast network, which also includes popular franchises The Dale Jr. Download, The Burton Continuum and Glorious White-Knuckled, God-Fearing, Spun-Out-And-Half-Turned-Over Racing Stories. DBC is presented by Offerpad and hosted by longtime NASCAR spotters T.J. Majors, Brett Griffin and Freddie Kraft, all of whom provide unparalleled insight and candor on a weekly basis. It is that very insider’s perspective that has elevated DBC into one of motorsports’ most popular podcasts.

Fitting, then, that DBC would be paired with the reigning NXS Most Popular Driver. Allgaier has won the award each year since 2019, thanks in large part to his on-track success which includes 16 career victories. Two of those wins have come at Dover (May 2018, August 2020). Allgaier has finished no worse than third in seven of his last eight races at the Monster Mile with a 2.6 average finish over that span.

“Being a guest on the show yesterday and making this announcement was a lot of fun,” said Allgaier. “It’s really cool to see the growth of all the Dirty Mo podcasts over the last couple years.

“The race itself is going to be interesting, especially since we’ll be racing against the DBC guys on the spotters stand. We definitely won’t be cutting them any slack on the racetrack, but either way it’s going to be a fun day for sure.”

This will mark the third time Dirty Mo Media will appear on a JRM Chevrolet and the first with the organization since 2016.

“Anytime we do something like this, it’s a gesture of thanks to Dirty Mo Media consumers,” said Davis. “I think they enjoy the correlation between the racing and their favorite digital media brands.”

Catch Allgaier behind the wheel of the No. 7 Door, Bumper, Clear/Dirty Mo Media Chevrolet on Saturday, April 30 at 1:30 p.m. EST live on FOX Sports 1, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90.

ABOUT JR MOTORSPORTS:
JR Motorsports is the racing operation co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Fame member and 15-time Most Popular Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kelley Earnhardt Miller and NASCAR Hall of Famer Rick Hendrick. Now in its 21st year of overall competition, JR Motorsports competes in multiple divisions, including the NASCAR Xfinity Series where it currently fields four full-time teams and earned championships in 2014, 2017 and 2018. The company also races in Late Model competition and owns four championships in regional Late Model divisions and added a prized national title in 2020. To learn more about the organization, its drivers and its sponsorship opportunities, visit www.jrmracing.com.

No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 Confident in Winning Formula as the 70th Twelve Hours of Sebring Approaches

Brownsburg, Ind. (March 15, 2022) — The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 team and co-drivers Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque and Will Stevens head back to Florida this week for the 70th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts. After an exciting Acura 1-2 finish at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the team currently sits in second position in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship DPi standings with 355 points, placing them a slim 23 points behind the championship leader.

The No. 10 Konica Minolta team has a strong history of success at the legendary 17-turn, 3.74-mile Sebring circuit with five podiums—four second-place finishes and a win with 250 total laps lead—in the six IMSA events held at Sebring between 2015 and 2020. The win, which occurred in 2017, came at the hands of current driver Ricky Taylor, who is keenly aware of the opportunity this year’s event presents.

“It feels like such a long time since being in Daytona,” mentioned Ricky Taylor. “But we have all been spending time talking and prepping for Sebring ever since the checkered flag in Daytona. It was a good start to the year. Sebring has been high on our list of races since winning last in 2017 and it has eluded us. Everyone is super motivated to reverse that and get to victory lane again.”

Co-driver Filipe Albuquerque, who is vying for a maiden win at Sebring, is looking to improve on the team’s second-place finish at Daytona in January. Filipe and co-endurance driver Will Stevens will be working overtime this weekend as they will also be competing on different teams in the WEC series for the 1000 Miles of Sebring event taking place on Friday, March 18th.

“I’m really looking forward to Sebring. I’ve never won at Sebring and it’s missing on my notebook of wins in my career. Last year at Sebring, we were really strong, but we had a little issue in the final stages. I think we had a car to win. Every year is different. We were testing there recently and happy with the car balance, but we need to see how it goes, especially with the extra rubber with it being a double weekend with the WEC there. It should help us on track for the balance. I look forward to every IMSA race, but Sebring is a very special one and coming from a second place at Daytona is always positive, so we’ll try to get one step higher.”

