A significant milestone start is in the making for Chris Gayle, crew chief for Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 54 Toyota Supra team piloted by multiple competitors in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. By participating in this weekend’s event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Gayle will call his 150th Xfinity career race as a crew chief.
A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Gayle spent two years as a student at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville before transferring to the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering in 2002. Not long after, he joined Joe Gibbs Racing to work as a race engineer.
Eleven years later, Gayle, who was a senior engineer for Kyle Busch in the NASCAR Cup Series, was promoted to the crew chief role, where he was paired with veteran Elliott Sadler and JGR’s No. 11 Toyota Camry team for the 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. Throughout the 33-race Xfinity schedule, Gayle and Sadler earned nine top-five results and 20 top-10 results before finishing in fourth place in the final standings.
Eight races into the 2014 Xfinity season, Gayle earned his first NASCAR career victory as a crew chief at Talladega Superspeedway in April, where Sadler held off the field in a three-lap shootout to return to Victory Lane following a one-year winless season. They went on to earn a pole, seven top-five results and 25 top-10 results before settling in third place in the final standings.
Prior to the 2015 season, Sadler departed JGR and the team shuffled its crew chief lineup, placing Gayle as crew chief for the team’s No. 54 Toyota Camry piloted by multiple competitors, starting with Kyle Busch for the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway in February. The season, however, started off on a harrowing note when Busch was involved in a late multi-car accident that saw his car make head-on contact into a concrete wall installed with no SAFER barriers and the driver being transported to a local hospital, where he suffered a massive compound fracture to his right leg and a fractured left foot.
With Busch absent and recovering from his injuries, Gayle spent the following 11 Xfinity events working with Erik Jones, Denny Hamlin and Boris Said. When Busch returned at Michigan International Speedway in June, he and Gayle went to Victory Lane after Busch completed a late pass on Chase Elliott en route to his first win of the season and in his first Xfinity start since the Daytona accident. A week later, Gayle went to Victory Lane with Erik Jones at Chicagoland Speedway.
In total, Gayle achieved seven Xfinity victories in 2015, six with Kyle Busch and one with Erik Jones. In addition, he notched five poles, 17 top-five results and 23 top-10 results throughout the 33-race schedule for JGR’s No. 54 Toyota team, which settled in the runner-up position behind Team Penske’s No. 22 Ford Mustang team in the final Xfinity owners’ standings.
Gayle remained as JGR’s Xfinity “all-star” crew chief in 2016, where he worked with Dakoda Armstrong, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Drew Herring, Sam Hornish Jr., Owen Kelly, Bobby Labonte, David Ragan and Matt Tifft, all of whom took turns piloting the No. 18 Toyota Camry throughout the season. Throughout the 33-race schedule, Gayle earned 11 victories (10 with Kyle Busch and one with Hornish), 11 poles (nine with Kyle Busch, one with Ragan and one with Tifft), 19 top-five results and 23 top-10 results. When the final checkered flag of the season flew, JGR’s No. 18 Toyota team ended up in fourth place in the owners’ standings.
Following the 2016 Xfinity season, Gayle moved up to the NASCAR Cup Series, where he worked as a crew chief for Erik Jones and the No. 77 Furniture Row Racing Toyota Camry team. After a four-year run in the Cup Series, where Gayle earned two career victories between 2018 and 2019 with Erik Jones, Gayle returned to the Xfinity Series for the 2021 season, where he was assigned to JGR’s No. 54 Toyota Supra team piloted by multiple competitors, starting with Ty Dillon for the season-opening event at Daytona in February.
Following a 14th-place result with Dillon at Daytona, Gayle returned to Victory Lane the following weekend at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course with Ty Gibbs, grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, winning his first Xfinity race in his series’ debut. Since then, Gayle has achieved four additional victories this season, three with Kyle Busch and another with Ty Gibbs. Currently, with seventeen races of the 2021 season complete, JGR’s No. 54 team led by Gayle is ranked in second place in the owners’ standings.
Through 149 previous Xfinity appearances, Gayle has achieved 25 victories, 20 poles, 63 top-five results and 102 top-10 results while working with 15 different competitors.
Gayle is primed to call his 150th Xfinity race as a crew chief at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 10, with Kyle Busch scheduled to drive the No. 54 JGR Toyota Supra and with the race scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
Team Ready to Sling Dirt at Historic Knoxville Raceway
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (July 7, 2021) – Todd Gilliland and the No. 38 Frontline Enterprises team will race at the famed Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway this Friday night. It’s the first race at the track for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Knoxville Raceway hosts the annual Knoxville Nationals for winged sprint cars each season and the facility is the one of the premier dirt tracks in America. Gilliland comes to the track knowing all its history.
