NASCAR CUP SERIES
GO BOWLING AT THE GLEN
WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 3, 2021

JUSTIN MARKS, FOUNDER OF TRACKHOUSE RACING AND ROSS CHASTAIN, DRIVER OF THE NO. 1 TRACKHOUSE RACING CHEVROLET CAMARO IN 2022 – Teleconference transcript highlights:

NOTE: Ahead of Watkins Glen this weekend, Trackhouse Racing announced today that Ross Chastain will drive the organization’s second NASCAR Cup Series entry starting in 2022 and revealed his car will be the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro.
Chastain will join the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro driver, Daniel Suárez, when the first year Trackhouse organization expands into a two-car team in 2022.

OPENING REMARKS:

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW RIDE WITH TRACKHOUSE RACING. WALK US THROUGH YOUR EMOTIONS AND EXCITEMENT AS YOU LOOK FORWARD TO THE 2022 SEASON WITH YOUR NEW TEAM

ROSS CHASTAIN:
“The excitement is always the name of the day with an announcement like this. But it’s more than just excitement for another team. I’ve been now crazy enough, in this sport for 10 years and didn’t know what I was getting into 10 years ago, but what’s so crazy is that the first race I ever ran, I bought a seat and drove the next race after Justin had raced the same truck, the No. 66 truck for Stacy Compton. I had no idea how full circle this all could come. And it’s more than just another team. I’ve been in it a lot now. I’ve been fired and I’ve left teams and I’ve done a lot of things and I could do a lot of things better, but to bring it full circle with somebody I’ve known my entire time in this sport, and do it with this group, and I mean this when I say it truly feels like it’s more than just another team. And I think that’s what made this process of getting me in this car so much easier for both sides.”

JUSTIN MARKS:
‘Well, first of all, happy Watermelon Day, everyone (laughter). This is another great moment in the short history so far at Trackhouse Racing. As Ross mentioned, I’ve known him for a long time. When he first came on the scene, knocking on our front door with a couple $20 bills to buy a used race seat from me and for us both, not just him but for us both to be at this point right now, with the way our career trajectories have gone since then, some 10 years ago, is pretty amazing. Trackhouse, we’re trying to build something really special for the future and that means really recognizing talent that is an important point in the career, where they’ve got experience, but they’re young and they’re still building their career and that’s what we feel like we have with Daniel (Suarez) and now with Ross. Ross has a number of Cup starts under his belt. Just like Daniel, Ross is one of those guys where when he’s been sitting in race-winning equipment, he’s gotten the job done. And that’s the talent and the skill that is independent of just how fast you can go. There are a lot of guys who have sat in real fast stuff and not figured out how to close. We’ve got two winners on this race team now, two closers on this race team; I’ve got a lot of respect for Ross. He’s important to Chevrolet. It’s a great day. It was a great choice for our company. We’ve got somebody that can be a part of this company for a long time. I’m excited to offer Ross what I think is probably his first multi-year contract in his NASCAR career and it’s a way for us to show that we’re committed to him. We’re building this team around him, and I’m excited for the future.”

Q&A’S:

WHEN THIS STARTED, WHAT WERE THE INITIAL CONVERSATIONS LIKE AND WHEN DID YOU KNOW THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN?

ROSS CHASTAIN:
‘From my side, when the acquisition happened, I told Justin, I just texted him, and said I want this. It was just simple. I didn’t ask anybody. I didn’t confer with anybody. I knew Justin on that level, and I wanted it. From there, there were a lot of moving pieces and that’s the business side that I’m not involved in. But this is a big organization now. This is a large part of Chevrolet. And so, working through a lot of that stuff and my tenure now with Chevrolet is really from my career and changing the trajectory that it was on. It’s gone a lot of different ways over the years, and I am very blessed to find a home with Chevrolet. So that was important to me. And the relationships that I have there, both internally here in this race shop, but also across the broader Bowtie family where I’ve driven for is where I’ve made the most relationships. It took a little bit of working through the process, but I know for myself, and I think I speak for Justin, that we wanted it and whether or not it all worked out, we had to work through all the other stuff. But fundamentally, down at the core of it, I knew that this was where I wanted to be.”