On the heels of a stellar IMSA debut in the opening round at Daytona, endurance driver Will Stevens is confident and looking to achieve his first IMSA win.

“Can’t wait to get to Sebring,” said Will Stevens. “It’s a track I know well and like to drive a lot. I have had good success before having won there in WEC in 2019 so let’s hope we can repeat that success this time. We had a good test here a few weeks ago and learned a lot. We are confident heading into the weekend that we can have a strong result.”

Wayne Taylor has won the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring twice, once as a driver in 1996 and as a team owner in 2017. Taylor was officially inducted into the Sebring International Hall of Fame in 2014 and will support the 2022 Hall of Fame inductees at various events throughout the race weekend.

“I’m very excited to go to Sebring,” said Team Owner Wayne Taylor. “It’s where I was inducted into my very first Hall of Fame. It’s a track that is so international and so well known. We won it back in 2017, but since then we haven’t won it so we need to win this year for many reasons. I feel good about it because we have the best team, drivers, crew, and partners. We’re all excited to go to this one and I think it’ll be a fun one.”

Practice for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts begins this Thursday, March 17, at 10:15 a.m. ET. Qualifying for Saturday’s 12-hour endurance race begins at 9:20 a.m. ET on Friday. Green flag for the main event will wave at 10:10 a.m. ET with full coverage streaming at 10:00 a.m. ET on Peacock and network coverage on USA beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET.

ABOUT KONICA MINOLTA

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is reshaping and revolutionizing the Workplace of the Future. The company guides and supports its clients’ digital transformation through its expansive office technology portfolio, including IT Services (All Covered), intelligent information management, managed print services and industrial and commercial print solutions. Konica Minolta has been included on CRN’s MSP 500 list nine times and The World Technology Awards recently named the company a finalist in the IT Software category. Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for fourteen consecutive years, and received Keypoint Intelligence’s BLI 2021 A3 Line of The Year Award and BLI 2021-2023 Most Color Consistent A3 Brand Award for its bizhub i-Series. Konica Minolta, Inc. has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for nine consecutive years and has spent four years on the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World list. Konica Minolta partners with its clients to give shape to ideas and works to bring value to our society. For more information, please visit us online and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter. The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 effort and Wayne Taylor Racing is supported by an outstanding lineup of partners including Harrison Contracting, Acura Motorsports, Hammer Nutrition and CIT.

CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Finding a Footing

No. 3 Corvette C8.R seeking improvements in GTD PRO after Rolex 24, Sebring testing

DETROIT (March 15, 2022) – Corvette Racing is entering a bit of unknown territory this weekend when the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship resumes at an all-too-familiar venue. The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is the second round of the 2022 championship and the next challenge for the new GT Daytona (GTD) PRO-spec Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.

Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg will team together in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM C8.R – the lone Corvette competing in the 12 Hours. It’s the first time the program has entered a single car for an IMSA round since 2000 – the second year of the Corvette Racing program. The team is still running two Corvettes during 2022: one in IMSA and another in the GTE Pro category of the FIA World Endurance Championship, which also is competing on the “Super Sebring” doubleheader weekend.

The Garcia/Taylor/Catsburg lineup is coming off a sixth-place GTD PRO finish in the Rolex 24 At Daytona to begin the new season. Two weeks later, Garcia and Taylor were at Sebring to continue the testing and development program for the GTD-spec Corvette C8.R, which has some significant differences from the GT Le Mans (GTLM) trim in which the Corvettes raced a year ago.

The mass of this year’s Corvette is 60 kilograms (132 pounds) heavier than 2021 at Sebring. Per GTD regulations, the 5.5-liter, flat-plane crank V8 in the C8.R will have less power compared to a year ago; due to the required air restrictor, air flow has been reduced by 15 percent. The C8.R also will compete with 10 liters less fuel than a year ago – and eight liters less than any other GTD car in this year’s Sebring race.