“It’s pretty cool that we’re going to be racing at Knoxville,” said Gilliland. “The is one of the best dirt tracks in the country and it’s great for us to have the opportunity to race there. Fans in Iowa, they love racing, dirt racing, sprint cars and now we’re going to show them some truck racing on the dirt, too.”
Gilliland finished fourth earlier this season on the dirt at the Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and is looking for another top-five or better on Friday night in the Frontline Enterprises Ford F-150.
“I love racing on the dirt,” continued Gilliland. “I mean, I haven’t done much racing on dirt, but it’s pretty fun. I think you need to have a good attitude about it, go out there and have fun. Then, it’s been easier to see the good results come. We did that at Bristol and it worked out for us. So, hopefully we can do the same for Frontline Enterprises with us on Friday night.”
Gilliland and the Frontline Enterprises team will practice on Thursday before lining up for heat races on Friday and the feature Friday night under the lights. The race will be televised live on FS1 at 9:00 p.m. ET.
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.
· NCS/NXS: Atlanta Motor Speedway – July 10-11 · NCWTS: Knoxville Raceway – July 9 · ARCA: Elko Speedway – July 10
PLANO, Texas (July 7, 2021) – The NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series make their second stop in Atlanta this season, while the Truck Series returns to the dirt as the series races at Knoxville Raceway for the first time. The ARCA Menards Series is also back in action as they begin five consecutive weekends of racing at Elko Speedway.
NASCAR National Series – NCS| NXS| NCWTS
Hamlin holds the lead… After driving to his 11th top-five finish of the season, Denny Hamlin continues to hold the series points lead – a position he has held most of the year. Atlanta Motor Speedway would be a great place to cross off his first victory of the year. The Virginia-native previously won at the track in 2012.
Bell ready to add another Atlanta milestone… Christopher Bell had a stellar weekend in Road America as he showcased his road course racing skills on his way to a second-place finish in the NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday. Bell looks for the successful runs to continue this weekend, at a place he already delivered a win for Toyota. Bell drove the Toyota Supra to Victory Lane for the first time in 2019 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and in dominating fashion by leading 142 of 163 laps.
Busch wants to go five-for-five… After scoring his 200th Toyota win last weekend at Road America, Kyle Busch looks to close out his 2021 Xfinity Series schedule with his fifth consecutive victory. The all-time win leader in the Xfinity Series scored Toyota’s first Cup Series win at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2008 and scored back-to-back Xfinity Series wins there in 2016 and 2017.
Georgia-native looking for a big win… Atlanta-native Brandon Jones is back at his home track looking for a big victory. The four-time Xfinity winner has never visited Victory Lane at Atlanta Motor Speedway but scored a track-best finish of fourth in 2019.
Back to the dirt for the Trucks… For the first time in series history, the Truck Series will have two races on dirt in a single season as they make their debut at Knoxville Raceway on Friday. Cup Series regular Martin Truex Jr. won in the No. 51 Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) at the other race on dirt this season – Bristol – and that team will look for another good run with dirt veteran Brian Brown making his series debut this weekend.
Two Friesens this weekend… After impressing in practice at the Bristol dirt race before inclement weather took away her chance to qualify, Jessica Friesen will return behind the wheel of her No. 62 Toyota Tundra this weekend. Her and husband, Stewart Friesen, will look to become the first husband and wife duo to compete in the same Truck Series race on Friday evening.
Playoffs closing in… With just two races remaining in the regular season for the NASCAR Truck Series, Toyota drivers currently hold the majority of the 10-truck field. John Hunter Nemechek can clinch the regular season championship by leaving Knoxville Raceway with a 60-point lead over fellow Toyota driver Ben Rhodes. Nemechek, Rhodes and Austin Hill have all clinched spots in the post-season, while Matt Crafton, Stewart Friesen and rookie Chandler Smith are currently all in Playoff positions.
NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA
Heim and Gibbs battle for title… It has become a two-driver race for this year’s ARCA Menards Series title as Toyota drivers Corey Heim and Ty Gibbs have battled throughout the season. After his third win of the season at Pocono, Heim retained the points lead by three markers heading into Elko Speedway in Minnesota. Gibbs, who has won the other five races this season, is looking to improve on a track-best second-place run from 2019.
