Home Blog Page 2099

JR Motorsports — NXS Las Vegas Preview

JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
RACE: Alsco Uniforms 300 (200 laps / 300 miles)
DATE: Saturday, March 5, 2022

Broadcast Information – TV: 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1 / Radio: 4 p.m. ET on PRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90

Sam Mayer
No. 1 Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet
• Coming off a strong sixth-place finish in Fontana, Sam Mayer will make his second NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend.
• In one start at the 1.5-mile facility in Las Vegas, Mayer raced his way to 11th before being swept up in a multi-car incident on lap 31.
• In 18 NXS races during the second half of 2021, Mayer racked up one top five and six top 10s while leading the field for 57 circuits.
• At tracks measuring 1.5 miles in length in the NXS, Mayer has a best finish of eighth, earned at Kansas Speedway last season.

Josh Berry
No. 8 Tire Pros Chevrolet
• Josh Berry heads back to Las Vegas as the defending winner at the 1.5-mile oval in the NXS. Berry drove the No. 1 Chevrolet to the lead with less than 50 laps remaining to secure the second NXS win of his career last fall.
• The 31-year-old holds an average finish of 4.0 after making
two starts in Vegas for JRM during the 2021 season.
• The Hendersonville, Tenn. native drove the No. 8 to a strong fourth-place effort last weekend in Fontana to record his first top-five finish of 2022.
• Berry currently sits seventh in the championship standings only 27 points from the lead.

Noah Gragson
No. 9 Bass Pro Shops / TrueTimber / Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet
• The only thing Noah Gragson has yet to do at his home track is win, as he has finished no worse than sixth in his six starts on the 1.5-mile oval in the NXS.
• The 23-year-old Las Vegas native has finished fourth, second, fifth and third in his last four starts there driving the Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet, and his career average finish is a stellar 3.8.
• Gragson started the 2022 season strong, finishing third in the opener at Daytona International Speedway and second last week at Auto Club Speedway for an average finish of 2.5 in his first two starts with crew chief Luke Lambert.

Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• Justin Allgaier will make his 16th career NXS start at Las
Vegas on Saturday afternoon.
• In 15 previous starts at the 1.5-mile speedway, Allgaier has earned a best finish of second, coming in this event in 2011 and twice in the fall events (2018, 2021).
• Overall, in 199 previous starts on tracks between one and two miles in length, Allgaier has recorded eight wins, 60 top fives and 121 top 10s in the NXS.
• According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Allgaier currently ranks first in laps led (205), quality passes (582), green flag passes (696), laps run inside the top 15 (2,839) and fastest laps run (140) at Las Vegas.

Driver Quotes

“We had a really great run at Auto Club last weekend in the Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions Chevrolet. We had a car capable of running towards the front and that is what we did. We kept the car clean all race and came home with a sixth-place finish. We know that could have been better but we’re going to take this momentum and hopefully have a strong run in Vegas since we are using the same car as last weekend. I know Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and this entire No. 1 team will be ready to contend for a win.” – Sam Mayer

“I’ve been really looking forward to getting back to Las Vegas. Everyone at JR Motorsports had fast cars the last time we were here and I feel extremely confident that we will unload with that same speed when we hit the track for practice on Friday. Hopefully we can be that one spot better this time with our BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet and come away with a victory. I’m ready to get going.” – Justin Allgaier

“We’re coming back to Vegas with the same team that I won with last year at this place, so the confidence is high going into this weekend. We made big strides last weekend finding the balance and we were in contention at the end, so I know this Tire Pros Camaro has speed. Taking everything we learned from last weekend in Fontana and last year from Vegas, there’s no reason we can’t put this car back in Victory Lane.” – Josh Berry

“Racing back home is always the best part of the schedule. I get to spend time at home with family and friends and I am able to just relax. We’ve had consistent speed this year and Luke (Lambert, crew chief) has made great calls on the box to put us in the right positions to battle for a win. We’ve always had good runs in Vegas and I know this weekend will be more of the same with this Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee team.” – Noah Gragson

JRM Team Updates:

• JR Motorsports at Las Vegas: JR Motorsports has competed in “Sin City” a combined 60 times in the NXS. Over the course of these 60 starts at the 1.5-mile facility, JRM has tallied two wins, including the first for the organization in 2008 with NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, 24 top fives and 38 top 10s. JRM comes to Las Vegas as the most recent winner with Josh Berry taking the checkered in the No. 1 in September of 2021.
• Tire Pros: Tire Pros wants to help your dollars stay close to home, so they offer a selection of special deals. Plus, tire brands frequently offer mail-in rebates to give you even greater savings. Check here regularly to save on car services and tires.
• Souvenir Rig Autograph Session: JRM drivers Justin Allgaier and Noah Gragson will be signing autographs at the JR Motorsports/Hendrick Motorsports souvenir trailer at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 5 from 10 – 10:30 a.m. local time.
• Trackside Live Q&A: JRM drivers Josh Berry and Sam Mayer will be making an appearance at the Trackside Live stage for a Q&A at 11:15 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., respectively. The Trackside Live stage is located in the Fan Zone.
• Neon Garage Q&A: JRM driver Noah Gragson will be making an appearance at the Neon Garage stage at 11 a.m. local for a Q&A.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Cole Custer Media Availability Transcript (Las Vegas)

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Pennzoil 400 Advance | Wednesday, March 2, 2022

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang, is coming off a victory in last Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Auto Club Speedway and an 11th-place finish in the NASCAR Cup Series event the following day. Custer was part of a Ford Performance media conference call earlier today and talked about how his season has started.