The biggest area of learning for Corvette Racing continues to be the customer Michelin tires that are mandated across all GTD cars as compared to Michelins specifically developed for the C8.R in GTLM. Corvette Racing engineers dedicated significant time at the February test to gaining further understanding of the performance and degradation levels of the new Michelins. That combined with the familiar bumps all around the 3.7-mile, 17-turn Sebring circuit puts a premium on initial chassis setup ahead of Thursday’s first practice.

Corvette Racing has won 12 times at Sebring since 2002 with 11 of those coming in the 12 Hours. Garcia is a three-time winner at Sebring with Taylor winning once. Chevrolet ranks second in all-time manufacturer victories in the 12 Hours with 40.

Sebring and Corvette share a rich history going back nearly 25 years with more than 51,000 miles worth of racing plus many more miles in testing and development over the last quarter-century.

Chevrolet Motorsports Display, Ride and Drive Return to Sebring
In addition to the many happenings on the racetrack at Sebring, fans will have plenty to see and experience from Chevrolet. That’s because two locations at the circuit – Chevrolet’s Motorsports Display and the Chevrolet Ride and Drive – will be full of Chevy vehicles that spectators can learn more about throughout the weekend.

The Chevrolet Motorsports Display opens at 9 a.m. Thursday, 8:30 a.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday in the Sebring Midway. Numerous Chevrolet vehicles and other highlights include:

• The highly anticipated 2023 Corvette Z06 convertible and a rolling cut-away example of the Z06
• Additional Chevrolet products such as Camaro 1SS, Blazer RS, Colorado ZR2, Tahoe High Country and Silverado Crew ZR2
• A Corvette Racing C8.R showcar
• An opportunity to receive a 2022 Corvette t-shirt

Also beginning Thursday, fans visiting the Sebring Skidpad outside of Turn 17 can sample a Chevrolet vehicle for themselves at the Ride and Drive event. Starting at 9 a.m. each day, spectators have the chance to test a wide variety of Chevrolets including Blazer RS, Camaro LT1, Colorado ZR2, Equinox RS, Silverado 1500 Trail Boss, Tahoe High Country and Traverse Premier.

The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is scheduled for 10:10 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 19. The race will air on USA Network from 3:30-10:30 p.m. ET with full streaming coverage on Peacock at 10 a.m. ET. IMSA Radio will air all on-track sessions beginning at IMSA.com along with Sirius 216, XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I always have a good feeling coming to Sebring. The fan support is always great with so many Corvettes. We have had many really good and fun races there over the years. Much of that comes down to how often Corvette Racing tests and prepares at Sebring each year. We know just about every bump and curb around the track. That knowledge helps when there is so much new in our Corvette that we are still learning. We made some good progress during our recent test there so let’s see where we can arrive for the first session.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Sebring gives us a chance to regroup after what was a tough race at Daytona. We learned a lot there that carried over into some testing a few weeks ago. There still is a lot we are working to understand, but the biggest thing continues to be the Michelin tires. This will be a critical area at every race in IMSA. Corvette Racing is always at the top when it comes to engineering and execution so there’s not a group I’d rather have to work with through these challenges. I’m confident we will be just fine at Sebring.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I don’t think the approach changes for Sebring much. We unfortunately will have half the information we usually have. In practices with two cars, you can run one car on one level of downforce, different tire pressures and others to learn quickly. It will be a new challenge for the team but we won’t have to change the approach but it will be different.
“I think the will be insane! We saw last year that the restarts at Sebring can be intense. We were pushed out of the lead last year, and I think this year will be even more intense. There will be so many more GT cars to manage and it only make things that much more intense.”

CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: By the Numbers
• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 23 years at Sebring: Corvette Racing and Chevrolet.
• 3: Tracks where Corvette Racing has competed in each of its previous 23 years: Sebring, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
• 4: GT class pole positions at Sebring for Oliver Gavin and Ron Fellows, tied for most in event history.
• 8: Sebring victories – a race record – for Johnny O’Connell, a Sebring Hall of Famer who drove for Corvette Racing from 2001-10. It includes one overall and seven class wins.
• 12: Number of Sebring victories for Corvette Racing – the most of any venue in program history. Eleven of those have come in the 12 Hours.
• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001.
• 25: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen.
• 28: Number of GT Le Mans wins in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Corvette Racing, ending in 2021.
• 32: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999. Marco Sorensen was the newest, joining the team at the Rolex 24.
• 120: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 112 in North America and eight at Le Mans.
• 251: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999.
• 51,739.32: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing at Sebring. That’s more than two full trips around the Earth at its equator (approx. 24,900 miles).
• 337,892.80: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles. That means Corvette Racing has raced to the moon!

Corvette Racing at Sebring International Raceway
1999
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/John Paul Jr. – 4th in GTS (Fellows pole)
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Scott Sharp/John Heinricy – 7th in GTS (Pilgrim fastest race lap)

2000
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Justin Bell – 6th in GTS (Fellows pole)
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 5th in GTS

2001
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Chris Kneifel – 3rd in GTS
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 2nd in GTS

2002
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTS (Fellows pole)
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 4th in GTS

2003
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Franck Freon – 1st in GTS
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins/Andy Pilgrim – 3rd in GTS (Gavin pole)

2004
No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Max Papis – 1st in GTS (Fellows pole)
No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 6th in GTS (Gavin fastest race lap)

2005
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Max Papis – 2nd in GT1
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 3rd in GT1

2006
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Max Papis – 4th in GT1
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1

2007
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap)
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 1st in GT1

2008
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap)

2009
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GT1
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Marcel Fässler – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)

2010
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell/Antonio Garcia – 8th in GT2
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Emmanuel Collard – 9th in GT2

2011
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GT
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen/Richard Westbrook – 4th in GT

2012
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GT (Magnussen pole)
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 3rd in GT

2013
No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 11th in GT
No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 1st in GT

2014
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 8th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Robin Liddell – 6th in GTLM (Gavin fastest race lap)

2015
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 1st in GTLM (Daytona/Sebring double)
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Simon Pagenaud – 9th in GTLM

2016
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 9th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 1st in GTLM (10th Sebring team win)

2017
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 1st in GTLM (3rd straight Sebring team win)
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 10th in GTLM

2018
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 8th in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 6th in GTLM

2019
No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 3rd in GTLM
No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM
No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 8th in GTE Pro (FIA WEC)

2020*
No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTLM (Taylor pole)
No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM

2020
No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 5th in GTLM (Garcia pole, Catsburg fastest race lap)
No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 6th in GTLM

2021
No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 4th in GTLM (Taylor pole, Garcia fastest race lap)
No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 5th in GTLM

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 80 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Mobil 1 Racing: Kevin Harvick Atlanta Advance

KEVIN HARVICK
Atlanta Advance
No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Folds of Honor 500 (Round 5 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, March 20
● Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway
● Layout: 1.54-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 325 laps/500.5 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 105 laps / Stage 2: 105 laps / Final Stage: 115 laps
● TV/Radio: FOX / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Atlanta’s sports venues seemingly age quickly. The Georgia Dome, which played host to the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and was the site of two Super Bowls (1994 and 2000) and the 1996 Summer Olympics, only lasted 25 years before being demolished in favor of the state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which opened its doors in August 2017. Nearby Turner Field was home to the Atlanta Braves for just 19 years before the MLB team moved to a brand-new stadium – Truist Park – just north of the city in March 2017. (Turner Field still exists, but it’s now a football stadium for Georgia State University, whose football program debuted in 2010.) Atlanta Motor Speedway has taken a page from the playbook of its stick-and-ball neighbors and reinvented itself for a second time after a massive reconfiguration back in 1997 changed the track from a regular, 1.522-mile oval to a quad-oval that measured in at 1.54 miles. That layout quickly became one of the fastest on the entire NASCAR Cup Series schedule, a point proven when Geoff Bodine ventured onto the new surface on Nov. 15, 1997 and turned a lap at 197.478 mph – a track record that was never broken. Now, 25 years later, like its Atlanta sports venue brethren, the Atlanta Motor Speedway we once knew is all new. It is still 1.54 miles in length, but the banking has been increased from 24 degrees to 28 degrees, and the track has been narrowed from 55-feet wide to 40-feet wide, and it’s all covered in fresh asphalt. The goal of the reconstruction was to re-create the kind of pack-style racing seen at the behemoth, 2.5-mile Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and the even bigger 2.66-mile Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Will it work? We’ll find out when cars hit the track this Friday for practice before qualifying on Saturday and the Folds of Honor 500 on Sunday.