WHAT DO YOU SEE IN ROSS AS A DRIVER?

JUSTIN MARKS:
“Well, he’s got a lot of fight and a lot of want in him. And I tell people this. When there’s a nuance when you’re looking at drivers and you’re trying to determine what skill sets they’ve got and what kind of potential they have. To me, I’m a huge fan of people that have had to work hard against adversity and against odds to try to get there they have gotten in their careers. And I think it’s that fight in those years of working hard toward something when it’s very difficult along the way, that pays dividends at the Cup level, especially late in races when you’re sitting in good equipment. Sometimes you see these guys that on a green-white-checkered and they have to top the field for their first win, which is one of the most difficult things to do in all of racing. But it’s more than just those two laps. That driver has to dig down into everything he’s fought for in that moment to deliver. And Ross has that personality profile. He’s delivered, like I said earlier. You want somebody who knows how to win. And winning is a talent that’s independent of how fast you can go over a couple of laps, how well you can quality, what your feedback is like. There’s a talent to winning. And it’s so hard to win in the Cup Series. Now, in this playoff-era, you want guys that you know if you build a company around them, put cars underneath them, and people behind him that give them the opportunity to win, that they’re going to go and do that job. Ross and Daniel have both proven that when they’ve been in those situations, they can deliver. The rest we can build around them.”

AFTER YOU FIRST TALKED TO JUSTIN AND FELT PRETTY GOOD, HAVE YOU HAD GOOD FEELINGS EVERY DAY SINCE THEN OR WAS IT A ROLLER COASTER RIDE UNTIL SIGNING THIS DEAL?

ROSS CHASTAIN:
“It’s good when you get done, and especially the excitement, but to be honest it was him stepping out of the truck and he was great. And he gave me advice. And he talked like we talked because he was the most relevant thing I had to talk to; somebody within that same race team. So, no matter what the conversation is over the years, he’s been harsh with me about crashing and overdriving and road courses and breaking transmissions and cooking my brakes and like, I never left those feeling degraded or beaten down. I was like okay, I have a new mentality on this and a new thought process. It was the same way with this. There were no bad days. I felt good about it all along. I probably was a little naïve to maybe all the inner workings of what goes into this because this is so over my head. I truly just focus on race cars, and I know when it’s National Watermelon Day and its Watermelon Day every day in my life. So yeah, it was good times and good talks.”

WHY THE NO. 1 CAR? DID YOU CONSIDER THE NO. 42? AND WHERE ARE YOU AT THIS POINT AS FAR AS THE CREW CHIEF AND CREW FOR ROSS FOR NEXT YEAR?

JUSTIN MARKS:
“It’s a good question. In some ways it’s really important because that’s what people talk about. But in some ways, you’re also focused on things that make race cars go fast, too. But for us, it’s always been important since day one at Trackhouse to build a real racing brand that’s bigger than any one person or any one person’s history with the manufacturer and the number or anything like that. Ross and I have both won in the No. 42. That’s not lost on me. The No. 42 has a great lineage in this sport. But we just really loved the idea of having the No. 99 and the No. 1, of having the highest number and the lowest number and the opportunities to brand a company around that and the uniqueness of that. And so that was exciting for us. I’ve always loved the No. 1. It’s got a history and we can start a new era with that number and put the Trackhouse brand behind it and Ross can grow with it, so that really kind of was a business decision.

“As far as other people, we’re working through that process right now. It’s hard to do all these things at once. You have to really kind of plan out your cadence and how on-board certain elements of the company and how you build the company and that’s a methodical thing that happens over time. For us right now, the most important thing was getting Ross committed to Trackhouse and Trackhouse committed to Ross and going through the process where we can build a future together. Now that’s over with, we’ll start building that team around Ross. But I will tell you, that No. 42 team is running well right now. And the last thing I want to do it try to break up any kind of momentum or break up a good thing, but that’s a process we have to go through over the next couple of months while being as little a distraction as possible to that No. 42 team because they’re in a position here to get into the Playoffs. That’s where our will remain over the next couple of weeks.”