COLE CUSTER, No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang – HOW IMPORTANT WAS IT TO GET THAT XFINITY WIN LAST WEEK IN CALIFORNIA? “It’s just huge to go back to the Xfinity Series and get a win. All of those guys, Bobby Dotter, I mean, to be in victory lane. I know Bobby has been doing it for a really long time, so it was cool to see him back in victory lane, but also for our sponsor, Production Alliance Group. It was their race, the Production Alliance Group 300, and I think he’s been talking for about six months about winning his own race, so it was really cool to make that happen. And that being a home race race, I mean it was as good as you can get.”

HOW ARE YOU FEELING? WHAT DOES A WIN DO TO BOOST YOUR ENERGY? “Obviously, it adds a little bit of confidence. You still know what you’re doing in some aspect, but at the same time you’ve just got to keep focusing on what’s coming next. Obviously, with this Next Gen car it’s pretty much a new experience every single weekend. We don’t know exactly what to expect, so you’ve kind of got to stay on your game and make sure you’re not getting too cocky, I guess you would say. I think it’s definitely every single type of racetrack you have to make sure you’re on your game and adapting as fast as you can.”

HOW ARE YOU LIKING OR NOT LIKING THE NEW CAR, AND IT LOOKED LIKE A LOT OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO RUN IN THE TOP 10 THAT DON’T NORMALLY RUN THERE. IS THE CAR DOING THAT? “I think from my experience with the car they’ve done a solid job. Obviously, the bigger mile-and-a-half tracks where a lot of aerodynamics come into play it’s gonna be very interesting. You probably don’t have the side force that you want in the car to really have the confidence that you want, but it makes it very interesting as the driver to kind of find that limit and try not to go over because I think we saw a lot of guys do that last weekend. And then I think when you see a lot of people that aren’t usually in the top 10 from in the past, it’s gonna be a crazy year. A lot of teams, there’s the stakes, whether it’s on pit road or mechanical failures or what happens there are things going on, and then also I think it is a little bit more of an even playing field just because nobody has figured out this car completely yet. It’s anybody’s game right now.”

WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST A PLAN COULD BE FOR GETTING CARS BACK TO PIT ROAD IF YOU HAVE A FLAT? “Honestly, I don’t know exactly. Obviously, they have tow trucks and stuff right now, but I’m kind of trusting NASCAR on that one. There have been rumors about a rule change, but I haven’t heard anything for sure. We’ll see. I think obviously we’d like to drive the car back if we have a flat, so we’ll see what happens.”

HAVE YOU NOTICED ANYTHING IN THE LAST YEAR WITH GAMBLING OPENING UP AND LAS VEGAS THIS WEEKEND? DO YOU NOTICE IF THERE’S MORE INTEREST IN THE SPORT AS FAR AS MORE PEOPLE GAMBLING ON IT? “I wouldn’t say I call myself a huge gambler. I’ll go to Vegas and play a little bit of Blackjack, but that’s about it. I think you do hear from time to time that it’s definitely been good for the sport on having more interest. I think having people having that driver that they’re pulling for and that they put a little bit of money on at times, I do think it helps things. It’s been interesting, but I wouldn’t say I’m a big gambler, so I can’t tell you for sure.”

CAN YOU GAUGE WHERE SHR IS NOW COMPARED TO A YEAR AGO? “I think right now we’ve done a really solid job. We’ve been competitive at every single race so far. Are we where we want to be? Are we leading a bunch of laps and up front? I think we still have a little bit of room to grow, but the guys have done a great job over the offseason working hard on this car and this is our year to rebound. We’re working as hard as we can to try and get our cars back up front, but it’s been solid so far. I think we have cars that are driving well and we have stuff that we can build on for the rest of the year.”

ANY IDEA ON HOW THE CAR IS GOING TO REACT ON THE SURFACES OF VEGAS AND ATLANTA THE NEXT TWO WEEKS BECAUSE THEY’RE TOTALLY DIFFERENT? “You look at Vegas this weekend and it’s gonna be very interesting with the bumps in one and two. At Fontana, people struggled a lot with that bump in three and four and it’s gonna be interesting to see what teams push it more than others on aggressive setups and stuff like that and what drivers push it more because it’s gonna be edgy through those bumps. I think that’s no doubt and then you look at Phoenix, I think this car is a really good short track car. I think it’ll put on a really good race. I think we’ve got some really interesting tracks coming up for sure.”

THERE SEEMED TO BE A LOT OF DRIVER ENTHUSIASM LAST WEEK AT FONTANA. DO YOU THINK THAT WILL CARRYOVER TO VEGAS? “I think so, for sure. The cars are just on edge. It’s something that I think we haven’t seen in a few years where guys are spinning out in practice and qualifying. It’s really interesting to see what guys are pushing it to the max. In the Cup Series you’ve got to live on that edge. If you holding anything back, you’re not gonna run good, so it’s definitely interesting to see which guys are pushing it more than others.”

ATLANTA IS COMING UP – A SUPER HIGH-BANK 1.5-MILE. WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? “It’s gonna be interesting. Like I said, these cars are on edge so going to those high speed mile-and-a-halves it’s gonna be interesting to see which guys are pushing it more than others and which crew chiefs and teams are pushing it more than others in the setup. It’s definitely gonna be interesting because it’s a new week. Every single week you don’t know what to expect, so it’s gonna be a very interesting few weeks to see how these cars handle on these mile-and-a-halves.”

