NASCAR makes its annual visit to the Pocono Mountains this weekend as the Cup Series takes part in a doubleheader (Saturday-Sunday), a new format that ‘The Tricky Triangle’ unveiled a season ago. Overall Jack Roush has four wins and 73 top-10s at Pocono, with both RFR drivers (Ryan Newman – 2003, Chris Buescher – 2016) with a win to their credit at the 2.5-mile track.
Pocono Organics CBD 325 Saturday, June 26 | 3 p.m. ET NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90 · Ryan Newman, No. 6 Wyndham Rewards Ford Mustang · Chris Buescher, No. 17 Acronis Ford Mustang
Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 Sunday, June 26 | 3:30 p.m. ET NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90 · Ryan Newman, No. 6 Guaranteed Rate Ford Mustang · Chris Buescher, No. 17 Acronis Ford Mustang
Nashville Recap, Pocono Preview
· Buescher had a solid run going in the early moments of last Sunday’s Cup race from Nashville Superspeedway before a part failure on a car just in front of his machine resulted in a cut tire on the No. 17, ending his day early.
· Newman was on the good side of the attrition battle throughout the day, fighting back from an early deficit to finish 13th in the Planters Ford.
· Acronis, now in its third season with Roush Fenway, will be on Buescher’s machine for both events at Pocono this weekend; their first primary scheme of 2021.
· Wyndham Rewards will ride along with Newman for Saturday’s race and highlight the Wyndham Rewards Earner Card with a new-look scheme. The team will then switch the scheme to Guaranteed Rate colors for Sunday’s race.
Pocono Format
For the second year in a row, NASCAR will feature a doubleheader format for the Cup Series events at Pocono. The series mirrored the same format a season ago, which served as the first doubleheader in the modern era (1972-present). This weekend’s races feature 325 miles of action on Saturday, followed by 350 miles on Sunday. To add to the drama of the doubleheader itself, teams are slated to use the same car for both days, unless forced to a backup car from an incident during Saturday’s action. The starting lineup for Saturday will be determined by NASCAR’s formula, with Sunday’s lineup set by an inversion of the top-20 cars at the end of race one.
It’s Tricky, it’s Tricky (Tricky) Tricky (Tricky) Roush Fenway Racing has run 214 Cup races at ‘The Tricky Triangle’ dating back to 1988. A Roush Fenway Ford has visited victory lane on four occasions in the Cup series, with the first coming in 2005 with Carl Edwards. Kurt Busch followed with a win in the July race of that same year, one of his three victories for Jack Roush in 2005. Three years later, Edwards found winners circle again in 2008, and Greg Biffle carded the organization’s most recent win at the 2.5-mile track back in 2010.
Runner-Up
Roush Fenway has finished in the second position 13 times at Pocono with six different drivers. All in all, Roush Fenway has finished first or second 17 times at the triangular track.
Tale of the Tape
Overall RFR has 73 top-10 and 45 top-five results at Pocono along with three poles and the four wins. Mark Martin earned back-to-back poles in 1990 and 1991, before capturing his third in 1996.
Roush Fenway Pocono Wins 2005-1 Edwards Cup 2005-2 Busch Cup 2008-2 Edwards Cup 2010-2 Biffle Cup
PLANO, Texas (June 23, 2021) – It’s a big NASCAR weekend at Pocono Raceway as fans will get the opportunity to see five races in three days, including the lone NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader of the season.
NASCAR National Series – NCS| NXS| NCWTS
Hamlin driven for another Triangle victory… Cup Series points leader Denny Hamlin is back at a special place for him – Pocono Raceway. Hamlin scored his first two career wins at the track in 2006 and has since added additional wins in a Camry in 2009, 2010, 2019 and last season. Last year, Hamlin took the lead from teammate Martin Truex Jr. with 15 laps to go and drove to victory.
Busch preparing for three strong runs… After scoring his milestone 100th Xfinity Series win in Nashville, Kyle Busch will compete in three races this weekend – the Cup Series doubleheader and Saturday’s Truck Series event. Busch has two Truck Series victories at Pocono, and his No. 51 Tundra drove to victory last season with Brandon Jones behind the wheel. On the Cup Series side, Busch has three wins – one each in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Burton desires a victory… After a third-place finish in Nashville, Harrison Burton is getting even closer to a return to victory lane. Burton – who won four times in his Rookie of the Year season – scored a third-place finish at Pocono in the NASCAR Truck Series in 2019.
Ferrucci returns… Santino Ferrucci makes his return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in the Sam Hunt Racing No. 26 Supra this weekend after a top-10 run in the Indianapolis 500 last month. Ferrucci scored top-15 finishes in three of his four starts this season, and the team is coming off another top-15 run with Will Rodgers in Nashville.
Nemechek looking to clinch top seed early… With just three races remaining in the Truck Series regular season, John Hunter Nemechek is looking to clinch the regular season title and 15 Playoff points. Nemechek goes into Pocono with a 70-point advantage over fellow Toyota driver Ben Rhodes.
Hill ready for another successful weekend… Austin Hill battled to top-10 finishes in both the NASCAR Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series events at Nashville and is looking for a repeat this weekend. The Georgia-native is scheduled to run Saturday’s Truck Series event and Sunday’s Xfinity Series race at Pocono this weekend.
NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA
Gibbs and Heim battling for top spot… Toyota drivers Ty Gibbs and Corey Heim continue to battle for the top spot in the point standings. Heim had led the standings since the start of the season, but Gibbs took the top spot by just one point after his fifth victory of the year at Mid-Ohio.
Toyota drivers off to another strong start… With seven consecutive victories to start the season, Toyota drivers continue their recent early season success. Toyota drivers have won at least the first six events on the schedule each year since the start of the 2018 season, including a 12-race win streak in 2018.