● The previous version of Atlanta Motor Speedway is all Kevin Harvick has ever known. The driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) has made 32 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta – the most of any active driver. In fact, Harvick leads a bevy of categories at Atlanta….

  • He has a series-leading nine top-fives at Atlanta. Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch are next best with eight top-fives apiece.
  • He is tied with Kurt Busch for the most top-10s at Atlanta (16). Martin Truex Jr., is next best with 12 top-10s.
  • He has led a series-high 1,348 laps at Atlanta. Kurt Busch is next best with 948 laps led.
  • He has completed a series-high 10,127 laps at Atlanta. Denny Hamlin is next best with 6.983 laps completed.

● Who is the all-time leader at Atlanta? That’s none other than Richard Petty. They call him “The King” for a reason: 65 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Atlanta with six wins, 22 top-fives, 33 top-10s and 1,827 laps led with 17,513 laps completed.

● Harvick has three NASCAR Cup Series wins at Atlanta. His first at the track was the first of his career, and it came a little over 20 years ago on March 11, 2001. The Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 was just Harvick’s third race in a Cup Series car. He started fifth in the 325-lap contest and led twice for 18 laps, including the final six. But Harvick had to earn the win on the final lap and hold off a then three-time champion in Jeff Gordon. Harvick succeeded, outdueling the eventual 2001 series champion to take the win by a scant .006 margin of victory – the seventh-closest finish in NASCAR history.

● Of course, the backstory to that first win is significant. Harvick wasn’t just driving any racecar when he won at Atlanta. He was driving the racecar that less than a month earlier had been piloted by the sport’s titan, Dale Earnhardt. The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion died on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Team owner Richard Childress tabbed Harvick, who was racing for him in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, to pull double-duty and take over Earnhardt’s Cup ride. The No. 3, made iconic by Earnhardt, was changed to the No. 29 and Harvick made his Cup Series debut Feb. 25 at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham. Harvick started 36th that Sunday at Rockingham, but rain washed over the 1.017-mile oval just 51 laps into the 393-lap race. The race resumed at 11 a.m. ET on Monday, whereupon Harvick drove to a solid 14th-place finish. He then traveled to Las Vegas on Tuesday, married his wife, DeLana, on Wednesday, and was back in a racecar on Friday, competing in both the Xfinity Series and Cup Series events at Las Vegas. After finishing eighth on Sunday to score his first career top-10 in the Cup Series, Harvick headed to Atlanta where the first of his 58 career Cup Series wins was secured.

● Harvick is also incredibly good at Atlanta outside of the NASCAR Cup Series. He has five Xfinity Series wins at the track, including four in his last six starts at the 1.54-mile oval, the most recent of which ended in victory – February 2018 when he walloped the field, leading four times for a race-high 141 laps and cruising to the win with a 4.183 margin over second-place Joey Logano. In 17 career Xfinity Series start at Atlanta, Harvick has 11 top-fives and 13 top-10s with 973 laps led. And in his two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at Atlanta, Harvick has a win and a second-place finish. He finished second in his Truck Series debut at Atlanta in March 2009, where he led four times for a race-high 68 laps before coming up .122 of a second short of beating Kyle Busch for the win. But in Harvick’s Truck Series return to Atlanta in March 2010, he dominated by leading twice for a race-high 100 laps and this time besting runner-up Kyle Busch by 1.308 seconds.