WHERE IS YOUR ORGANIZATION RIGHT NOW AS FAR AS PREPARATION FOR THE NEXT GEN CAR NEXT YEAR?

JUSTIN MARKS:
“I’m happy with where we are. I think our progress so far is consistent with most everybody else in the series. What’s nice with us is that with our relationship at RCR, they’ve been instrumental in the development of this Next Gen car. The car has been in the shop all year long. So, we’ve had an opportunity to for the Trackhouse group to familiarize ourselves with how that car is built. There are times when I’m in the shop and Travis and I just look at the car and try to think about ways that we have to do quick repairs at the race track and how we’re going to change an engine and how we’re going to prepare the thing for a swing of West Coast races and all that. I like where we’re at because we’re constantly thinking about it. As far as the delivery of parts and pieces, we’re just at about the same level as everybody else. What’s nice is obviously we’re going to be able to have a car ready with Daniel to test in October for the first organizational test, and then we’re going to have a car to be able to test with Ross. So, we’re in a really great spot between CGR and Trackhouse Racing to get a lot of development in the off-season done and get to Daytona ready to go. I’m happy with it. We made a commitment from day one that as soon as those ordering banks opened, we started putting in orders for parts and every because we didn’t want to be behind anybody else in this sport. I’m happy with where we’re at.”

YOU MENTIONED THIS IS A MULTI-YEAR DEAL WITH ROSS, SO HE’S IN THE CAR FOR 2023?

JUSTIN MARKS:
“He is. Yeah. That was one of the things that I was really happy to do, with and for Ross because as I mentioned at the top of the call, Ross has not been in a position where he’s had a ton of job security in his life, or he’s had a team come to him and say you’re a big part of our future and we want to build around you. Ross has got 15 years of competitive Cup racing ahead of him in his career and we want to be the ones to step up and tell him and this is what I told him on the phone when I called him and said this ride is yours if you want it and the fact that, we are building this team around you. And that means orchestrating our work force around Ross, supporting him, and giving him all the tools that he needs to be successful in the Cup Series and win races and to put these Trackhouse cars in the Playoffs. And I think having some job security and being able to put a contract in front of him that’s a multi-year contract is going to let him exhale a little bit after fighting for his life for 10 years and say this is my home and I’m ready to get to work. And that was an important part for Trackhouse.”

WHAT DOES THIS MULTI-YEAR DEAL FEEL LIKE FOR YOU?

ROSS CHASTAIN:
“It’s indescribable. It is a relief. But it’s really been since we knew this was going to happen, a pretty short time ago, maybe it changes now that it’s public and everybody knows, but it’s really been like okay now it’s like taking a breath. But I can’t change how I do things. This is what got me here. I just don’t have to go take everything I don’t have to take in. So that’s what I’ve been trying to work on this year is just a different mentality on my race craft and what goes through my head, both pre-race and also, during the race. When Justin said that when we were talking, it’s indescribable, what that means. I really have even struggled to tell Justin what it means to me that he would not only say that but to truly put it down and put it on paper.”

HAVE YOU HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH CHIP GANASSI RACING AND THEIR CURRENT SPONSOR LINE-UP AND POTENTIALLY MAKING THE TRANSITION OVER TO YOU GUYS NEXT YEAR?

JUSTIN MARKS:
“Yeah, there has been some great dialogue. That was an important element of the acquisition, obviously to just try to make sure we get an audience with all those partners and tell them our story and what we’re trying to build and the assets that we have to contribute to the marketing platform. And we’ve had a lot of great conversations. I think you’re going to see some of those companies stay. We’ve also got some great companies that we’re still working on the 99-yard line now with right that are going to join our organization that haven’t been involved in the sport yet that have been paying attention to Ross and have seen the CGR acquisition and everything. So, I think we’re in a great spot. There are a lot of great partners at CGR and there are a lot of partners that are big fans of Ross. We’re going through that process right now and I’m pretty confident. I don’t think we’re going to have one unsold race next year. I feel confident on that. It’s just a matter of telling a great story and getting great people and just doing the work. So, I like where we’re at.”

THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION LATELY ON ATHLETES AND MENTAL HEALTH. HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE UPS AND DOWNS?

ROSS CHASTAIN:
“Yes, you definitely have not seen all the low points. And that’s not something I think, as people, we could ever knowingly go and share. But my biggest thing that has helped me is surrounding myself with people that I can truly talk to. And I truly believe that they have my best interests at heart. And that starts with my family and my dad and my mom, and I’ve got uncles and aunts and cousins that I talk to weekly, if not daily. And they don’t know anything about racing. But we compare to the farm and how we handle stuff there. And then in the racing, that’s where it gets scary because it’s so hard to truly trust anybody in this sport. And I mean that. And I know that people struggle to trust me. But I have a group that I can trust. When that clicked and I realized that I can all these couple of people anytime and truly tell them what’s going on and not have to worry. Now, in social media, you just don’t know, and you just don’t know how something can spiral. Truly knowing that they’re going to do what’s best for me and help talk me through that, even as simple as taking about this opportunity with Justin and Trackhouse and truly looking at it from all sides and knowing that we want the best for my career. And yes, I think that’s the biggest thing for me is truly having those people in the sport as well as the people in Florida and the watermelon industry, but truly having the people that are working in this sport day in and day out on other projects. They’re not just at CGR or Trackhouse or Spire, like they’re doing a lot of things; but truly having those couple of guys and girls that I can just call any time of day or night and just lay it out there. I think talking about it would help a lot of people if they just had that outlet to talk about it. It’s just a phone call. It’s just a text. It’s going to dinner or having dinner at their house where it’s private, and talking about the true, dirty details about whatever is going on and figure it out. I don’t wish those bad or uneasy feelings on anybody, but you have to have that person or those people that you can call or talk to and truly trust and just lay it out there and be honest and open because you cannot handle it all your own. And I figured that out, fortunately, before it was too late.”
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 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.

Team: No. 6 Socios Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Twitter: @Roush6Team, @RoushFenway and @RyanJNewman
Race Format: 220.5 miles, 90 laps, Stages: 20-20-50
NASCAR Cup Race at Watkins Glen – Sunday, August 8 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Newman at Watkins Glen

· Newman will make his 19th start at WGI on Sunday. In 18 prior starts, he has an average finish of 18.3 with three top-10s and one top five.

· Newman’s best Cup finish at WGI came in his first-ever race at the track back in 2002 after he started fifth, led 11 laps and went on to finish second. He followed that up with a ninth-place run in 2003 and also finished top-10 (eighth) in 2006.

· With nine top-10 starts at WGI, Newman’s average starting position is 12.5 and he has a top qualifying effort of third (2006).

· Newman does have a win in the Xfinity Series at WGI, which came back in 2005 after starting fourth. He has one additional NXS top-10 (ninth) in 2007.

Scott Graves at Watkins Glen

· Graves will be on the box for his fifth Cup event at WGI, where he has two top fives including a best run of third in 2017. He followed that with a fourth-place finish in 2018, both with Daniel Suarez.

· Graves also led Carl Edwards to an Xfinity victory in 2012 after starting second. He followed that with finishes of third (2015) with Chris Buescher and fourth with Suarez in 2016.

QUOTE WORTHY
Newman on Racing at WGI:
“Road course racing has obviously been an emphasis for our schedule this season, and this will mark the first of two-straight for us at a track I always found to be fun and challenging. Limiting mistakes and keeping track position is generally the name of the game at a place like Watkins Glen, and that’s our goal come Sunday in the Socios Ford, a new look for our No. 6 and one we think fans will enjoy seeing on track.”

Last Time Out
Newman finished 24th in the last NASCAR event at Loudon.

Where They Rank
Newman is 27th in points through 22 events.

On the Car

It was announced back in May that Socios – the leading blockchain platform for the global sports and entertainment industry – announced the $ROUSH Fan Token. Fan tokens are collectible digital assets, minted on the Chiliz blockchain that provide owners with access to voting rights in polls, VIP rewards, exclusive promotions, AR-enabled features, chat forums, games and competitions on the mobile app Socios.com.