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.
HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (June 23, 2021) – As the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Pocono (Pa.) Raceway this weekend, NASCAR’s top series will be seeing double as it heads to the 2.5-mile triangle in the Pocono Mountains.
For many years, the two annual NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway had been runs five to six weeks apart. The tight window in which they’d traditionally been run didn’t give much time between trips to the Pocono Mountains for teams to make drastic changes to their cars.
But when the Cup Series makes this year’s trek to the Poconos, the window of time between Saturday’s Pocono 325 and Sunday’s Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 is less than 24 hours for the second year in a row after last year’s successful doubleheader weekend debut.
The rules require NASCAR Cup Series teams to use the same car in both events, but they’ll be allowed to work on them between races. Following the finish of Saturday’s 130-lap race, the starting lineup for Sunday’s 140-lap event will be set by inverting Saturday’s top-20 finishers, and those finishing 21st through 38th on Saturday starting from those same positions Sunday.
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Minis Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), knows he’s fortunate enough to be able to race, and win, for 17 seasons and counting in NASCAR’s top series. Not only has he won 58 races and two Cup Series championships, he’s had his fair share of recent success at the track nicknamed the “Tricky Triangle.” The Las Vegas native won the June 2019 Pocono race and has three wins in his last seven Cup Series starts there.
For the first time ever, a timeless M&M’S favorite – M&M’S Minis – with adorn Busch’s No, 18 Toyota this weekend. M&M’S Minis are a great way to share the delicious, colorful fun of M&M’S with friends and family. M&M’S Minis are perfect to include in baked treats for the same M&M’S taste, mini style.
Busch’s recent fortunes at Pocono began after he narrowly missed a victory in June 2017. He returned for that year’s July race looking for his first Pocono Cup Series win, and he was able to deliver behind some clever strategy as well as his own smart driving. While the top competitors headed to pit road for their final scheduled fuel-and-tire stops late in the race, Busch stayed out longer than the rest. The others were clearly faster on newer tires, but Busch took advantage of a clean track to make up time and, when he was finally called to pit road, he had much fresher tires than his fellow competitors for the closing stages of the race. He eventually drove by Kevin Harvick for his impressive maiden Pocono victory. Since then, Busch has been able to grab Pocono wins in 2018 and 2019 to add to his growing resume at the Tricky Triangle.
So, as the series heads back to the Pocono Mountains, Busch, crew chief Ben Beshore and the entire team will focus on not one but two races with their M&M’S Minis Toyota, hoping to take it a giant step further with a chance to win twice during this weekend’s doubleheader.
KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Minis Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:
What is it about you and your team that make you so good at Pocono Raceway?
“There are certainly a lot of things over the years that we’ve worked on and there are definitely things we’ve fine-tuned on and gotten a lot better at, I think starting in 2013 or 2014, and then we’ve still kept that speed ever since for the most part. We’ve run really well there. It’s a good track for us. I’ve learned a lot from my teammate Denny Hamlin who’s won there, and certainly working with Martin (Truex Jr.) and his guys has also brought on some new, fresh ideas, which help. It’s been a good track for us and hopefully we can carry our M&M’s Minis colors to victory lane there this weekend. Looking forward to having them on board with us and our No. 18 Toyota.”
How do you learn to get better at a track, like you have at Pocono?
“There are so many different ways you can do it. You can look at data, you can look at the driving technique. Talking is kind of the best resource, just being able to ask the guy, ‘Hey, when you do this, why do you do this, or what do you expect when you get into a run and you’re going this far, and tire wear, and how do you get around turn two,’ whatever it might be. Lots of different things there, being teammates with Denny (Hamlin) for this long, it’s lended itself to myself improving at Pocono and Martinsville, places like that, and him improving at places like Bristol and Charlotte from myself. It’s a good take there. And then having Martin (Truex Jr.) now, having him on board, who is really good everywhere, as well, has definitely brought a good basis to our team, as well as having our past teammates like Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards – so it’s been good.”
You make Pocono look easy, but what is still tough about Pocono even for you?
“Every time you go there, it’s a bit different. The bumps change, the characteristics change. Where the bumps are. Are they getting bigger? Are they getting worse? Is there more? That turn-two tunnel turn is always a culprit for the bumps, and the harsh winters up there really change the racetrack. Then, what happens in turn three, where the wind is blowing and stuff like that, is always kind of a convoluted piece to Pocono, and how you get through turn three versus turn one versus two. There are three distinctly different corners, there’s definitely going to be compromise.”
Do you see race two as the same as race one since they are on the same weekend, or will they be different?
“I think you will have to make some changes to your stuff. The first race, there’s only going to be the Truck Series rubber, it’s only 60 laps, so there’s just going to be a little rubber down. Then, we’re going to put a lot of rubber down with our race. Then you’ll have the Xfinity race the next day, and then you’ll have our race. Over the course of all those miles, I think the main similarities between the two days is going to be just that – they’re a day apart rather than a month apart. There’s a difference between the Pocono racetrack when it’s a month apart, but when it’s day one to day two, there are going to be big differences in day one to day two, so you have to take a lot of different things into account.”
What are the most critical adjustments you can make between each race at Pocono?
“Obviously springs, shocks, bars, whatever you can change, all that sort of stuff. Making some adjustments. Knowing how much that track changes in that first race will give you a basis to how much you expect it to change in the second race, barring any weather or other factors. If it’s 68 degrees one day and a 90 degrees on the other, there are going to be some big differences you’re going to want to adjust for and compensate for. Having a good notebook, I think, will certainly help us and our team. I think we could have a good idea of what to do with our M&M’S Minis Toyota.”