Love and Trotter return… Venturini Motorsports will welcome back both Jesse Love and Gracie Trotter to Camrys this weekend. Love is coming off a victory in last weekend’s ARCA West event at Irwindale Speedway, while Trotter was a season-best seventh in her last ARCA start at Toledo.
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 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs more than 47,000 in North America. The company has contributed world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama that begins production in 2021.
Through its 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.
McDowell to Visit Camp and Fr8 Auctions Ahead of Racing Fr8 Colors on Sunday
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (July 7, 2021) – It will be a busy week and welcomed week for Daytona 500 Champion, Michael McDowell and partner Fr8 Auctions. McDowell and Fr8 Auctions will celebrate their Daytona 500 win together on Friday at the auction’s house headquarters, but first, McDowell will make a special appearance to Camp Braveheart on Thursday evening.
Camp Braveheart is a unique, residential summer camp providing essential medical care, treatment and fun for kids with heart defects and heart transplants. For some campers, camp brings many firsts – the first time away from home, the first time to ride a bike, climb to the top of the rock wall or learn to swim.
For many, it is the first time their scars make them feel included instead of different. The camp environment provides a unique setting where campers grow in confidence, build resiliency as they face difficult aspects of their disease head-on and acquire important life skills. For campers and volunteers alike, it is truly a magical and transformative experience.
“We’ve been waiting so long to see fans again, our partners again and to make these appearances to brighten up children’s lives,” said McDowell. “Fr8 Auctions and the Be Your Own Hero Foundation with the Brave Like Wyatt messaging, they do so much in the Atlanta community. Fr8 Auctions, Marcus Barela and their family, they are more than just partners. They make the whole deal like family.
“It’s great that I can go to Camp Braveheart and see these children,” continued McDowell. “I’m then heading to Fr8 Auctions and spend time with the staff. These are weekends that we’ve longed for since the pandemic. It makes for a full weekend of giving back, thanking people for their support and then having a great race.”
McDowell will be behind the wheel of the No. 34 Fr8 Auctions Ford Mustang this Sunday at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. His No. 34 Fr8 Auctions Ford Mustang will carry over 20 names of individuals who made a donation of $500.00 to Camp Braveheart.
“Michael represents us in a gr8 way at the track, but it’s what he does away from it that makes him special to us,” said Marcus Barela, Owner, Fr8 Auctions. “He’s always one of the first ones to help with #BraveLikeWyatt and helping others. We’re proud of him and wish him the best of luck on Sunday.”
For more information about Fr8Auctions, visit Fr8Auctions.com and follow Fr8Auctions on social media: Twitter at @fr8auctions and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Fr8Auctions-165690083576986/
For more information about the Be Your Own Hero Foundation #BraveLikeWyatt, visit www.bravelikewyatt.com.
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.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview: Event: Corn Belt 150, Race 14 of 22, 150 Laps – 40/50/60; 75 Miles Location: Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway (half-mile dirt oval) Date/Broadcast: July 9, 2021 at 9 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90
Mr. Smith Goes Dirt Racing:
Chandler Smith and the No. 18 JBL team head to Knoxville Raceway Friday looking to solidify their spot in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoffs. With two races remaining in the regular season, Smith currently holds a 31-point advantage over Johnny Sauter for the 10th and final spot on the playoff grid.
The 19-year-old driver has made a remarkable rally in the point standings over the last four events. When the Camping World Trucks left Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, he sat 12th on the playoff grid, 35 points behind Sauter for the 10th position. Over the four-race span, Smith has tallied 134 total points, fourth-most in the series. Despite a disappointing 23rd-place finish in the series’ last stop at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa., the talented teenager has gained 66 points on Sauter.
Knowing it will be a tight battle for the final spot in the playoffs, the No. 18 has executed a strategy of scoring stage points in recent events. Over the last three races by finishing seventh or better in five of the six stages, including winning Stage Two at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway, the team accumulated a total of 31 stage points.
Across 13 starts this season, Smith has two top-five and four top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 17.9. He produced a season-best result of fourth at Richmond (Va.) Raceway in April. He sits second in Rookie of the Year standings, 21 points behind Carson Hocevar. The Toyota Racing Development driver has 10 top-five, and 13 top-10 finishes across 29 career Camping World Truck Series starts, including a career-best runner-up finish at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in 2019.
Smith showed speed in the first Camping World Truck Series dirt race of the season at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, climbing his way from his 21st starting position to 11th over the first 26 laps, but a pair of incidents after that would leave him with a disappointing 34th-place finish.