Through the $ROUSH Fan Tokens, fans were given the opportunity to vote on and help influence all assets associated with the race team at WGI, including the paint scheme for both RFR machines. A ‘Fire and Ice’ theme was decided on, with the No. 6 receiving the fire theme, and ice on the No. 17 team. Roush Fenway was the first U.S. sports team to launch a fan token on Socios.com.

About Socios
Transitioning passive fans into active fans is essential to the future of sport. Our vision is for an extensive network of the world’s leading sporting organizations to achieve this through Fan Tokens and transactional fan engagement on Socios.com. Fan Tokens, collectible, digital assets minted on the Chiliz blockchain, and the Socios.com fan engagement platform enable the world’s biggest sporting properties to plug into a fan influence and fan reward ecosystem. Socios.com has already generated $120M in revenues for sports teams in 2021. To date, 29 major sporting organisations, including UFC® , FC Barcelona, Juventus, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City have partnered with Socios.com. Leading esports organizations Team Heretics, NAVI, OG and Alliance have all launched Fan Tokens on the platform.NHL side New Jersey Devils recently became the first US sports franchise to partner with Socios.com. Many more leading sports and entertainment properties from around the world are set to launch Fan Tokens in the near future. Chiliz, the crypto unicorn behind the Socios.com platform has 110+ employees, multiple office locations around the world and will open new offices in Spain, US and Brazil in 2021. For more information please visit www.socios.com.

Team: No. 17 Socios Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Luke Lambert
Twitter: @17RoushTeam, @RoushFenway and @Chris_Buescher
Race Format: 220.5 miles, 90 laps, Stages: 20-20-50

NASCAR Cup Race at Watkins Glen – Sunday, August 8 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Buescher at Watkins Glen

· Buescher makes his sixth Cup start at WGI on Sunday. In five prior events he has an average finish of 22.2 with recent finishes of 11th (2017) and 13th (2019). This will mark Buescher’s first race at WGI as part of Roush Fenway after COVID-19 cancelled the 2020 event in New York.

· Buescher also made two starts in the Xfinity Series at WGI, with a best finish of third in 2015 after starting fifth.

Luke Lambert at Watkins Glen

· Lambert will call his ninth Cup event at WGI this weekend, where he has one top-10 (ninth) which came with Jeff Burton in 2011.

· He also ran 12th with Elliott Sadler in his lone Xfinity start at The Glen.

QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on Racing at WGI:
“We’ve had road courses circled on our calendar all season long, so the chance to have two-straight opportunities turning left and right is huge for us. I think we’ve shown over the past year and a half that road course racing can be a great thing for our team, and our positive momentum for the playoffs has to start this weekend at Watkins Glen. Proud to carry the colors of Socios this weekend for their debut into the sport and one we’re thrilled to help tell the story of.”

Last Time Out
Buescher finished 29th in the series’ last event at Loudon.

Where They Rank
Buescher is 18th in the playoff picture, needing a win to insert himself into the playoffs that start at Darlington the first weekend of September.

On the Car

It was announced back in May that Socios – the leading blockchain platform for the global sports and entertainment industry – announced the $ROUSH Fan Token. Fan tokens are collectible digital assets, minted on the Chiliz blockchain that provide owners with access to voting rights in polls, VIP rewards, exclusive promotions, AR-enabled features, chat forums, games and competitions on the mobile app Socios.com.

Through the $ROUSH Fan Tokens, fans were given the opportunity to vote on and help influence all assets associated with the race team at WGI, including the paint scheme for both RFR machines. A ‘Fire and Ice’ theme was decided on, with the No. 6 receiving the fire theme, and ice on the No. 17 team. Roush Fenway was the first U.S. sports team to launch a fan token on Socios.com.