DO YOU EXPECT THE RACING TO BE ANY DIFFERENT AT PHOENIX NEXT WEEK THAN WE SAW WITH THE GEN 6 CAR IN NOVEMBER? “Honestly, I think it will be similar. I think it’s a car that should perform pretty well on the short tracks. Phoenix, obviously you have a little bit of aero effects going there, so it’ll be a little more interesting to see how the dirty air works and stuff like that, but, overall, I think it’ll be pretty similar to what it has been in the past. I think one thing that people are a little bit questionable about is the dogleg, how the car is gonna handle through there and if you’re going to be using the apron at all. As we’ve seen at these other tracks they don’t like going over bumps that well.”

HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK YOU’LL BE ABLE TO TAKE NEXT WEEKEND WHEN YOU GO BACK THERE IN THE FALL? “You’ll definitely be able to take some things. Obviously, we’ve had a test there already, so we have an idea of what we’re looking for. Like you said, this car and what we’re thinking about will change a lot by the time November comes around, but you’ll still have that baseline of the first Phoenix race and that’s where the championship happens, so there will still be a lot of emphasis on it.”

COMING OFF A SOLID CUP RUN AT FONTANA, HOW DO YOU AND YOUR TEAM BALANCED THE GOOD FEELING OF THAT WITH ALL YOU STILL HAVE TO LEARN WITH THE NEXT GEN CAR? “You’ve just got to take it one week at a time. You kind of have to live in the moment, I guess. Our team did a great job in Fontana. Our pit crew was awesome and you just have to keep building on that. Obviously, things are gonna change week to week and you have to use your resources and teammates and everything around you to try and understand this car better, but I think we’re off to a good start and we’ve got to just keep building on it.”

HOW MUCH DIFFERENTLY DO YOU EXPECT TO DRIVE VEGAS FROM YEARS PAST AND IS THE EXTRA BANKING CRITICAL FOR SETUP THIS WEEKEND? “You’re gonna change your setup around a little bit, but I think the biggest thing, at least of us, is how you’re going to navigate the bumps in one and two. They’re some of the biggest bumps that we have on the schedule. At Fontana, we saw the problems people had over the bumps in three and four, so it’s gonna be a matter of how far you can push it through those bumps and how your car is handling through that.”

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW BOBBY DOTTER AND WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO SEE HIM IN VICTORY LANE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS CAREER AS AN OWNER? “I’ve seen Bobby around the garage since I was running Xfinity and kind of got to know him a little bit last year. It’s definitely really cool. You won’t see anyone more hard-working and has been around this sport for a long time, so it was really awesome to get those guys in victory lane and seeing all of their faces lit up. They were living it up and are really deserving because they work as hard as anybody.”

CAN YOU GIVE A SENSE OF HOW SIMILAR THE BUMPS ARE FROM FONTANA TO VEGAS? IS A BUMP A BUMP? “It’s definitely a question mark. I think there’s a chance people will be spinning out and really struggling over those bumps. They’re really big. Obviously, we saw a bump at Fontana kind of mess a lot of guys up last weekend, so it’s all about you’re sitting on these shocks and it’s a very harsh ride. Some guys are gonna push it more than others is the biggest thing, so it’s gonna be interesting. I don’t think anybody really knows what to expect, so it’s gonna be a new experience every single weekend.”

HOW IS PIT ROAD DIFFERENT WITH THESE CARS? YOU HAVE BIGGER BRAKING SO CAN YOU DRIVE IN DEEPER AND TO THE CONE? “Like you said, you can definitely get into your pit box harder and get on pit road harder with the bigger brakes on the car, but also the biggest thing is getting used to how fast the guys are. I think they’re a couple seconds faster than they used to be, so it’s definitely impressive. You just have to get used to that and also leaving the pit stall, how much you can push it, how you want to rev the engine up, so just little things here and there.”

WHAT MAKES LAS VEGAS SO DIFFICULT FOR YOU AND DOES THE NEW CAR CHANGE ANYTHING? “It’s one of those places that’s really in the middle. It’s starting to get the pavement wore out, but it’s still really high speed and you’ve also got those big bumps in one and two. It’s a place that is really hard to get a hold of, so it’s gonna be an interesting race like I’ve said before. It’s gonna be a lot of seeing how far guys want to push it. I think you’re going to see similar to Fontana, where everybody is on the edge and I think you’re gonna see that same thing this weekend.”

Toyota Racing – Weekly Preview – 03.02.22

This Week in Motorsports: February 28-March 6, 2022

· NCS/NXS/NCWTS: Las Vegas Motor Speedway – March 4-6

PLANO, Texas (March 2, 2022) – NASCAR teams continue their West Coast tour with the first stop of the season in Las Vegas.

NASCAR National Series – NCS| NXS| NCWTS

Busch brothers head home … Kurt and Kyle Busch head back to Las Vegas for their first stop of the season at their home track – Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Both brothers are Cup Series winners at the track with Kyle winning first in 2009 and Kurt going to Victory Lane in 2020. Kyle is also scheduled to make his first of five Camping World Truck Series starts this weekend on Friday evening.

Truex starting strong… Martin Truex Jr. continues to run strong in early season races as the 2017 Cup Series champion currently sits third in the overall standings. Truex is a two-time winner in a Camry at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (2017, 2019)

Jones looks for great Vegas runs to continue… Las Vegas has been a great spot for Brandon Jones, and the Joe Gibbs Racing driver looks for that to continue Saturday afternoon. The Georgia-native has five straight finishes at the track of 11th or better, including a third-place finish in this race one year ago.

Ryan Truex competes for both Toyota’s Xfinity teams… After a strong top-15 finish for Sam Hunt Racing at the season opener in Daytona, Ryan Truex will run his first of four scheduled events for Joe Gibbs Racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the No. 18 GR Supra. In Fontana, Trevor Bayne made his first Xfinity Series start since 2016 and drove the car to a stage win and a third-place finish.