● The Mobil 1 branding on Harvick’s No. 4 Ford Mustang goes more than skin deep as the world’s leading synthetic motor oil brand gives Harvick an added advantage. Mobil 1 products are used throughout his racecar and they extend beyond just engine oil. Power steering fluid, transmission fluid, gear oil and driveline lubricants from Mobil 1 give Harvick a technical advantage over his counterparts by reducing friction, heat and rolling resistance. Mobil 1 is a sponsor whose technology makes Harvick’s No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang faster.

Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang

How do you feel about the new Atlanta Motor Speedway?

“As a driver, there was nothing better than the Atlanta Motor Speedway and its old asphalt. Now it’s a new racetrack, and it’s obviously going to be different. But a lot of things this year are different, so it fits right into the theme.”

You’re going to a whole new Atlanta with a whole new car. How do you tackle that?

“Atlanta is a race where you have some actual practice, so that’s a good thing. It’s another element that you have to add in there with the grip level of the racetrack and the new asphalt and everything that comes with that, and where to run on the racetrack. So, you have things that are just going to chew up time on practice day as far as learning what you need to do from the driver’s seat, and that progression of the racetrack definitely affects the handling of the racecar. There are just so many challenges in the beginning of the year with new racetracks and new cars and logistics and you just have to be very open-minded. You have to take it one step at a time and not get too frustrated with everything that’s going to be going on because there’s going to be a lot to digest.”

Do you look forward to this challenge with all the experience the No. 4 Mobil 1 team has between you and crew chief Rodney Childers?

“Any moment can be the moment, right? So just approach it like any moment can be your moment. You have to be able to let everything go that happened in the last practice or the week before or the race before and apply yourself to the current, real-life situation of trying to achieve what everybody wants to achieve in that moment. So you have to stay in the moment and do the things that it takes to be successful right now.”

You’ve always embraced change. Do you feel that your willingness to accept change has you better prepared for this first race at the new Atlanta?

“That really goes back to when we started at SHR and that was a topic of conversation about the original building of the 4 team, and that Rodney (Childers) and I have always been open minded to progression and things that we haven’t done in the past and doing things differently – being open to doing things differently, even if you think they should be the same, and knowing the timing of when to change those things and talking through all those things. So, the communication part is going to be super important in order to not get lost with everything that’s going on. And being able to communicate that and work through it together is important because any moment can be your moment.”

You’ve written a lot of chapters in your career at Atlanta. Does the new Atlanta provide you with an opportunity to write a new chapter?

“Any place is a great place to have a moment, and that just shows the magnitude of our sport and the things that we do. Any town or any track can be a spectacular moment and a defining moment in your career. Obviously, you can’t ever repeat your first win, you can’t ever do that again. So that will always be there no matter what the facility looks like.”

How important is Mobil 1’s technology in the overall efficiency of your racecar, specifically in regard to reducing friction, heat and rolling resistance?

“Mobil 1 technology is a true difference maker, especially this year with the new car. With everyone essentially having the same parts and pieces, we have to maximize what we’ve got. Efficiency equals speed. The less friction, the less rolling resistance, the faster you’ll go. From the synthetic oil in the engine to all the lubricants throughout the car, it all adds up to a more efficient racecar, and that shows up on the stopwatch.”

No. 4 Mobil 1 Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Kevin Harvick
Hometown: Bakersfield, California

Crew Chief: Rodney Childers
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Car Chief: Robert “Cheddar” Smith
Hometown: Whitewater, Wisconsin

Engineer: Dax Gerringer
Hometown: Gibsonville, North Carolina

Engineer: Stephen Doran
Hometown: Butler, Pennsylvania

Spotter: Tim Fedewa
Hometown: Holt, Michigan

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Shayne Pipala
Hometown: Frankfort Square, Illinois

Rear Tire Changer: Daniel Smith
Hometown: Concord, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Jeremy Howard
Hometown: Delhart, Texas