About Socios
Transitioning passive fans into active fans is essential to the future of sport. Our vision is for an extensive network of the world’s leading sporting organizations to achieve this through Fan Tokens and transactional fan engagement on Socios.com. Fan Tokens, collectible, digital assets minted on the Chiliz blockchain, and the Socios.com fan engagement platform enable the world’s biggest sporting properties to plug into a fan influence and fan reward ecosystem. Socios.com has already generated $120M in revenues for sports teams in 2021. To date, 29 major sporting organisations, including UFC® , FC Barcelona, Juventus, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City have partnered with Socios.com. Leading esports organizations Team Heretics, NAVI, OG and Alliance have all launched Fan Tokens on the platform.NHL side New Jersey Devils recently became the first US sports franchise to partner with Socios.com. Many more leading sports and entertainment properties from around the world are set to launch Fan Tokens in the near future. Chiliz, the crypto unicorn behind the Socios.com platform has 110+ employees, multiple office locations around the world and will open new offices in Spain, US and Brazil in 2021. For more information please visit www.socios.com.

COLE CUSTER
Watkins Glen Advance
No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Go Bowling at The Glen (Round 23 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 8
● Location: Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International
● Layout: 7-turn, 2.45-mile road course
● Laps/Miles: 90 laps / 220.5 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 20 laps / Stage 2: 20 laps / Final Stage: 50 laps
● TV/Radio: NBCSN / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Coming off a rare, two-week hiatus while NASCAR television partner NBC and its family of networks has been immersed in coverage of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Cole Custer and the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) are ready to get back to action as they head to Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen.

● Sunday’s 90-lap race around the 2.45-mile, seven-turn road course will be Custer’s 62nd Cup Series start and his first at Watkins Glen. The annual August event during Custer’s Rookie of the Year campaign in 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While it will be his first Cup Series appearance at The Glen, Custer has raced there three times each in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series and K&N Pro Series East.

● In his three Watkins Glen starts in the Xfinity Series from 2017 through 2019, all in the No. 00 SHR Ford, Custer finished in the top-12 in all three, his best resulting in a sixth-place finish in 2018. He debuted with a 12th-place finish in 2017 and added a seventh-place finish in 2019.

● Custer’s three NASCAR K&N Pro Series East races at The Glen included finishes of fifth from the pole and third from the inside-second-row starting spot in his two most recent visits in 2015 and 2016, respectively. He led 17 laps in the 2015 event.

● Sunday’s race marks Custer’s seventh points-paying Cup Series race on a road course. In his six previous points-paying Cup Series starts on road courses, Custer’s best was an impressive ninth-place run on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval last October. In February, he rallied for a 13th-place finish on the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway road course after dropping back as far as 24th while avoiding a multicar accident in the closing laps. In his most recent road-course outing, Custer finished 17th in the Cup Series’ inaugural race five weekends ago at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. In this year’s non-points Busch Clash on the Daytona road course, Custer drove deep into the top-10 on multiple occasions, but he fell three laps off the pace late in the race when he could not refire his Mustang after serving a self-imposed stop-and-go penalty for missing the backstraight chicane. He finished 20th.

● In his 11 road-course outings in the Xfinity Series from 2017 through 2019, Custer finished outside the top-10 just once with his fourth-place run at Road America in 2018 best of them all.

● Custer also has top-10s in all three of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series outings on road courses, all three occurring at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario. His best was his most recent, a second-place run from the pole with a race-high 39 laps led in the No. 00 JR Motorsports entry in 2016. In addition to his three K&N Pro Series outings at The Glen, Custer has made three starts at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway with a best finish of fourth in 2019.

● Sunday’s race is the fifth of a ground-breaking seven NASCAR Cup Series races to be held on road courses in 2021 and the first of back-to-back road-course events. From 1988 to 2017, there were only two road courses on the schedule – Sonoma and Watkins Glen. The Charlotte Roval was added in 2018, giving the series three road-course venues. The initial 2021 schedule doubled that tally, with Circuit of the Americas in Austin Texas, Road America, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, where the series will race next week, all being added. And when COVID-19 restrictions forced the cancellation of the series’ stop this year at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, the Daytona road course was put in its place.

● After his 14th-place finish three weekends ago at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, Custer arrives at Watkins Glen 28th in the driver standings.