Event Overview:
Race #1
● Event: Pocono 325
● Time/Date: 3 p.m. EDT on Saturday, June 26
● Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway
● Layout: 2.5-mile triangle
● Laps/Miles: 130 laps/325 miles
●Format: 130 laps, broken into three stages (25 laps/52 laps/53 laps)
● TV/Radio: NBCSN / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Race #2
● Event: Explore the Pocono Mountains 350
● Time/Date: 3:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 27
● Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway
● Layout: 2.5-mile triangle
● Laps/Miles: 140 laps/350 miles
● Format: 140 laps, broken into three stages (30 laps/55 laps/55 laps)
● TV/Radio: NBCSN / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Meet the No. 18 M&M’S Minis / Joe Gibbs Racing Team
Primary Team Members: Driver: Kyle BuschHometown: Las Vegas Crew Chief: Ben BeshoreHometown: York, Pennsylvania Car Chief: Nate BellowsHometown: Fairfax, Vermont Spotter: Tony Hirschman Hometown: Northampton, Pennsylvania Over-The-Wall Crew Members: Gas Man: Matt TyrrellHometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida Front Tire Changer: Blake HoustonHometown: Enochville, North Carolina Jackman: T.J. FordHometown: Charlotte, North Carolina Tire Carrier: Joe CrossenHometown: Salisbury, North Carolina Rear Tire Changer: Jeff CorderoHometown: Salem, Connecticut Road Crew Members: Race Engineer: Seth ChavkaHometown: Soldotna, Alaska Truck Driver: Chris MikoHometown: Bronx, New York Truck Driver: Tom McCrimmonHometown: Spicer, Minnesota Mechanic/Tire Specialist: Justin Peiffer Hometown: Lebanon, Pennsylvania Mechanic: Scott EldridgeHometown: Warsaw, Indiana
Notes of Interest:
● Pocono Stats: Busch has three wins, nine top-five finishes and 16 top-10s and has led a total of 462 laps in 32 career Cup Series starts at Pocono. Busch’s average Pocono finish is 16.0.
● 218 and Counting: Busch will be aiming to add to his record 219 overall wins among NASCAR’s top three series this weekend at Pocono. Busch has 58 Cup Series wins, 100 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and 61 wins in the Camping World Truck Series.
● 100: Busch won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Nashville last weekend to score his milestone 100th overall series victory. Busch extended his hold on the overall series win record as the next-closest driver – Mark Martin – won 49 Xfinity Series races during his NASCAR Hall of Fame career.
● Triple Double: Busch is set to compete in Saturday’s Camping World Truck Series race in addition to the doubleheader Cup Series races this weekend.
Companies collaborate to continue to provide best-in-class cyber protection for sport
CONCORD, North Carolina, June 23, 2021 – Today, Acronis, a global leader in cyber protection, announced the extension of its Official Cyber Protection Partnership with Roush Fenway Racing. In addition, Acronis announced it will now be supported by a provider of security technology solutions, Visual Edge IT. To celebrate the occasion, Acronis and Visual Edge IT branding will be featured on Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 17 Ford Mustang at the back-to-back NASCAR Cup Series Races at Pocono on June 26th and 27th, 2021.
Acronis joined the Roush Fenway Racing family in 2019, using the partnership as a powerful marketing platform while providing fast, efficient, and secure cyber protection, and supporting the team through the challenging periods of pandemic lockdowns. Acronis helped Roush Fenway Racing enhance cyber protection capabilities, ensuring the Safety, Accessibility, Privacy, Authenticity, and Security (SAPAS) for workloads, data, applications, and systems.
Acronis continues to expand Roush Fenway’s technological capabilities with advanced cyber backup and disaster recovery services, cutting-edge file sharing, and robust computer power simulations.
“The Acronis partnership with Roush Fenway Racing has been extremely valuable,” said Steve Newmark, President of Roush Fenway Racing. “Not only does Acronis activate their partnership across social, digital, and at-track, but they have been key in helping our company work to avoid cyber security threats, protecting us from data breaches, and helping us be prepared in the event of a disaster recovery situation.”
As part of the renewed partnership, Acronis will provide the team with the award-winning Acronis Cyber Protect. This unique machine intelligence (MI) powered solution integrates data protection with cybersecurity, which helps prevent cyberattacks. Acronis Cyber Protect uniquely combines automation and integration, ensuring the prevention, detection, response, recovery, and analytics needed to safeguard all workloads while streamlining protection efforts.
“Acronis has a long-standing partnership with Roush Fenway Racing, and over the past three years, we’ve proven that we are better together in our efforts to keep motorsport teams and their data protected,” said Acronis Vice President and General Manager, Americas, Pat Hurley. “On the same note, we are very pleased to feature Visual Edge IT on Roush Fenway’s No. 17 Ford as a #CyberFit Delivery Partner this weekend at Pocono.”
Visual Edge offers services and equipment for business technology solutions from managed IT services and security to managed print and print supplies through our local providers across the country. With Visual Edge, customers benefit from day-to-day technology management, cloud-based security solutions, 24/7 network monitoring and threat protection, and end-user support – securing the customer environment and managing the infrastructure so customers can focus on their business.
“Visual Edge IT (VEIT) has partnered with Acronis as our go-to-market choice for protecting customers’ data from cybersecurity, disasters and human error,” shared Jason Bowra, General Manager, Managed IT Services for Visual Edge IT. “The Acronis integrations with other solution partners allow Visual Edge to have ‘one pane of glass’ from which we efficiently support all customers. Acronis is simply a great partner to help with our marketing and presale efforts through their delivery and protection of our customers.”
Acronis #TeamUp Program for managed service providers
Acronis #CyberFit Sports Program is open to managed service providers (MSPs) as part of the #TeamUp initiative. Service providers are invited to deliver Acronis Cyber Protection solutions to world-class sports properties on behalf of Acronis and enjoy a rich world of sports benefits and brand exposure. To find out more, please visit https://www.acronis.com/en-us/lp/msp-sports/.