Nemechek goes for two… John Hunter Nemechek will get to compete in two races this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. On Friday, Nemechek looks to defend his race win in the NASCAR Truck Series event, before getting aboard the No. 26 Toyota GR Supra for Sam Hunt Racing on Saturday. It’s the first of several scheduled starts in the car for Nemechek, who last drove the car to a team-best third-place finish at Richmond Raceway last fall.

Eckes looking for another Vegas crown… Christian Eckes earned his first career victory the last time we were in Las Vegas. He led his three ThorSport Racing teammates to the line – making history as the first team in Truck Series history to sweep the top-four finishing positions. Eckes is competing full time this season and started the season with a strong third-place finish in Daytona.

Milestone for Crafton… Three-time Truck Series champion Matt Crafton is set to cross another milestone off the list in Las Vegas as he makes his 500th career start. The California-native has earned 15 race wins, 130 top-five finishes and 300 top-10 results in his Truck Series career.

Stay Connected

https://www.toyota.com/racing @ToyotaRacing.com @ToyotaRacing

facebook.com/ToyotaRacing Camera With Flash on Apple iOS 11.3 ToyotaRacingMedia.com

#

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 43 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With the more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, more than a quarter of the company’s 2021 North American sales were electrified.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Georgia Peanut Commission Back with Front Row Motorsports

Georgia Peanuts Partners with Gilliland at Atlanta and Talladega

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (March 2, 2022) – The Georgia Peanut Commission will return to Front Row Motorsports (FRM) to support NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Todd Gilliland at two of NASCAR’s premier tracks in the southeast.

Georgia Peanuts will join Gilliland and the No. 38 Ford Mustang team at the newly repaved Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 20 and again at the Talladega Superspeedway in October. The Atlanta event will mark the 25th anniversary of Georgia Peanuts visiting victory lane in the ARCA Menards Series with driver Harris DeVane. The commission is looking once again to make memories with Gilliland.

“We’re proud to support Todd Gilliland this year in his rookie season,” said Joe Boddiford, Promotion Committee Chairman for the Georgia Peanut Commission. “And we’re excited to do it on the 25th anniversary of our last win at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. We hope that Todd can make more memories for us this season and look forward to his races with us.”

Gilliland will represent Georgia Peanuts, their farmers, and buyers throughout the season. The website, www.gapeanuts.com is the home for all NASCAR fans to learn more about the commission, download educational materials for the classroom, get health and nutrition information, recipe ideas and more.

The Georgia Peanut Commission conducts programs in the areas of promotion, research, and education. Funding is derived from a $2 per ton assessment on all producers. Peanuts are a $2.2 billion industry in Georgia and a vital part of the economy. Facts about the peanut industry in Georgia include:

· Georgia farmers produced 52% of the peanuts grown in the United States in 2021 – more than 1.67 million tons.
· Georgia farmers harvested 750,000 acres, yielding an average of 4,450 pounds per acre.
· Georgia farmers planted peanuts in 76 counties in Georgia.
· Georgia has approximately 4,000 peanut farmers.
· Georgia peanuts accounted for 29% of the state’s row and forage crops income.
· Peanuts are Georgia’s Official State Crop.

Gilliland is honored to race the Georgia Peanuts colors in his rookie campaign.

“It’s really exciting to be able to represent Georgia Peanuts this year,” said Gilliland. “They have a lot of history in stock car racing and racing at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. I just want to continue that tradition and represent all the peanut farmers and the Georgia Peanuts brand to the best of my ability. It’s a great history to be a part of and continue.”

About Georgia Peanut Commission
The Georgia Peanut Commission was established in 1961 under the state’s Commodities Promotion Act. Today, the commission represents Georgia’s 4,000 peanut farmers and conducts programs in the areas of promotion, research and education. To learn more, visit gapeanuts.com or follow @gapeanuts on Facebook and Instagram or @GeorgiaPeanuts on Twitter.

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

RFK Racing Weekly Advance | Las Vegas I

Roush Fenway Keselowski Weekly Advance | Las Vegas I

The NASCAR circuit heads to Las Vegas this weekend for the second of three-straight races on the West Coast. Jack Roush has 16 wins all-time at the 1.5-mile track, including seven in the Cup Series. Brad Keselowski enters the weekend with 12 top-10s and three wins at the track.

NASCAR Cup Series Race at Las Vegas

Sunday, March 6 | 3:30 p.m. ET

FOX, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

· Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Fastenal Ford Mustang

· Chris Buescher, No. 17 Wyndham Rewards Ford Mustang

Early JACKpot

RFK hit the Vegas jackpot right off the bat, winning the inaugural Cup event at Las Vegas in 1998. Mark Martin led 82 laps in the victory that served as a banner day for RFK.

Inaugural Sweep

RFK placed all five of its Cup entries inside the top 10 of that inaugural Las Vegas Cup race in 1998, including three inside the top five, four inside the top six, one in the winners circle and the runner up (6 – 1st, 99 – 2nd, 26 – 4th, 16 – 6th and 97 – 10th).

Continued Success

RFK won the first three Cup races at LVMS from ‘98-’00, with Jeff Burton winning back-to-back events in ’99 and ’00. RFK also took three of the first nine Xfinity Series events at LVMS.

Victory Lane at Vegas

In addition to the first three Cup races at LVMS, RFK again found the winners’ circle in 2003 and 2004 at the 1.5-mile track with Matt Kenseth. Carl Edwards took the checkered flag at the 2008 and 2011 events to give RFK seven Cup wins at Las Vegas with four different drivers.