Aiming to keep his skills sharp, Smith spent his off weekend from the Truck Series behind the wheel of a Late Model Stock Car July 3 at South Boston (Va.) Speedway. After turning the 12th-fastest time in qualifying, he went on to finish the 200-lap race in the seventh position. A regular in the Super Late Model ranks, Saturday was just his second career start in the Late Model Stock Car division.
Veteran crew chief Danny Stockman calls the shots for Smith and the No. 18 team this season. Stockman led the No. 51 team to four wins in his first season atop the pit box at KBM in 2020. He came to the organization with experience as a crew chief in all three national series, including a Truck Series championship with Austin Dillon in 2011 and an Xfinity Series championship with Dillon in 2013. Stockman has been atop the pit box for two dirt races, his best result was a fifth-place finish with Ty Dillon at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio in 2014.
JBL, the authority in engineering superior sound, will be the primary sponsor for the No. 18 team this week at Knoxville and again Aug. 7 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International Speedway. Safelite AutoGlass – the nation’s largest provider of vehicle glass repair, replacement, and recalibration services – returns to Smith’s Tundra Aug. 20 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.
Chandler Smith, Driver Q&A:
The two remaining regular season races are on unique tracks. Is one of them more of a wild card than the other? “Not really. Knoxville is obviously a dirt track a, so it is going to be chaotic just like Bristol dirt was. We had a really strong truck at Bristol dirt, driving through the field and we ended up getting taken out. I think we are going to have to play it really conservative, we are right on the playoff bubble. We’re good by a decent bit, so all we really have to do is survive right now.”
After racing on dirt for the first time at Bristol, are you looking forward to Knoxville? “For sure, my JBL Toyota Tundra was a rocket ship at Bristol dirt, so that definitely made it that much more fun. I’m looking forward to Knoxville, it’s going to be a completely different atmosphere for sure than Bristol dirt was. I’m ready for whatever it throws at us.”
As you’ve prepared for racing at Knoxville, how do you think it will be different than what you experienced at Bristol? “I don’t think the racing is going to be much different, I think there is going to be two lanes. The SRX just raced there a few weeks ago and I’ve watched that race obviously, there was two lanes a bit there and you could race around each other and not run over each other. I feel like there is going to be two grooves, where we can race side-by-side fairly clean. I think it’s going to drive a lot like a short track on a Saturday night to be honest with you.”
Chandler Smith Career Highlights:
Across 29 career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts has recorded 187 laps led, 10 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 14.8.
Posted an average finish of 7.7 across his final seven of 12 total Truck Series starts in 2020, including third-place finishes in the series finale at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway and his first career superspeedway start at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in October.
Produced three top-five and four top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 4.2 across his first four career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts in 2019. He led 55 laps and finished eighth in his Gander Trucks debut at Iowa Speedway last July and then posted top-five finishes in his final three starts, including a runner-up finish at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
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.
Chandler Smith’s No. 18 JBL Tundra:
KBM-25: The No. 18 JBL team will unload chassis number KBM-25 for Friday’s night’s race at Knoxville Raceway. Smith raced the same Toyota at the dirt race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, where he was relegated to a 34th-place finish after being involved in an accident in the Final Stage. Todd Gilliland won with this Tundra at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in October of 2019. The truck has two other career wins, 2017 with Noah Gragson at Martinsville and 2016 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill. with Christopher Bell. In addition to Smith’s Bristol dirt outing, Todd Gilliland finished fifth with KBM-25 in 2019 at Eldora Speedway.
KBM Notes of Interest:
KBM drivers have earned three wins, one poles, 407 laps led, seven top-five and 13 top-10 finishes, with an average finish of 13.5 across 24 starts on dirt tracks. Martin Truex Jr. won the inaugural dirt race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in March while Darrell Wallace Jr. (2014) and Christopher Bell (2015) both claimed victories at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.
KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (88) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Track, Truex Jr. became the 16th 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 21 career victories.
Team: No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang Crew Chief: Luke Lambert Twitter: @17RoushTeam, @RoushFenway and @Chris_Buescher Race Format: 400 miles, 260 laps, Stages: 80-80-100
NASCAR Cup Series Race at Atlanta – Sunday, July 11 at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
ADVANCE NOTES
Buescher at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Buescher will make his seventh Cup start at AMS come Sunday, where he carries a 19.2 average finish with two top-10s.
Most recently he and the No. 17 team drove to a seventh-place finish earlier this season, and three races ago he ran ninth (2019) after starting 30th.