If you would like to learn more about Acronis’ #CyberFit Sports Program, please explore the company’s registration page to attend its #CyberFit World Tour 2021, beginning in Miami, Florida on October 25, 2021.
Roush Fenway Racing
Roush Fenway Racing is one of the most successful teams in NASCAR history, fielding multiple teams in NASCAR Cup Series. In its 34th season of competition in 2021, Roush Fenway is a leader in driver development, having launched the careers for many of the top drivers in the sport. Off-track, Roush Fenway is a leader in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning Social Media, digital content and experiential marketing campaigns. Roush Fenway is co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner Jack Roush and Fenway Sports Group, parent company of Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox and English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C. Visit RoushFenway.com, become a fan on Facebook and Instagram, and follow on Twitter at @roushfenway.
About Acronis
Acronis unifies data protection and cybersecurity to deliver integrated, automated cyber protection that solves the safety, accessibility, privacy, authenticity, and security (SAPAS) challenges of the modern digital world. With flexible deployment models that fit the demands of service providers and IT professionals, Acronis provides superior cyber protection for data, applications, and systems with innovative next-generation antivirus, backup, disaster recovery, and endpoint protection management solutions. With advanced anti-malware powered by cutting-edge machine intelligence and blockchain-based data authentication technologies, Acronis protects any environment – from cloud to hybrid to on-premises – at a low and predictable cost.
Founded in Singapore in 2003 and incorporated in Switzerland in 2008, Acronis now has more than 1,600 employees in 33 locations in 18 countries. Its solutions are trusted by more than 5.5 million home users and 500,000 companies, including 100% of the Fortune 1000, and top-tier professional sports teams. Acronis products are available through 50,000 partners and service providers in over 150 countries in more than 40 languages.
About Visual Edge
Visual Edge, Inc. specializes in managed IT services and security, cloud computing, and print/copy solutions for businesses across the U.S. including remote office locations. We offer a full line of office technology and services including 24/7 remote monitoring and administration of networks, service desk, and data backup and restore to improve business processes across a variety of industries. Plus, Visual Edge represents the industry’s leading manufacturers of office technology allowing businesses to get equipment, supplies and service from a single source. Backed by more than 20-years of technology service and a national network of expert engineers, Visual Edge is uniquely positioned to support business technology needs. The company is headquartered in North Canton, OH, USA. For more information, visit www.visualedgeit.com.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview: Event: CRC Brakleen 150, Race 13 of 22, 60 Laps – 15/15/30; 150 Miles Location: Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa. (2.5-mile tri-oval) Date/Broadcast: June 26, 2021 at noon ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90
Mr. Smith Goes to Pocono:
Chandler Smith will look to turn the momentum of his recent stretch of strong runs into a victory lane birthday celebration at Pocono Raceway this weekend. The talented teenager will celebrate his 19th birthday Saturday behind the wheel of the JBL Tundra in the 60-lap shootout. It will be Smith’s first Truck Series start at the 2.5-mile tri-oval, but he has an average finish of 5.0 across his two ARCA Menards Series starts at The Tricky Triangle, including a runner-up finish last June. Smith will be pulling double-duty this weekend, as he will be piloting the No. 25 Safelite AutoGlass Camry in the ARCA Menards Series event on Friday. It will be his first ARCA Menards Series start this season.
The Georgia native is coming off one of his strongest runs of the season last week in the Camping World Truck Series event at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway. He put the Safelite AutoGlass Tundra out front for a race-high 48 laps, picked up his first stage win of the season in Stage Two, but was shuffled back after getting put four-wide on a late restart and ended up finishing in the 13th position. In the two events prior, he registered a fifth-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth and fifth-place finish at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
Over the last two events, Smith has earned 85 points, second in the series to Zane Smith’s 87. With his strong runs, the Toyota Racing Development driver has moved himself above the cutoff line for the playoffs. While he currently sits 11th in the standings, Grant Enfinger missed one race and is not eligible for the playoffs, moving Smith up to 10th on the playoff grid. With three races remaining in the regular season, he sits 15 points ahead of Johnny Sauter for the coveted 10th and final playoff spot.
Across 11 starts this season, Smith has two top-five and four top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 17.3. He produced a season-best result of fourth at Richmond (Va.) Raceway in April. He sits second in Rookie of the Year standings, 15 points behind Carson Hocevar. Smith has earned the rookie of the race award five times this season. The Toyota Racing Development driver has 10 top-five, and 13 top-10 finishes across 28 career Camping World Truck Series starts, including a career-best runner-up finish at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in 2019.
Veteran crew chief Danny Stockman will call 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’s Camping World Truck Series drivers have one win, two top-five and three top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 4.3 across three starts at Pocono. Stockman was atop the pit box when Brandon Jones collected his first career Camping World Truck Series victory in last year’s race at The Tricky Triangle.
JBL, the authority in engineering superior sound, will be the primary sponsor for the No. 18 team this week at Pocono and at the series next two stops July 9 at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway and 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:
You led some laps and won a stage last week at Nashville. How did it feel to be running back up front? “It was definitely awesome. Overall, to get my driver confidence – I wouldn’t say back up – it’s pretty high especially after the last few races we’ve had. For me to get my first stage win with Danny and Safelite on board, it was a good experience.”
You’re doing double duty this weekend. How beneficial will it be to get some more laps around Pocono before the truck race? “Yes, just overall seat time. The ARCA car and truck are similar in a way with the same fundamentals at Pocono such as throttle control. Overall, just getting seat time is key at these tracks especially with no practice for me.”