Jack Man: Stan Doolittle
Hometown: Ninety Six, South Carolina

Fuel Man: Evan Marchal
Hometown: Westfield, Indiana

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Richie Bean
Hometown: Bradford, Vermont

Mechanic: Nick DeFazio
Hometown: Orange, California

Tire Specialist: Jamie Turski
Hometown: Trumbull, Connecticut

Engine Tuner: Robert Brandt
Hometown: Mobile, Alabama

Transporter Co-Driver: Rick Hodges
Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Stephen Mitchell
Hometown: Woodville, Ohio

M&M’S Racing: Kyle Busch Atlanta Advance

KYLE BUSCH
Starting Over at Atlanta

HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (March 15, 2022) – The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend for the first of two races at the 1.54-mile oval this season. While the oval’s length remains the same, virtually every other aspect of the track that lies south of downtown Atlanta looks completely different than it did when the series last visited there in July.

Among the changes to Atlanta to go with new pavement to replace the worn-out surface are increases to its banking in the turns from 24 to 28 degrees, with the track width varying from 55 feet to 40 feet. The frontstretch width is now 52 feet, while the backstretch and turns are set at 42 and 40 feet wide, respectively.

What does this mean for the racing this weekend at Atlanta? It means the racing fans were used to seeing at Atlanta will look totally different and unlike any of the other 1.5-mile ovals on the schedule. While Atlanta is more than a mile less in length than Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval) and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (2.66-mile oval), the changes expected to make the racing Atlanta look more like those two tracks than the traditional 1.5-mile track.

Never one to back down from a challenge, Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), will head to the new-look Atlanta to take on the new track surface and configuration, and what the racing on it may bring. While it’s designed to facilitate more pack-style racing, there are countless other unknowns thanks to not only the new layout, but because it’s just the fifth points-paying race for NASCAR’s new NextGen racecar.

Busch returns to the facility this weekend where the winning for him began with JGR in 2008. That was his first year with JGR, and he headed to Atlanta for the fourth Cup Series race of the season aiming to bring home the maiden victory for the team’s two new partners – Mars Wrigley with its SNICKERS brand, and Toyota. After leading a race-high 173 laps, Busch broke through for the first time in NASCAR’s top series for Toyota, which was in its second year of Cup Series competition and its first with JGR. Busch added an Atlanta Cup Series win in 2013 to go with eight top-five finishes and 11 top-10s over his career there.

So, as the Cup Series head to new-look Atlanta this weekend, Busch and the M&M’S team hope to be fast learners on a new surface with a new car in bringing home a third Cup Series win at the track. It would be extra sweet in this final year with M&M’S on board as a primary partner to win again at Atlanta with also would mark Busch’s milestone 60th Cup Series victory.

KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:

What are you expecting out of Atlanta this weekend with the big changes made to the track?

“Atlanta is going to be crazy. It literally got a facelift with a whole new track surface and layout and everything. Looking forward to getting to Atlanta. It’s going to be a different race than what we’ve had there in years past, where you have the old asphalt and really have fast lap times to fire off, and then you have a lot of fall-off where lap times go down throughout the run. That led to having some guys come up through the field and others drop through the field, whether or not they are fast early in the run or slow late in the run, or vice versa. This time around, it’s going to be more like a Daytona or Talladega speedway race. You are going to see a lot of pack racing with some guys two-wide and maybe three-wide, and we’ll have to see how wide the track gets in the time we have on it. Really paying attention and watching some of the Truck Series and Xfinity Series racing earlier in the weekend. It’s going to be helpful to see what we’ll have for Sunday. We’ll learn as much as we can and would like to figure out how to run up front and contend for the win with our M&M’S Camry TRD.”

What are your memories of racing at Atlanta?

“I’ve won a few Truck Series races there. That was fun. I won for the first time in an Xfinity race there a few years ago, so that was very cool. I finished second three or four times, so it had been an Achilles heel for me, I guess. The Cup races there, I’ve either been really good or really bad, it seems. Obviously, it’s a whole new ballgame there, so we can throw out our notes from the past since it won’t mean a ton for this weekend or going forward there.”