In three Xfinity starts at AMS, Buescher ran a career-best fourth in the Fastenal machine in 2015, and prior to that finished 13th in back-to-back seasons (2013-14) for Jack Roush.
Luke Lambert at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Lambert will call his 11th Cup race from Atlanta this weekend, a place he has three top-10s with an average finish of 19.4. He most recently led Buescher to the seventh-place run this March.
Lambert and Ryan Newman ran seventh and 10th back in 2014-15, and together they captured five top-10 starting spots – two of which were on the outside front row in 2017-18.
Lambert also called one NXS race with Elliott Sadler in 2012 finishing fourth after starting seventh.
QUOTE WORTHY Buescher on racing at Atlanta: “We’ve had Atlanta circled on the calendar since the first race there, and feel this is a great opportunity for our team to win a race. We were really strong there in the first one, very similar to Homestead, and a lot of the characteristics of the track are similar – very worn out asphalt with a ton of character to it – and I think that’s been our strong suit this year is that kind of race track. Atlanta is probably my favorite 1.5-mile track we visit, I like slipping and sliding from the white line to the wall, you have options. We just have to get a little better than last time in our Fastenal Ford.”
Last Time Out After advancing to the final round of qualifying Sunday at Road America, Buescher drove to an 18th-place finish.
Where They Rank Buescher remains 17th in the Cup Series standings with 25 points to make up to 16th as the playoff race heats up throughout the summer.
On the Car Fastenal returns to the fold at Roush Fenway for its 11th season in 2021. They spent three years on the No. 99 before jumping to the No. 17 Cup Series entry, and were the primary partner on the No. 60 Xfinity team that captured the owner’s championship in 2011.
The No. 17 Fastenal Ford, known for prominently featuring top suppliers, will change gears this weekend and feature Fastenal’s own FAST Solutions brands. FAST Solutions represents Fastenal’s industry-leading innovative supply chain solutions which help companies save money, streamline efficiencies, and focus on what they do best. Each brand on the No. 17 represents a different supply chain solution offered by Fastenal:
FAST Solutions – FMI (Fastenal Managed Inventory) Technology: A range of solutions to simplify, monitor, and control your inventory.
FASTVend: Bringing visibility and control to assets and high-use consumables. FASTVend allows users to collect more meaningful data around parts that are most vital to their supply chain.
FASTBin: From manual programs to automated solutions. FASTBin is perfect for managing those higher dollar and more frequently used parts that benefit from electronic monitoring for a more streamlined supply chain.
FASTStock: Tailoring a custom solution to take waste, touches, and delays out of your supply process. Specifically, FASTStock allows you to manage lower frequency and lower dollar parts that don’t need as much attention.
About Fastenal Fastenal [Nasdaq: FAST] is North America’s largest fastener distributor and a ‘one-stop’ source for hundreds of thousands of OEM, MRO and Construction products. With more than 2,600 stores worldwide, the company supports B2B customers with tailored local inventory and dedicated personnel, who visit regularly, quickly respond to emergency needs, and provide efficient inventory management solutions. Fastenal’s service-oriented business network includes the world’s largest industrial vending program, 14 regional distribution centers, 8 custom manufacturing facilities, thousands of delivery vehicles, and industry-leading sourcing, quality and engineering resources.
Maaco to Award Ultimate Race Experience to One Lucky Fan
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (July 6, 2021) – Maaco, America’s Body Shop and the leader in the $38 billion automotive paint and collision industry, is ready to race at Atlanta Motor Speedway this July with William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in the NASCAR Cup Series. Through its partnership with Axalta, Maaco will be featured on the quarter panels, roof and rear TV panel of the No. 24 machine.
“We’re excited to carry the Maaco logo on the No. 24 Axalta Chevy for Atlanta,” said Byron. “Our goal is to win at Atlanta and this weekend, fans can win, too. They just have to watch for my car on TV or on social media to have a chance to win the ultimate race experience from Maaco.”
To celebrate the partnership, Maaco is hosting the “Watch Maaco Go” promotion, in which fans can share a screenshot every time they see the Maaco logo on the No. 24 Axalta Chevy during the week of the race (July 5 to July 11, 2021) to win the Maaco Ultimate Race Experience. Fans can watch race week programming and social media for images of the race car from Hendrick Motorsports or on the track during the race, then share those screenshots on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #BetterGetMaaco.
One winner from the entries will be randomly selected to win the Ultimate Race Experience from Maaco, including the Maaco TV panel from William Byron’s racecar. See promotion rules for details here.