● Returning to Custer’s No. 41 Ford Mustang for SHR is team co-owner Gene Haas’ newest holding, Haas Tooling, which was launched as a way for CNC machinists to purchase high-quality cutting tools at great prices. Haas cutting tools are sold exclusively online at HaasTooling.com and shipped directly to end users. HaasTooling.com products became available nationally last July, and the cutting tools available for purchase at HaasTooling.com have proven to be even more important during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as CNC machines have become vital to producing personal protective equipment. Haas Automation, founded by Haas in 1983, is America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools. The company manufactures a complete line of vertical and horizontal machining centers, turning centers and rotary tables and indexers. All Haas products are constructed in the company’s 1.1-million-square-foot manufacturing facility in Oxnard, California, and distributed through a worldwide network of Haas Factory Outlets.

● As announced during the annual Coca-Cola 600 Memorial Day weekend, Custer and the team encourage fans to join Wow Wow Classic Waffles in support of Feeding America®, the largest hunger relief organization in the United States with a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs. Fans are encouraged to text HUNGER to 50555 to make a $5 donation to Feeding America®, by visiting the Feeding America® donation page on Facebook, or the donation page via the Feeding America® website. Each $1 donated helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America® on behalf of local member food banks.

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

What are your thoughts about racing at Watkins Glen, in general?

“Watkins Glen’s always been one of my favorite road courses just because there’s so much flow to the racetrack and how fast it is. It’s pretty much hammer down the whole time and it’s just one of those places where you can really feel the flow of the racetrack and how each corner connects with the next one.”

Do you have a favorite part of the track at Watkins Glen?

“I think it’s the esses, going through there almost wide open with guardrails on either side. It’s almost a sketchy part of the track, but it’s fast and it’s fun. I think it’s definitely one of my favorite parts of the track where you can really get after it and carry a lot of speed.”

You’ve raced at Watkins Glen in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the K&N Pro Series but didn’t get to race there during your rookie Cup Series campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic. What will it be like racing this weekend without practice or qualifying?

“We always want practice to try things and get used to the track. No matter what it is, practice is always a gain. But being a track we’ve all raced on a pretty decent amount, we all know what we need to bring there. Nothing’s changed a ton about what’s going on at Watkins Glen. So I feel like it’s probably not a huge disadvantage to not be there for a couple of years.”

How would you evaluate the SHR road-course program?

“I would say, for us as an organization, we’ve been solid in the road-course races. We’ve definitely wanted to be better, but I feel like we’ve been in the mix, at least. I feel like we can run top-10 and, from there, it’s just a matter of one adjustment and one thing going right on pit road and you’re in the top-five and looking for a win. So I think it’s just a matter of fine-tuning it a little bit, but I’ve been pretty happy with our road-course cars. It’s just a matter of having the whole race play out right.”

No. 41 HaasTooling.com Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Cole Custer
Hometown: Ladera Ranch, California

Crew Chief: Mike Shiplett
Hometown: Amherst, Ohio

Car Chief: Tony Cardamone
Hometown: Bristol, Virginia

Engineer: Davin Restivo
Hometown: Ashboro, North Carolina

Engineer: Scott Bingham
Hometown: Lawrenceville, Georgia

Spotter: Andy Houston
Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: John Roselli

Hometown: Terre Haute, Indiana

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

Tire Carrier: Dwayne Moore
Hometown: Griffin, Georgia

Jack Man: Matthew Schlytter

Hometown: Ponte Vedra, Florida

Fuel Man: Corey Coppola
Hometown: Bluefield, West Virginia

Road Crew Members

Mechanic: Joe Zanolini
Hometown: Sybertsville, Pennsylvania

Mechanic: Nick McIntosh
Hometown: Havre, Montana

Shock Specialist: Aaron Kuehn
Hometown: Kensington, Connecticut

Tire Specialist: Thomas Gagliano
Hometown: East Hampton, Connecticut

Engine Specialist: Evan Cupples
Hometown: Hudson, Illinois

Transporter Co-Driver: Eddie DeGroot

Hometown: Baldwinsville, New York

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

WELCOME, N.C. (Aug. 3, 2021)—As a new chapter in a historic partnership, Richard Petty Motorsports announces today that Clean Harbors, North America’s leading provider of environmental and industrial services, will be the primary partner of the No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE piloted by Erik Jones at the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Go Bowling at The Glen at the Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International on Sunday, Aug. 8.