Back to Back at Vegas

RFK has won back-to-back Cup races at LVMS on two separate occasions in ’99-’00 and ’03-04’ and once in the Xfinity Series in ‘99 and ‘00.

Across the Board at Vegas

All in all, RFK has tallied 16 total NASCAR wins, while turning 38,000+ laps in NASCAR action at LVMS for 58,000+ miles, while leading over 2,600 laps at the track in NASCAR’s top three divisions. At the same time the organization has finished inside the top 10 in 50 percent of its 182 NASCAR starts at LVMS.

Roush Fenway Las Vegas Wins

1998 Martin Cup

1999 Burton Cup

2000 Burton Cup

2003 Kenseth Cup

2004 Kenseth Cup

2008 Edwards Cup

2011 Edwards Cup

1999 Martin NXS

2000 Burton NXS

2002 Burton NXS

2005 Martin NXS

2009 Biffle NXS

2012 Stenhouse NXS

1997 Ruttman NGOTS

1999 Biffle NGOTS

2007 Kvapil NGOTS

Mahindra Tractors Racing: Chase Briscoe Las Vegas Advance

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

Event Overview

● Event: Las Vegas 400 (Round 3 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, March 6
● Location: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
● 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: FOX / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway looking for his second top-five result of the season. Briscoe started off his second full-time NASCAR Cup Series season with a third-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500.

● Briscoe followed up his Daytona result with a 16th-place effort last Sunday at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, where he led 20 laps early in the race before losing track position during a round of pit stops. The No. 14 Mahindra Tractors team stayed out late in the race while the leaders pitted to put Briscoe back in the top spot, but newer tires prevailed on the worn-out, 2-mile oval. He enters this weekend’s race at Las Vegas fifth in the point standings, just 16 points out of first.

● Sunday’s 400-lap race at Las Vegas marks Briscoe’s third Cup Series start at the 1.5-mile track. He finished 21st in his first race there in March 2021 and bettered that result during the return trip in October, when he finished 14th. Crew chief Johnny Klausmeier has three top-10 finishes at Las Vegas, all earned with Briscoe’s SHR teammate Aric Almirola.

● The new NextGen car that is designed to level the playing field, and experience from this year’s first two Cup Series races may be just what Briscoe needs to make another run at Las Vegas victory lane. He swept both NASCAR Xfinity Series races at the venue during the 2020 season and both wins aided in his pursuit of the championship. The first win on Feb. 23 secured Briscoe’s spot in the 12-driver playoff field, and the follow-up win in October locked him into the Round of 8. The No. 98 team went on to win once more at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City to advance to the Championship 4.

● In total, Briscoe has five career Xfinity Series starts at Las Vegas with the two wins among three top-10s. He also made a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series appearance there in September 2017, starting third and leading the first 40 laps before finishing third in a Ford F-150.

● Mahindra Tractors, a brand of Houston-based Mahindra Ag North America, continues its journey out west with the No. 14 Ford Mustang team. Part of Mahindra Group’s Automotive and Farm Sector, Mahindra Ag North America is the No. 1-selling farm tractor company in the world, based on volumes across all company brands. Mahindra farm equipment is engineered to be easy to operate by first-time tractor or side-by-side owners, and heavy duty to tackle the tough jobs of rural living, farming and ranching. Steel-framed Mahindra tractors and side-by-sides are ideal for customers who demand performance, reliability and comfort at a great value. Mahindra dealers are independent, family-owned businesses located throughout the U.S. and Canada.

● The longer the workday – or the race day – the more important comfort becomes. Mahindra Tractors offers many comfort features for its operators, including air suspension seats with extra cushioning. At the racetrack this season, guests of SHR will be able to experience that comfort for themselves as the No. 14 pitbox has been retrofitted with the Mahindra comfort seat.

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

With this new car, is there anything you can take away from Fontana and apply to upcoming tracks?

“I think Auto Club is pretty unique. But with the 1.5-mile tracks coming up, you probably use some of what we’ve learned. Every race is going to be a learning experience, the whole time, and I think anything you can take away from any track is going to be important as we figure out this car and how it changes. I definitely feel like we learned some stuff at Fontana that we’re going to be able to use down the road.”

You got to experience the new practice and qualifying format for this first time last weekend. What did you learn about how to use those 15 minutes of track time?

“I was nice to have practice and qualifying back. With the new car, you can’t really change anything. You can only make very minor adjustments. It is really just to kind of get a shakedown and have a general idea of what your car is going to do when it goes off into the corner on lap one of the race. I think qualifying was something that needed to come back. Doing the metrics deal last year, if you got buried in points, you kind of just sucked for the whole year. It will be crucial for the teams to truly be on their game when they unload. It is hard to do that when we don’t really have any experience with this car. The simulators are going to get more and more use and it will be interesting to see what teams hit it right.”