Pocono is known as the tricky triangle. What’s the trickiest part about Pocono? “For me, it’s getting through Turn 3. It’s a really flat, high-speed corner. When you’re back in traffic, at least when I was in an ARCA car, if you didn’t have clean air through Turn 3 in traffic, it got really tight. Trying to manipulate the air a little bit and find clean air and being able to maintain good speed is probably the trickiest part for me.”
Chandler Smith Career Highlights:
Across 28 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 14.5.
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, 1761 laps led, 22 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes en route to an average finish of 5.2 across 33 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-060: The No. 18 JBL team will unload chassis number KBM-060 for Saturday’s 60-lap event at Pocono. Brandon Jones picked up his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory at Pocono with the same Tundra last year and KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch was victorious with this chassis at Las Vegas last March. Smith drove KBM-60 to a season-best fourth-place finish at Richmond (Va.) Raceway in April in its lone start this season. Click here to see KBM-060 Performance Profile
KBM Notes of Interest:
Across 26 starts at Pocono Raceway, KBM drivers have earned five wins, two poles, 244 laps led, 12 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 8.1 and an average finish of 9.1.
Brandon Jones picked up his first career Truck Series victory in last year’s race. Busch won in 2015 and 2018, William Byron was victorious in 2016, and Christopher Bell brought home the hardware in 2017.
KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (87) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Track, Martin 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.
Top Online Gambling Operator To Serve as Primary Sponsor for Two NASCAR Cup Series Races and One NASCAR Xfinity Series Race with Driver Kevin Harvick
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (June 23, 2021) –Unibet, a part of the Kindred Group, has partnered with championship-winning NASCAR team Stewart-Haas Racing and driver Kevin Harvick to further grow its presence in the United States and, specifically, with motorsports.
Unibet will be the primary sponsor for Harvick and the No. 4 NASCAR Cup Series team at two races – Aug. 15 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Oct. 31 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Unibet will also serve as the primary sponsor for Harvick during the NASCAR Xfinity Series race Aug. 14 at Indianapolis. Unibet debuts with Harvick and the No. 4 team this weekend during the NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway with placement on the front fender of the No. 4 Ford Mustang.
Kindred is one of the top online gambling operators with business across Europe, the U.S. and Australia. The Unibet brand is building on its years of European experience in the responsible gambling and player sustainability field and extending that mindset to its U.S. operations, with motorsports being a key platform.
“Sponsorship is an important part of our marketing initiatives in the states where sports betting is legal,” said Manuel Stan, Senior Vice President USA, Kindred. “Race fans are extremely passionate about their sport and their driver, in particular. Unibet exists to enhance fans’ passion for their sport. Our platform is straightforward, easy to understand, and filled with insights that allows our players to make informed bets. Integrating Unibet into the sport fans watch and cheer for is the best way to tell our story. We are By Players, For Players.”
Sports betting is legal in more than a dozen states. In line with sports betting’s growth, Unibet wants to expand it user base, with the platform already available to residents in Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Jersey and Virginia.
“We’re proud to represent and work with Unibet to grow its platform, now and in the future,” said Brett Frood, President, Stewart-Haas Racing. “Fans are the lifeblood of our sport and Unibet offers a new and insightful way for fans to engage with our sport in a meaningful way. We’re looking forward to kicking off our partnership with Unibet this weekend at Pocono where Pennsylvania residents can experience Unibet’s offerings firsthand.”
The NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader at Pocono begins at 3 p.m. EDT on Saturday with the second race starting at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. Both races will be broadcast live on NBCSN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Last year, Harvick won the first race of Pocono’s doubleheader on Saturday and finished second in the race on Sunday.
About Kindred Group:
Kindred Group is one of the world’s leading online gambling operators with business across Europe, the United States and Australia, offering 30 million customers across nine brands a great form of entertainment in a safe, fair and sustainable environment. The company, which employs about 1,600 people, is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm Large Cap and is a member of the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) and founding member of IBIA (sports betting integrity). Kindred Group is audited and certified by eCOGRA for compliance with the 2014 EU Recommendation on Consumer Protection and Responsible Gambling (2014/478/EU). Read more on www.kindredgroup.com.
About Stewart-Haas Racing:
Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The Kannapolis, North Carolina-based organization has won two NASCAR Cup Series titles, one NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and more than 90 NASCAR races, including such crown-jewel events as the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. For more information, please visit us online at StewartHaasRacing.com, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and on YouTube.
CONCORD, N.C. (June 22, 2021) – When the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Kansas Speedway October 24 for the second race in the round of eight, many drivers will be looking to grab the spotlight as the season winds down.
Spire Motorsports announced today that Circle B Diecast will be the primary sponsor on Corey LaJoie’s No.7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in the Hollywood Casino 400.
LaJoie’s car will feature a throwback paint scheme paying tribute to the 1983 film “Stroker Ace” starring Burt Reynolds, who plays a NASCAR driver at odds with his unscrupulous car owner. Reynolds was joined by Jim Neighbors, Ned Beatty, Loni Anderson and Bubba Smith in the 1983 comedy directed by Hal Needham.
“We have worked with Corey for years and have enjoyed being a part of his career,” said Brent Powell, President of Circle B Diecast. “Having sponsored both of his races at Kansas last year, when it was announced that he would be joining Spire for 2021, we knew we wanted to be a part of it.
“When thinking about schemes for the No.7 we wanted to come up with something fans would enjoy. As a teenager in the 1980s, Stroker Ace was always a favorite of mine. The team at Spire really knocked this scheme out of the park, and we really hope the fans enjoy it!”
LaJoie currently sits 29th in the Cup Series standings following a 15th-place finish in Sunday’s Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. The spirited effort was LaJoie’s fourth consecutive top-20 finish.