The NASCAR Cup Series race caps-off a weekend of events at the famed Finger Lakes region track located in Watkins Glen. Clean Harbors is the entitlement sponsor of the Friday, Aug. 6 ARCA Menards Series Clean Harbors 100 at The Glen, and a primary partner of the No. 46 Ford Fusion driven by Thad Moffitt, grandson of Richard Petty.

Jones’ No. 43 Clean Harbors paint scheme features a phone number on the hood for truck drivers to call and potentially be hired on the spot. Clean Harbors is holding a hiring event in the Watkins Glen midway throughout the race weekend.

“We couldn’t be prouder to be on the hood of the iconic No. 43. Thad Moffitt has been representing Clean Harbors so well for years – especially, with his string of top-10 finishes – and Erik Jones is a rising talent in the NASCAR Cup Series,” Clean Harbors chief operating officer Eric Gerstenberg said. “It’s fitting for us since we are looking for talented drivers who want to start their careers with a company committed to making the world a cleaner, safer place. From the start of ARCA’s Clean Harbors 100 at the Glen, and what we know will be another superb performance by Thad in the Clean Harbors No. 46, to Erik behind the wheel of the No. 43 Camaro, it’s going to be an exciting week of racing.”

Through its subsidiary Safety-Kleen, Clean Harbors has been one of Richard Petty Motorsports’ longest partners. As the official environmental services supplier of NASCAR, Safety-Kleen collects all used oil, lubricants and liquid waste at the tracks, and then recycles, responsibly disposes of or re-refines those fluids. Petty also endorses Clean Harbors’ brand of re-refined oil, Performance Plus, and uses it at Petty’s Garage. Moffitt has driven under both the Clean Harbors and Performance Plus banner since the start of his professional racing career.

As the largest environmental services provider in North America with a diverse fleet, Clean Harbors is recruiting for a variety of positions – from over the road to heavy equipment drivers. The hiring event offers applicants a signup retention bonuses of up to $7,500. Clean Harbors is giving away prizes – including NASCAR Racing Experience passes – outside the track at the midway over the race weekend. Additionally, the company will have two commercials aimed at drivers that will air during the Clean Harbors 100 at The Glen. Applicants can start their engines on a new career by calling 1-833-32-DRIVE or visiting careers.cleanharbors.com.

About Clean Harbors
Clean Harbors is North America’s leading provider of environmental and industrial services. The Company serves a diverse customer base, including a majority of Fortune 500 companies. Its customer base spans a number of industries, including chemical, energy and manufacturing, as well as numerous government agencies. These customers rely on Clean Harbors to deliver a broad range of services such as end-to-end hazardous waste management, emergency spill response, industrial cleaning and maintenance, and recycling services. Through its Safety-Kleen subsidiary, Clean Harbors also is North America’s largest re-refiner and recycler of used oil and a leading provider of parts washers and environmental services to commercial, industrial and automotive customers. Founded in 1980 and based in Massachusetts, Clean Harbors operates in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and India.

To learn more about Clean Harbors, visit www.cleanharbors.com or its career site https://careers.cleanharbors.com/.

For additional information, visit www.cleanharbors.com or connect with Clean Harbors on Facebook (Clean Harbors Environmental), Twitter (@CleanHarbors), Instagram (@CleanHarborsEnvironmental) or LinkedIn (Clean-Harbors).

About Richard Petty Motorsports

A performance and marketing driven company, Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM), co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty and successful business entrepreneur Andrew Murstein, is one of the most recognized brands in all of motorsports. Petty Enterprises recorded 268 victories, and Richard Petty Motorsports has recorded five victories, for a total of 273, respectively. Richard Petty Motorsports has business partnerships with national and global leaders. Today the race operation fields the famed No. 43 in the NASCAR Cup Series with driver Erik Jones. The team is headquartered in Welcome, N.C.

For additional information, news and the latest updates, please visit www.richardpettymotorsports.com or connect with RPM on Facebook (Richard Petty Motorsports), Twitter (@RPMotorsports) or Instagram (@richardpettymotorsports).