No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Chase Briscoe
Hometown: Mitchell, Indiana

Crew Chief: John Klausmeier
Hometown: Perry Hall, Maryland

Car Chief: J.D. Frey
Hometown: Ferndale, California

Engineer: Mike Cook
Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Engineer: Marc Hendricksen
Hometown: Clinton, New Jersey

Spotter: Joey Campbell
Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Daniel Coffey
Hometown: Granite Falls, North Carolina

Rear Tire Changer: Chris Jackson
Hometown: Rock Hill, South Carolina

Tire Carrier: Jon Bernal
Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Jack Man: Brandon Banks
Hometown: High Point, North Carolina

Fuel Man: Corey Coppola
Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Road Crew Members

Underneath Mechanic: Stephen Gonzalez
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Interior Mechanic: Trevor Adams
Hometown: Naples, Florida

Tire Specialist: Keith Eads
Hometown: Arlington, Virginia

Shock Specialist: Brian Holshouser
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Engine Tuner: Jon Phillips
Hometown: Jefferson City, Missouri

Transporter Co-Driver: Todd Cable
Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Rob Fink
Hometown: Mocksville, North Carolina

Payton Freeman To Chase Spring Nationals Series Championship

Payton Freeman will chase the Schaeffer's Oil Spring Nationals Series championship this season. (Richard Barnes Photo)

COLUMBIA, S.C. – (March 2, 2022) – One year after winning the Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series championship, Payton Freeman has his sights set on another championship.

The 19-year-old rising dirt late model star has confirmed plans to pursue the Schaeffer’s Oil Spring National Series championship from March through May.

Schaeffer’s Oil Spring National Series, which is owned and managed by veteran dirt late model racer Ray Cook, begins March 4 and runs through May 29. The series schedule features 12 events at venues located in Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Alabama.

“When setting our schedule for the year we realized it made a lot of sense to follow the Spring Nationals tour,” Freeman said. “The schedule features several races that pay more than $10,000-to-win and we’ll be able to hit a lot of tracks between March and May. What’s not to love about that?”

Freeman is already off to a strong start this season, having earned two top-five and three top-10 finishes in three events so far. Included in those was a fifth-place finish last Friday night at Georgia’s Lavonia Speedway with the Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series.

He believes his early season form is just the start of a strong season, which will continue this weekend when the Schaeffer’s Oil Spring National Series begins at Swainsboro (Ga.) Raceway on March 4 and Senoia (Ga.) Raceway on March 5.

“We’ve really been off to a strong start this year. We ran competitively last week with the Xtreme DIRTcar Series and I think that’s a sign of things to come,” Freeman said. “We’ll hit the ground running this weekend with the Spring Nationals and see if we can get ourselves a trophy or two.”

Payton Freeman would like to thank all of his supporters and partners, including his parents, crew and fans as well as Freeman Plumbing, Coltman Farms, MPM Marketing, Stilo, KRC Power Steering, K1 RaceGear, Schaeffer’s Oil, Base Racing Fuel, SRI Performance, Captial Race Cars, Shelton Trucking, Chattham & Son Tile, Rod Roberts Trucking, Collins Signs and Sweet Victory Apparel.

—————

About McCallister Precision Marketing

McCallister Precision Marketing (MPM) focuses on assisting up-and-coming race car drivers with career advancement and promotion. McCallister Precision Marketing helps drivers build confidence in front of and behind the camera, giving them the tools they need to advance to the next level. The company also provides companies with a strategic plan for their sales, marketing and promotional needs. We believe in building positive relationships with our clients so that we may provide them with the most professional, yet personal guidance they need, in order to achieve their racing goals. Our clients include race car drivers, race team owners, companies and racing series’. We also work closely with charities and charity events. For more information on McCallister Precision Marketing, visit www.MarketWithMPM.com

Enhancing Your Mercedes-Benz

Photo by Doruk Bayram on Unsplash

Owning a Mercedes is an already exceedingly rewarding feeling, however, it also opens the fantastic avenue of tuning and improving your vehicle. An extreme sense of accomplishment is felt when you spend the time to research, purchase, and upgrade your Mercedes to push it even further beyond and make it truly a work of art.

The good news is, unlike before the internet era, finding genuine parts for including Mercedes, AMG, and BRABUS isn’t something that can take to multiple months to research and buy. Online retailers such as Mercteil offer the aforementioned parts, cosmetics, and tuning kits for every make and model of Mercedes that exists.

Engine and Exhaust

Obviously, for those that wish to achieve direct control of the horsepower that a Mercedes has to offer look no further than engine tuning. Engine tuning includes both increasing horsepower and/or making your engine run more economically and efficiently.

Arguably the most significant piece of equipment you can add that will make your fellow Mercedes owners jealous is the BRABUS PowerXtra engine tuning kits. The installation of one of these kits inside your Mercedes will net you an insane increase of horsepower, typically resulting in around 30% more horsepower on any given model.

With more power comes the need for efficient exhaust systems. Enhancing your exhaust system not only provides performance by getting more fresh air into your engine, and it also can change the soundscape of your vehicle for a more immersive experience.

Exhaust setups such as the G63 AMG Exhaust System can provide the said economics and performance all that the press of a button on your steering wheel. Systems such as these will extend the life of your engine and leave you satisfied with the performance-enhancing side effects.

Wheels and Brakes

Your Mercedes wheels, tires, and brakes are the parts that undergo the most amount of stress whilst driving as they are the most susceptible to the environments you’ll encounter. Therefore, when looking to increase the time between maintenances, improve performance, and provide cosmetic flair it’s a perfect avenue of customization.

When looking at wheel enhancements take into account the metal and weight. For example, the 22 Inch AMG Alloy Wheels GLE Class V167 provides not only a cosmetic upgrade but also affects performance. The lighter and stronger your wheels are, the more performance you stand to gain.

Brakes are of the highest importance. Good brakes increase safety for yourself and others, whilst also increasing the durability of your wheels. When shopping around, look for Carbon Ceramic for the highest quality possible.

When it comes to tires, it’s good to have a setup for the seasons and activities. A good practice is getting 2-3 sets of wheels; one for the summer, winter, and an activity such as racing on the track. This also provides a good opportunity cosmetically as you can get different hubcaps and rims for each occasion.