“Axalta has always been a great partner with Maaco and this is a tremendous opportunity to be on William Byron’s car through our partnership with them,” said Chris Dawson, president of Maaco. “We’re looking forward to seeing Maaco on the track and leading the field. On behalf of our more than 400 Maaco franchise partners, we hope to see William Byron and the No. 24 Axalta/Maaco Chevy in victory lane. We also look forward to all the fans tuning in to ‘Watch Maaco Go’ this weekend.”
About Maaco
Maaco is North America’s body shop, with almost 50 years of experience in providing affordable auto body repair and car painting. Maaco, with more than 400 independently owned and operated franchises across the United States and Canada, has been named a top automotive franchise numerous times by Entrepreneur Magazine in its Annual Franchise 500 ranking and Franchise Times’ list of Top 200 franchises. Maaco is a member of Driven Brands, the largest automotive services company in North America. For more information about Maaco, visit Maaco.com.
CONCORD, N.C. (July 6, 2021) – When Corey LaJoie hits the track for the Quaker State 400, veteran crew chief Ryan Sparks might be calling the shots from pit road, but LaJoie will have a new “Boss” riding along on his No. 7 ZL1 1LE Chevrolet Camaro this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
“The Boss Baby: Family Business”, now in theaters and exclusively streaming on Peacock, will be showcased aboard LaJoie’s Spire Motorsports entry Sunday afternoon during coverage of the Quaker State 400 at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. NBC Sports picked up its portion of the 2021 NCS broadcast schedule last month with the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway and will broadcast the remaining 16 races, including the 10-race playoffs between NBC and NBCSN.
DreamWorks Animation’s “The Boss Baby: Family Business”, the sequel to the Oscar®-nominated blockbuster comedy, debuted in theaters as well as being Peacock’s summer movie event for no additional charge to Peacock Premium customers in the U.S. on July 2. Fans can sign up for Peacock here.
LaJoie finished 25th in the Cup Series most recent visit to the legendary Hampton, Ga., oval where he has four previous starts on his resume. Meanwhile, the 29-year-old driver has made a pair of NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at AMS, including a venue-best 16th-place finish in March 2017.
The Concord, N.C., native has earned one top-10 and five top-20 finishes and currently sits 29th in points with 16 races remaining on the 2021 schedule. LaJoie finished 21st Sunday at Road America.
“Anytime you can partner up with a company like NBC is always cool,” offered LaJoie. “We’re able to do some fun things around the Boss Baby movie to push people towards theaters and the Peacock app to check it out. I’m looking forward to sliding around Atlanta on what will be the final race on the abrasive surface before a repave.”
The Quaker State 400 from Atlanta Motor Speedway will be televised live on NBCSN Sunday, July 11 beginning at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The 21st of 36 races on the 2021 NCS schedule will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
-30-
About Spire Motorsports … Spire Motorsports was established in 2018 and is co-owned by longtime NASCAR industry executives Jeff Dickerson and Thaddeus “T.J.” Puchyr. Spire Motorsports earned an upset victory for the ages in its first full season when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 7, 2019.
KEVIN HARVICK Atlanta Advance No. 4 Mobil 1 Summer Road Trip Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing
Event Overview ● Event: Atlanta 400 (Round 21 of 36) ● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 11 ● Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway ● Layout: 1.54-mile oval ● Laps/Miles: 260 laps/400 miles ● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 80 laps / Stage 2: 80 laps / Final Stage: 100 laps ● TV/Radio: NBCSN / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Notes of Interest
● Mobil 1 has been the Official Motor Oil of NASCAR since 2003, and this summer Mobil 1™ synthetic is celebrating everyone’s drive as the Official Motor Oil of Road Trips. Kevin Harvick’s No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang is sporting a special paint scheme commemorating summer road trips this Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway where Harvick will embark upon a 400-mile road trip of his own in the Atlanta 400. What’s more, as part of the Mobil 1 Thousand Sweepstakes, Mobil 1 is sending one lucky winner and a guest on a once in-a-lifetime trip from the final race of the regular season at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway to the first race of the NASCAR Playoffs at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. Special stops include meet-and-greets with Harvick and his Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) teammates, a tour of SHR, a Ford Performance Racing School ride-along with SHR’s Chase Briscoe, and a visit to the NASCAR Hall of Fame where SHR co-owner Tony Stewart’s 2011 NASCAR Cup Series championship-winning car is on display. Fans can register at Mobil1Thousand.com where in addition to becoming eligible for the ultimate summer road trip, they’re also eligible to win $1,000 or more every race weekend if a NASCAR Cup Series driver who uses Mobil 1 takes the checkered flag.