In nine previous Cup Series starts at the Kansas City (Kan.) oval, LaJoie has logged four top-25 finishes, including a career-best 21st-place effort in July 2020. The Concord, N.C., native also has one NASCAR Xfinity Series’ and one ARCA Menards Series’ start at Kansas Speedway, dating back to 2011.
“As one of my all-time favorite movies, it’s pretty cool Circle B Diecast has come up with a paint scheme to honor ‘Stroker Ace’,” said LaJoie. “Ned Beatty, who played Clyde Torkle in the film, passed away recently and had a terrific career. This is a great opportunity to honor not just Ned, but also Hal Needham, Burt Reynolds, Jim Neighbors, Loni Anderson and Bubba Smith. I’m really looking forward to giving Brent and Ladonna’s Circle B Diecast Special a good run when we get back to Kansas in October. And remember, Circle B Diecast has the fastest shipping in the south!”
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About Circle B Diecast … Circle B Diecast was launched in September 2020 when Brent and Ladonna Powell split their wholesale and retail businesses into two different websites to better serve each customer. As markets changed and the industry footprint grew, Circle B Diecast entered the retail market to offer premium racing memorabilia to consumers who weren’t lucky enough to have a local racing store. What was once Plan B Sales, focused solely on wholesale distribution, has evolved into a full-service entity offering both direct-to-consumer and distributor sales, while managing both apparel and die-cast collectibles.
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.
As an ambitious youth who dreams of becoming a professional race driver one day, you should start preparing for success early. Even though your path to success is still far from clear, you can use your time in college to learn what you can about professional racing.
The internet is quite resourceful, and services like My Essay Writing for your academic excellence are not the only ones you can enjoy. When you get time over the weekend, find out how renowned racers made it to where they are today. There are several blogs run by racing enthusiasts where you can access a lot of useful information.
Knowledge is power because it enables you to find the easiest way to make your dreams come true. You’ve seen pros race on TV, and it gives you the psych to want to experience that adrenaline. But how do you ensure you gain the necessary skills in time to live your dream? How do you gain experience as a racer if you don’t have access to race cars and motorbikes?
Well, taking the first step doesn’t have to include getting on a race track. You can begin by learning the theory, and when an opportunity presents itself, then you can put what you’ve learnt into practice. Learning about professional racing demonstrates complete dedication and passion for the sport, and this will work for your good when the time is right.
Keep reading to learn what you need to do to hone your skills and make a reputation for yourself before you get yourself on a racing track.
Research
To know how to be a successful racer, you need to conduct the necessary research. If you’ve been using the assignment writing service UK, you know the benefits of extensive research.
Like any other sport, racing requires you to start at the amateur level and then work your way to the top. You want to make sure that by the time you’re buying your race car, you know how to operate it safely. Until then, find your path by reading relevant material about Formula 1 and other car races that are broadcasted on a global scale.
Secure Funds
Now that you have all the information you need, the next step is looking for funds. Since racing is a big dream, you will need a significant amount of money to get it started. Thankfully, entry-level racing has favorable costs, so you can fund yourself. If it’s too much for your budget, consider asking friends and family to help you raise the money.
Find Your Determination
Lastly, but most importantly, you need to find your determination. As a racing driver of any kind, you need self-determination to achieve success. Determination is what makes you the success you want to be. Even as a talented driver, to become a pro, you need to remember why you’re racing. Find your reason and let it fuel your success journey.
Conclusion
Racing is a fulfilling career because it fills you with adrenaline. Every time you’re behind the wheels, nothing else matters but your speed and racing technique. Follow these three simple tips to become the next racing pro.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview: Event: CRC Brakleen 150, Race 13 of 22, 60 Laps – 15/15/30; 150 Miles Location: Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa. (2.5-mile tri-oval) Date/Broadcast: June 26, 2021 at noon ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90
The Report on ‘Rowdy’:
Owner-driver Kyle Busch will make his fifth and final NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start of 2021 behind the wheel of the No. 51 Cessna Tundra at Pocono Raceway. ‘Rowdy’ picked up his 61st career victory in May at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City in his most recent start and also was victorious at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga., in March. In his other two starts, Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway and Richmond (Va.) Raceway, he finished runner-up to Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) driver John Hunter Nemechek.
Busch, the winningest driver in series history, enters Saturday’s event having won 38.3% (61/159) of the Truck Series races he has entered and finished first or second in 56.6% (90/159). Since the start of the 2018 season, ‘Rowdy’ has finished first (12) or second (five) in 17 of 19 Truck Series starts, resulting in average finish of 3.37 over that span.
The 36-year-old driver has two wins (2015 and 2018), three top-five and three top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 7.3 across four Camping World Trucks starts at Pocono. In addition to his pair of truck wins, Busch has three NASCAR Cup Series victories (2017, 2018 and 2019) and one NASCAR Xfinity Series triumph (2018).
After 12 events, the No. 51 sits fourth in the Camping World Truck Series owner standings, 126 tallies behind KBM’s No. 4 team. With four races remaining in the regular season, they are 88 points above the cutoff line for making the owner’s portion of the Truck Series playoffs. The No. 51 team ranks second in the series with three victories. Busch collected victories at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway, while Martin Truex Jr. picked up first-ever Truck Series victory at the Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway Dirt Track.
Mardy Lindley is in his first season as a crew chief at KBM. Before arriving at KBM, Lindley guided his drivers to 32 wins and four ARCA Menards Series East championships since 2013, including back-to-back titles with Sam Mayer the last two seasons. Additionally, he earned the ARCA Menards Series Sioux Chief Showdown championship with Mayer in 2020. Behind the wheel, the second-generation driver won 11 races on the Pro Cup Series from 2000 to 2006 and was crowned the series champion in 2001. Lindley was atop the pit box for one ARCA Menards Series event at Pocono, a third-place finish with Sam Mayer last June.