Cosmetics

We’ve only gone over mostly performance upgrades however there is more to enhancing your Mercedes than just performance. The best way to leave your flair on your Mercedes is by making it stand out.

Cosmetics include things like liveries, leather seats, lights, and ergonomic steering wheels. Each one can impact your Mercedes experience when each little detail has a piece of originality. Some cosmetics such as spoilers boost aerodynamics increasing performance.

Conclusion

When it comes to upgrading and enhancing your Mercedes you can’t go wrong and it’s easier than ever. Online retailers mentioned before like Mercteil offer exactly what you will need to bring your Mercedes game to the next level, and allow yourself and your vehicle to stand out among the rest.

Interesting Things You Can Bet on Online

Photo by Sergey Zolkin on Unsplash

Football, NBA, cricket, and tennis are some of the popular sports people bet online. However, study shows that there are quite interesting things you can bet on online casinos. 

Some of these things may look bizarre. But the fact is punters enjoy predicting about them and actually earn money if they predict correctly.

Apart from those big and usual things people bet on, there are many options for you. Let’s throw our eyes into some of the weird things you can bet on legally. On this, XL-BET has an extra exciting catalogue of casino games you can bet on.

In addition to that, here is a list of things you can legally bet on online:

Cheese-Rolling

Cheese Rolling is like NASCAR, except there are no cars but people rolling on cheese. The cheese (usually round in shape) should be old and heavy. The game is simple. The player that rolls the fastest downhill (of course, with the cheese), wins the game.

It is also important to mention that cheese-rolling stakeholders made a formal application to the International Olympic Committee. The aim of the application was to have cheese-rolling recognized as one of the sports thus be included in subsequent Olympic games. 

Sadly, IOC declined the request. But even if cheese-rolling officials’ application was denied, punters continue to enjoy the game. 

Bog Snorkeling

I bet you’ve ever heard of the Word Bog Snorkeling Championship. The annual event usually takes place in Britain thanks to the environment. Participants are required to come to Britain with snorkels and flippers to enjoy the game.

One rule about bog snorkeling is that it should take place at a time the weather is at its worst. The annual event attracts hundreds of thousands of participants from across the world.

While Great Britain has been home for bog snorkeling several times, efforts to change to other locations have proved futile. Countries with deep blue seas, luscious hillsides, and golden beaches have a higher chance of hosting the event. 

Fortunately, the United Kingdom has all these attributes. The game starts when participants compete against each other. For one to be declared a winner, he/she should complete two lengths of possibly the world’s stinking bog water as fast as possible.

Although rare and unknown to many people, punters love playing bog snorkeling and winners get huge stakes.

Floorball

Floorball is a variation of lacrosse and hockey. This game can be traced back to Sweden, where the game started in the 1960s. Although it started in Sweden, floorball has spread to several countries within the European Union. 

Some of the countries where floorball is common include, Estonia, Denmark, the Czech Republic, and Norway. In addition, this game is gaining roots in Australia, Japan, Singapore, Canada, and the USA.

Thanks to the popularity of this game, bookmakers are now offering punters competitive odds. With what has already been done, there is no doubt that more betting sites will provide odds that are even more lucrative in the future. 

Pesapallo

The name may sound as if it is a pasta dish but that is not what Pesapallo is. In fact, Pesapallo is a game widely played in Finland. Other countries where this game has massive players include Switzerland, Germany, and Australia.

Perhaps the best description of this game is baseball because it features a ball and a bat. At the moment, only a handful of bookies offer pesapallo bets. Many of these bookies are headquartered in Scandinavia.

Wife-Carrying

For a long time now, the wife-carrying sport has been considered a novelty. The sport has a great comedic twinge. In recent years, things around this game have taken a serious twist. Yes, today, there is World Wife-Carrying Championship. The event is held annually in Sonkajaervi, a small lucrative town in Finland

Although the main tenets of the game are fitness, honor, and prestige, it is still fun to take part or to watch. A few years ago, a bookmaker requested to put the game’s odds and within a short time, the odds attracted massive subscribers.

The date and place for the 2022 World Wife-Carrying Championship (WWCC) have been set. The event will take place in Sonkajaervi, Finland from July 1-2. 

Ferret Bingo

You may have heard of Boo the Monkey or Paul the Octopus. They have been used to give their prediction on who would win the World Cup. In fact, if my memory serves me right, the two were used to predict the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 United States of America Presidential Elections winners. 

Not long ago, ferrets were nowhere to be seen. Nobody knew about them or even if people knew them, nobody thought they’d be used for high-end prediction. The trick is ferrets are placed inside cages.

The cages have a variety of exit tunnels that are numbered. The ferret then chooses an exit tunnel, which is taken as the winning number. In some of the past events, there have been allegations of tampering with tunnels.

However, more security measures and transparency in the game have been put in place. With this, the future of ferret bingo is bright. Bookmakers in this kind of game offer punters with odds they must decide on.

It is more fun taking part in ferret bingo than you could imagine.

UFOs

For centuries, humans have feared Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) but not anymore. Today, bookmakers are earning lots of money by offering odds on UFOs. If you are wondering how odds in this weird yet interesting thing to bet on work, take a breath.

Bookmakers as wagers on what year humanity will ever discover alien life. The options can range from the year 2022 to 2025 or even beyond. It is true that the subject of the existence of aliens may sound foreign to many people.

It may be even laughable while others may simply turn a deaf ear to the mere mention of UFOs. But the truth the issue of Unidentified Flying Objects is a huge business not just for the bookies but also a source of enjoyment for punters.