● 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.
● Since joining SHR in 2014, Harvick has only one finish outside of the top-10 in his last eight starts at Atlanta. In fact, that lone result came in Harvick’s first race at Atlanta as a member of SHR. Since finishing 19th in August 2014, Harvick has finished in the top-10 in every race since – a streak that includes two victories (February 2018 and June 2020) and four top-fives.
● Harvick has finished among the top-10 in 14 of his last 17 starts at Atlanta, a run that began with a seventh-place drive in March 2008.
● Harvick’s top-10 streak at Atlanta appeared in jeopardy during the NASCAR Cup Series’ most recent visit to the 1.54-mile oval in March. After starting seventh and running as high as second, Harvick made a routine pit stop for four tires and fuel during a caution period on lap 27. But just before taking the green flag for the lap-31 restart, Harvick had to duck onto pit road to replace a flat left-rear tire. The culprit? A broken valve stem. This put Harvick all the way back in 32nd place. He ended up going a lap down, finishing 24th in the first stage and 20th in the second stage. Harvick began the final stage in 19th, one of six drivers a lap down. A fortuitous caution on lap 221 allowed Harvick to take the wave-around and get his lap back. He restarted 17th on lap 225 and cracked the top-15 with a pass of Michael McDowell on lap 231. Harvick then passed Ryan Newman for 14th on lap 259 before making a scheduled, green flag pit stop on lap 268 for four tires and fuel. Thanks to quick work by his pit crew, Harvick climbed to 12th by lap 270. He passed Ricky Stenhouse Jr., for 11th on lap 303 and then grabbed 10th from Matt DiBenedetto four laps from the finish to preserve his top-10 streak at Atlanta.
● 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 race 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 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 the leader among active NASCAR Cup Series drivers at Atlanta.
▬ He has a series-leading 31 career starts at Atlanta. Kurt Busch is next best with 30 starts.
▬ He is tied with Kurt Busch for the most wins at Atlanta (three).
▬ He has a series-leading nine top-fives at Atlanta. Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch are next best with seven top-fives apiece.
▬ He has the most top-10s at Atlanta (16). Kurt Busch is next best with 15 top-10s.
▬ He has led a series-high 1,348 laps at Atlanta. Kurt Busch is next best with only 804 laps led.
▬ He has completed a series-high 9,867 laps at Atlanta. Ryan Newman is next best with 9,228 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 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 last 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.
Kevin Harvick, Driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Summer Road Trip Ford Mustang
Your track record at Atlanta is incredibly strong. Performing well at Atlanta means managing your tires and taking care of your racecar. How do you do that when you’re still trying to outrun 39 other drivers?
“Atlanta has one of the most unique track surfaces. There are things about Atlanta that you manipulate your car with, and a lot of that has to do with rhythm. There are a lot of bumps, and a lot of things that go with the bumps are the brake pedal and the gas pedal, and all of those things combine to make a good lap at Atlanta. It’s just a fun racetrack to drive and we’ve been fortunate to have success really every year that we’ve gone there since I’ve been at Stewart-Haas Racing. It’s just a good racetrack for us. I feel like we should’ve won every race that we’ve raced at Atlanta, but we haven’t one way or another, but we’ve been fortunate to win a couple.”
Your race at Atlanta back in March was very atypical for you and the No. 4 Mobil 1 team. How much of it was the result of a broken valve stem that put you behind early in the race, and how much of it was not having the kind of lights-out car you typically have at Atlanta?
“Ryan Blaney won the race and we raced right with Blaney at the beginning of the race. The unfortunate part for us was two things – the untimely pit stop that we had to have because of the valve stem, and the 5 car (Kyle Larson) was extremely fast. So, every time we would pass cars, he would pass more cars and there just weren’t a lot of cautions and we never could get back to where we needed to be until the very end of the race. I really felt like we had a top-five car in that particular race. It wasn’t a car that was as fast as we’d like to have capable of winning the race and setting the pace, but it definitely put us behind and we never could make it up because of how fast the 5 car was.”
Explain how a setback – be it in the pits or on the racetrack – compounds itself when you’re racing in traffic, and how that is intensified at a track like Atlanta.