Since Textron Aviation became a partner in 2017, Busch has recorded 14 victories, 1,553 laps led and an average finish of 5.0 in 24 starts with the Cessna and Beechcraft brands adorning his Tundra.
For more than 90 years, Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. company, has empowered our collective talent across the Beechcraft, Cessna, and Hawker brands to design and deliver the best aviation experience for our customers. With a range that includes everything from business jets, turboprops, and high-performance pistons, to special mission, military trainer and defense products, Textron Aviation has the most versatile and comprehensive aviation product portfolio in the world and a workforce that has produced more than half of all general aviation aircraft worldwide. Customers in more than 170 countries rely on our legendary performance, reliability, and versatility, along with our trusted global customer service network, for affordable and flexible flight. For more information, visit www.txtav.com
Rowdy Energy, the enhanced hydration formula energy drink created by Busch, and vendor partner Gopuff will adorn the bedtop of the No. 51 Tundra for Saturday’s race. Gopuff is the go-to solution for consumers’ everyday needs, fulfilling customer orders of cleaning and home products, over-the-counter medications, baby and pet products, food, drinks, and in some markets, alcohol – in just minutes. Gopuff currently carries two flavors of Rowdy Energy; Strawberry Lemonade and Chisled Ice. The company operates in more than 650 U.S. cities, to see if Gopuff delivers in your area, go to https://gopuff.com/go/delivery/cities
Kyle Busch, Driver Q&A: You have 12 wins and 17 top-two finishes across your last 19 Truck Series starts. How tough is that to accomplish at any level of motorsports? “Good numbers are good numbers and bad numbers are bad numbers. It feels good. Obviously, it’s a testament to what we’re doing. How many of those slipped through our fingers and could’ve, would’ve, should’ve been wins? Overall, that’s pretty awesome. I feel like it justifies what I’ve been telling people all along – KBM is a great place to race, we’ve got good stuff, we’ve got great people and John Hunter being able to add into our win total this year already and have good, solid top-five finishes is nice as well.”
How has the success of John Hunter Nemechek and Eric Phillips matched up with your expectations of them coming into the season? “It’s matched up really well. Did I expect them to do what they’ve been doing? Absolutely. This was kind of the idea and the reason why we did what we did. Did I think they would have this many Playoff points by this point? Probably not that, but did I think that they would have three wins? Certainly. Did I think they would beat me twice? No. So we’ve got one more, I told them don’t screw it up. I got to win Pocono and then he can have the rest of the year. It’s all his.”
Kyle Busch Camping World Truck Series Career Highlights:
Busch has a total of 159 Camping World Trucks starts and is ranked first all-time in wins (61) and average finish (6.7)
The 36-year-old driver has won 38.4% (61/159) of the NCWTS races he has entered and finished first or second in 56.6% (90/159).
Busch has a total of 106 top-five and 127 top-10 finishes.
Busch stands alone as the leader in all-time career wins in NASCAR’s national touring series with 219 total victories. He has earned 58 NASCAR Cup Series wins, 100 NASCAR Xfinity Series wins, and 61 NCWTS wins.
In August of 2010, Busch made history when he won the NCWTS, NXS and NCS races at Bristol Motor Speedway, becoming the only driver to sweep all three of NASCAR’s top three series at one track on the same weekend. He then repeated the feat in August of 2017.
Kyle Busch’s No. 51 Cessna Tundra:
KBM-054: The No. 51 Cessna team will race KBM-054 for Saturday’s CRC Brakleen 150 at Pocono Raceway. Busch has won both of his starts driving this Tundra, including its maiden voyage at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa. in July of 2018. Rowdy was victorious with it again in his most recent Camping World Trucks outing this year in May at Kansas Speedway.
KBM Notes of Interest:
Across 26 starts at Pocono Raceway, KBM drivers have earned five wins, two poles, 244 laps led, 12 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 8.1 and an average finish of 9.1.
Brandon Jones picked up his first career Truck Series victory in last year’s race. Busch won in 2015 and 2018, William Byron was victorious in 2016, and Christopher Bell brought home the hardware in 2017.
KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (87) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). With his victory at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Track, Martin 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).
With 37 victories, the No. 51 is the winningest number in KBM’s Truck Series fleet.
NASCAR CUP SERIES POCONO DOUBLEHEADER POCONO RACEWAY TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT JUNE 22, 2021
ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 42 CHIP GANASSI RACING CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Teleconference Transcript:
PER YOUR NASHVILLE POST-RACE COMMENTS, IS CONFIDENCE SOMETHING THAT IN GENERAL YOU STRUGGLE WITH? “Yeah, this is a performance-driven industry. And if you don’t perform, why are you here and how are you going to stay here? I think every race car driver does. If you have a bad finish, you don’t feel as good as if you finish up front. I don’t want it to be taken too much. I don’t feel like I have deeper issues by any means. I feel like I’m living a great life, great family, great livelihood, and getting to do what I truly love and have dreamed about my entire life, or definitely since I was 12 years old and raced a truck for the first time. But yes, after Las Vegas it was tough. I had a lot of calls. I stayed out West. That’s just how my schedule worked out and I wanted to spend a week out there between Vegas and Phoenix. I had a lot of phone calls and a lot of team calls talking through the set-up and talking through what I needed and how I could be better and how the car could be better. That was a tough week.”
HOW DIFFERENT IS IT TO COMPETE IN THE CUP SERIES? HOW DIFFERENT IS YOUR MINDSET BETWEEN KNOWING WHEN YOU CAN GET BETTER AND WHERE THE ORGANIZATION IS RIGHT NOW? “Oh, I think I would talk way too long if we truly got into that. It is tough to evaluate a lot of times, but we just try to be better. That’s the main thing. We haven’t changed our processes really since I got to CGR in 2018 and it obviously ramped up last Fall once we knew we were driving this car and have just stayed the course. I’m at the Chevy simulator right now. I just hopped off. It’s the same processes, even when we walk out of a place like this and feel like my brain is scrambled and we didn’t make any progress, we just come back the next week or the next day or whenever our next session is and do it again and try to be better.”