You gave Toyota its first Cup Series win by scoring a victory at Atlanta in March 2008. What do you remember about that?

“Running in Atlanta and being able to put Toyota in victory lane for the first time, that was special for me and for Joe Gibbs Racing and everybody. Certainly, that was neat. We’ve been fortunate to be able to put Toyota and Mars in victory lane a lot more times over the years. With it being the last year for Mars in NASCAR, it’s fun to look back at that win and see all that we’ve accomplished since then. It was really neat to get SNICKERS and Toyota to victory lane, but also having been able to sustain that with a lot more wins since then with M&M’S, Skittles, Doublemint and all the Mars Wrigley brands being able to go out there and win with them over the years.”

Event Overview:

● Event: Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 (Round 5 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 20
● Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway
● Layout: 1.54-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 325 laps/500 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 105 laps / Stage 2: 105 laps / Final Stage: 115 laps
● TV/Radio: FOX / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Meet the No. 18 M&M’S / Joe Gibbs Racing Team

Primary Team Members:

Driver: Kyle Busch
Hometown: Las Vegas

Crew Chief: Ben Beshore
Hometown: York, Pennsylvania

Car Chief: Nate Bellows
Hometown: Fairfax, Vermont

Spotter: Tony Hirschman
Hometown: Northampton, Pennsylvania

Race Engineer: Seth Chavka
Hometown: Soldotna, Alaska

Race Engineer: Jaik Halpainy
Hometown: Blockville, New York

Over-The-Wall Crew Members:

Gas Man: Matt Tyrrell
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Front Tire Changer: Thomas Hatcher
Hometown: Middleburg, Florida

Jackman: Kellen Mills
Hometown: Mesa, Arizona

Tire Carrier: CJ Bailey
Hometown: Outer Banks, North Carolina

Rear Tire Changer: Lee Cunningham
Hometown: Leaf River, Illinois

Road Crew Members:

Engine Tuner: Dan Bajek
Hometown: Camden, New York

Truck Driver: Chris Miko
Hometown: Bronx, New York

Truck Driver: Mike Curtis
Hometown: Grandby, Connecticut

Mechanic/Tire Specialist: Justin Peiffer
Hometown: Lebanon, Pennsylvania

Mechanic: Scott Eldridge
Hometown: Warsaw, Indiana

Mechanic: Tony Hamm
Hometown: Walla, Walla, Washington

Notes of Interest:

● All in the Stats: Busch has two wins, eight top-five finishes, 11 top-10s and has led a total of 530 laps in 24 career Cup Series starts at Atlanta. Busch’s average Atlanta finish is 13.0.

● Early Look at Points: With Atlanta marking the fifth points-paying race of the season, Busch sits just four points behind series leader Joey Logano in the driver standings. Busch has three top-10 finishes in the four races contested so far this season.

● Close Calls: While Busch last won a Cup Series race at Atlanta in 2013, the two-time Cup Series champion has only finished outside the top-10 twice in his past 10 starts there. Along with his runner-up finish at Atlanta last July, Busch has scored three straight top-fives and five straight top-10s there.

● Feels Like the First Time: Back in 2008, his first year with JGR, Busch headed to Atlanta for the fourth NASCAR Cup Series race of the season aiming to bring home his first win for the team’s two new partners – Mars Wrigley and Toyota. After leading a race-high 173 laps, the Las Vegas native captured his first win for Mars Wrigley/SNICKERS®, as well as the first win in NASCAR’s top series for Toyota, which was in its second year of Cup Series competition and its first year with JGR.

● Making History at Atlanta: Busch’s history-making 2008 win at Atlanta also marked the end of a 147-race drought for JGR’s No. 18 team, and it was Busch’s first of 55 Cup Series wins for JGR, so far. Busch has now totaled 205 overall wins among NASCAR’s top three series driving Toyota vehicles – 55 in the Cup Series, 91 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and 55 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Add 21 overall wins prior to joining JGR at the beginning of 2008 and Busch is at 222 combined Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series wins, and counting.