“It just starts to lose grip, and Atlanta’s a little bit different than most places just because the whole car comes out of the racetrack. And when the whole car comes out of the racetrack, the first thing that happens is that the front end doesn’t start to turn, and when the front end doesn’t turn, there’s basically a line that I like to run that is the fastest way around the racetrack and, when everybody’s trying to run that line, it just takes time. You have to basically be patient enough to wait for the guy in front of you to make a mistake and hope you didn’t make enough mistakes to be right on his bumper so you can capitalize on that mistake. And you have to take that approach with every single car. It’s just a methodical, timely approach that it takes to get back through traffic.”
Your race at Atlanta back in March notwithstanding, is Atlanta one of those tracks where you and crew chief Rodney Childers say, “Alright, we’re good here,” or are there still things to tweak in order to stay ahead of the curve?
“We’re 100 percent bought into the feel in the racecar at Atlanta, and we’re going to chase that feel and what we want, because we know that it’s just different than everywhere else that we go to. You’re looking for a different reaction out of the car that allows you to be able to run fast for a long time. It’s a different type of racetrack, but in the end those guys are bought into knowing that if we don’t win at Atlanta, it’s a letdown because of the expectations we have going in there.”
How much does Atlanta change from the relative cool of March to the heat and humidity of July?
“It’s going to be much different going back in the summer just because of the temperature and the surface. And when you have that temperature on that surface, it just has less grip. And when it’s hotter outside, you make less downforce and the cars just won’t drive as good. They never drive great at Atlanta, but going back in the summer, it’s going to be worse.”
NASCAR’s rulebook makes teams operate in a pretty small box. When it comes to a momentum track like Atlanta, 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. There’s a development freeze on all the parts and pieces that go into the racecar as we get ready for the NextGen car in 2022. That means 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 Summer Road Trip Team Roster
Primary Team Members Driver: Kevin HarvickHometown: 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 BeanHometown: Bradford, Vermont 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
Team: No. 6 Oscar Mayer Ford Mustang Crew Chief: Scott Graves Twitter: @Roush6Team, @RoushFenway and @RyanJNewman Race Format: 400 miles, 260 laps, Stages: 80-80-100 NASCAR Cup Series Race at Atlanta – Sunday, July 11 at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
ADVANCE NOTES
Newman at Atlanta Motor Speedway
· Newman makes his 30th Cup start at Atlanta this weekend, a 1.5-mile track where he carries an average finish of 17.6 with nine top-10s and two finishes inside the top five.
· His best finish in 29 prior starts is fifth, which came twice – once in 2004 and again in 2013. He has also finished 10th on four occasions, including most recently in 2015. He’s been consistent as of late, finishing 13th-14th-13th in the past three events at the track.
· Newman has an impressive 8.1 average starting position at AMS, by far his best on the circuit, with seven career poles as well as two-straight P2 starts. In 29 career races at Atlanta, Newman has started on the front row 12 times.
· Newman is a winner in the Truck Series at Atlanta, driving to victory lane in 2008 in one of only seven Truck starts in his career.
· He also has three Xfinity Series starts at AMS, finishing eighth in 2010 and capturing the pole back in 2001.
Scott Graves at Atlanta Motor Speedway
· Graves will be on the box for his sixth Cup race at Atlanta this weekend, a track he carries a 14.2 average finish.
· Atlanta is also Graves’ best track in terms of qualifying and starting positions, as his average starting spot is 12.6 in five events. He and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., earned the pole together in 2013, and he followed that by starting fourth with Daniel Suarez in 2018.
· Graves has led Newman to three-straight top-15 results at AMS, including 13th in 2019, 14th last season, and 13th earlier this season at the 1.5-mile track.
· Graves also called four Xfinity races at Atlanta dating back to 2014. He and Kyle Busch won together in 2017 in the No. 18, and his best finish otherwise came with Chris Buescher in 2015 (fourth). He also ran seventh with Suarez a year later.
QUOTE WORTHY Newman on racing at Atlanta: “Atlanta in the middle of summer will be a challenge within itself with the heat, and add that with the tire wear and multiple racing grooves and it’s a recipe for a hot, challenging day come Sunday. That said, we’ve been pretty consistent there as of late and we have a good notebook between the two cars, so we just have to put it all together and hopefully have a great run in the Oscar Mayer Ford.”
Last Time Out Newman finished 32nd in Sunday’s race at Road America.
Where They Rank Newman is 24th in points through 20 events.
On the Car
Oscar Mayer is back on board Newman’s Ford Mustang as the primary this weekend, and together they will sport the brand’s new-look logo, which will be featured across all of the No. 6 team’s assets this weekend and for the remainder of the 2021 season.
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