Circa Sports Racing: Riley Herbst Las Vegas NXS Advance

RILEY HERBST
Las Vegas NASCAR Xfinity Series Advance
No. 98 Circa Sports Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

NASCAR Xfinity Series Overview

• Event: Alsco Uniforms 300 (Round 3 of 33)
• Date: Saturday, March 5
• Location: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
• Layout: 1.5-mile oval
• Time/TV/Radio: 4:30 p.m. EST on FS1/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Riley Herbst Notes of Interest

• NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Riley Herbst is heading home. The Alsco Uniforms 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a hometown race for the 23-year-old driver as Herbst is a Las Vegas native, having grown up in the Entertainment Capital of the World. The Herbst name is well known in Vegas’ motorsports circles. Riley’s grandfather Jerry, uncles Tim and Ed, and father Troy, are all Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame inductees as championship-winning off-road racers. Now, the youngest Herbst intends to keep the family’s motorsports legacy going in the NASCAR world.

• Amplifying Herbst’s hometown connection is Circa Sports, which will be the primary sponsor of Herbst’s No. 98 Ford Mustang in the Alsco Uniforms 300. Circa Sports operates within the World’s Largest Sportsbook at Circa Resort & Casino. It boasts three stories, has a 1,000-person viewing capacity and a seating capacity of 350, where all can watch their favorite sports on a massive, 78-megapixel screen. There are two sister properties as well – Golden Gate Hotel & Casino and the D Las Vegas. Helmed by casino owner and downtown Las Vegas developer Derek Stevens, Circa Sports is blazing a new trail in the gaming industry by combining a customer-first approach to business with a team of the country’s top oddsmakers. Circa Sports has one of the most competitive wagering menus in Las Vegas and is a leader in the city for sports futures.

• Herbst has a bright sports future as well. The driver of the No. 98 Circa Sports Ford Mustang comes into Las Vegas in a three-way tie for fourth in the Xfinity Series championship standings. Herbst, Ryan Sieg and Ty Gibbs have 71 points apiece two races into the 2022 season. Herbst, however, has a slight advantage over the other two drivers as he has the best average finish among the trio. A strong fourth-place effort in the season-opening race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway followed by a ninth-place drive last Saturday at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, gives Herbst an average finish of 6.5 compared with Sieg’s 9.0 and Gibbs’ 12.0.

• The Alsco Uniforms 300 will mark Herbst’s sixth career Xfinity Series start at Las Vegas. He has a pair of top-10s in his five previous starts at the 1.5-mile oval, both of which were ninth-place runs in September 2019 and February 2020, respectively.

• Herbst is an avid sports fan, particularly of those teams that call Las Vegas home and, specifically, the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). This Thursday, the Golden Knights host the Boston Bruins at 6 p.m. PST and before the puck drops, Herbst will crank the siren and hype the crowd. Herbst has experience in getting the home crowd ready for a game. Before the Xfinity Series’ last race at Las Vegas back in September, Herbst threw out the first pitch for a Thursday night game of the Las Vegas Aviators – the Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Oakland Athletics.

• As Herbst seeks victory lane at Las Vegas, his No. 98 team at Stewart-Haas Racing already knows the way. The No. 98 team swept both races in 2020 via Chase Briscoe. In February, he beat Austin Cindric by 2.874 seconds. Briscoe then defended that victory with another win just seven months later, beating Noah Gragson by 1.370 seconds.

Riley Herbst, Driver of the No. 98 Circa Sports Ford Mustang

What are your goals heading into your hometown race?

“The goal is always to win, but I know this team can run well at every track. We just have to stay out of trouble. I have confidence in this team and know that we can perform. We have to finish and avoid wrecks, but we have the speed to put our Circa Sports Ford Mustang in victory lane at my home track. Never count this No. 98 team out.”

Circa Sports joins you this weekend, maximizing your hometown connection to Las Vegas. What does it mean to have a new, Las Vegas-based partner on your No. 98 Ford Mustang for your home race?

“I’m pumped to have Circa Sports on the car at Vegas. It’s a hometown business and to have their support in my racing means a lot. Hopefully, we can have a good weekend for their first outing on our Ford Mustang and win big at home. That would be the best welcome-to-the-team moment we could give them.”

You’re cranking the siren Thursday night for the Vegas Golden Knights’ game against the Boston Bruins. Talk about supporting Las Vegas’ NHL team and having this opportunity.

“I’m a big sports fan, but especially when it comes to Vegas teams. I came out here early last September to throw the first pitch at the Las Vegas Aviators game, and now I’m getting to experience this unreal opportunity with the Vegas Golden Knights. I watch the games and support these teams, so it’s great to collaborate with them when NASCAR comes to town. Definitely excited for Thursday night’s game.”

No. 98 Circa Sports Team Roster

Primary Team Members:

Driver: Riley Herbst
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada

Crew Chief: Richard Boswell
Hometown: Friendship, Maryland

Car Chief: Matt Noyce
Hometown: Oregon, Wisconsin

Engineer: Justin Bolton
Hometown: Latrobe, Pennsylvania

Engineer: DJ VanderLey
Hometown: Mobile, Alabama

Spotter: Tim Fedewa
Hometown: Holt, Michigan

Over-The-Wall Crew:

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

Rear Tire Changer: Trevor White
Hometown: Arlington, Texas

Tire Carrier: Chad Emmons
Hometown: Tyler, Texas

Fueler: Corey Coppola
Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Jackman: Brandon Banks
Hometown: High Point, North Carolina

Road Crew Members:

Truck Driver: Steve Wood
Hometown: Eatontown, New Jersey

Engine Tuner: Willie Pelotte
Hometown: Oakland, Maine