YOUR RESULTS HAVE BEEN MUCH BETTER OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS. HAS THERE BEEN A SINGLE AH-HA MOMENT WITH THE NO. 42 TEAM? “No, not in my opinion. All our pieces to win in the Cup Series are there. We just have to pick them up in the right order and put them at the right spot at the right time and have the right people doing it. We’ve just struggled a little bit to do that. It’s been building, even before the results were that great. We’re just steady on our progress and our processes of trying to be as best as we can be. It’s just been a building over time.”
WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE WORKING THROUGH THIS PROCESS WITH YOUR CREW CHIEF, PHIL SURGEN? “If you throw in there our first-time Cup Series spotter with Brandon McReynolds, and we’ve got three rookies on the No. 42 team. I know a lot of people question that and we’ve had a lot of truly open conversations before the season on what to expect. And we were short of our expectations to start the year, but we didn’t change. And the results are now getting there, and we’ve put together some good weeks. Although I’ve made a lot of mistakes, we’ve had mistakes made on the team in these races where we haven’t been up there the whole race like at least this last month together to finish the race, and that’s what it’s all about. Like at Nashville I felt like we were a top-5 car all day long. But every time they were giving out Stage points, I found myself in 24th place. It’s like what am I doing here? So, it was good to put together a good last half of the race and maximize, for sure. It’s hard to pass, so to drive up there was really good. But yeah, Phil and I have been honest with each other. We don’t cheer each other up. We’re not like a big pep rally or pep talk, neither one of us. We had a conversation after Nashville about, did I want more pep talk on the radio. I was like no, I want what you’re doing. You give me the information. You give me your thoughts. You give me your opinion and I form my own opinion, and we see where the facts shake out. We’re not big motivational speech guys on the radio. I’m all about motivating off-track, but on-track, like the it’s done now. It’s just having to do our jobs.”
YOU’VE HAD SUCCESS AT POCONO PREVIOUSLY IN THE XFINITY SERIES AND IN THE TRUCK SERIES. WHAT’S YOUR MINDSET HEADING INTO THIS WEEKEND IN A CUP CAR? “You’re right. We have had some incredible weekends. I truly led my first Truck Series laps there. So that was a big moment for me. To come back in 2019 and win the Truck race and then run second last year in the Xfinity Series, you’re right. We have had some good runs there. I think what’s going to help and what’s been a good feeling all this week is through our crazy NASCAR matrix for starting positions, we’re starting in the top-10. And we’ve kind of been on the wrong end of the wheel every week on starting positions. The math was always against us. I’m not good at math in general, but I knew we were always in the 20’s. So, to be in the top-10 firing off here is right next to my teammate, Kurt Busch, I think, or close, that’s going to be a big help. And then hopefully we’re in not as good of a starting position on Sunday, like 20th, is kind of my goal.”
WHAT DO YOU DO TO PREPARE FOR ROAD AMERICA, A TRACK YOU’VE NEVER RACED ON BEFORE? IS THERE ANY STRATEGY FROM COTA YOU CAN APPLY? “Some, especially what we learned there in the rain. But our road course stuff has been incredible this year. I’ve truly been blown away at the speed and the drivability, like I can hustle the cars on the road courses and make lap times and they hang on pretty good over the longer runs. It’s been good. But I actually do have some laps there in the Xfinity Series these last few years. Truly, before the year, I had Road America as probably my best road course just on the preparation side, I thought I could help prepare the best with our Chevy simulator and like what’s real. And I thought I’d have a couple of Cup races on the road courses, and I’ll have an idea of what it should feel like. And then I’ll know that track pretty well. And then we’ve come out of the gate really strong aside from the Daytona Road Course, where we were closer to a 15th place car. The other ones we’ve been closer to a top-7 or top-5 car. Yeah, a lot of things to take from the road courses so far.”
YOU DO HAVE FIVE XFINITY SERIES STARTS AT ROAD AMERICA, AND THAT MIGHT BE THE MOST OF THE FIELD. HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT TRACK? SOME SAY IT’S THE BEST PERMANENT ROAD COURSE IN THE WORLD. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON IT? “It is for a lot of the right reasons. The elevation changes are not crazy, but they’re subtle enough to be raceable but they’re not just like dropping off. The curving is, in my opinion, proper. I have spent some time with the Chip Ganassi Racing IMSA guys and INDYCAR guys throughout the off-season and talked with Alex Palou from time to time. I got to listen to Simon Pagenaud on the radio. Hearing a guy like Simon describe a car on a road course as a proper corner and a proper apex and proper curb strike, I’m like okay. It’s starting to make a little bit more sense about what it should be like. There’s enough forgiveness, like you get off in the grass, but there is a penalty for overstepping. So, I think that’s another good thing. It’s not just asphalt with green paint or blue stripes like it’s truly, you’re going to be off in the grass and there’s a concrete wall coming up so, it is a tough place but it’s a good challenging place.”
DOES FIVE STARTS THERE GIVE YOU AN ADVANTAGE? “I don’t think so. These Cup guys are so good. And these simulators are so good now. I only know our Chevrolet/GM one here at Pratt & Miller, but they’re good. When you get it right they feel real. So, I take a lot from them. It’s about just as good as taking a hauler and a race car up there and making laps in real life. Plus, it doesn’t hurt as bad when you wreck.”
DOES PRACTICE HELP YOU AND DID YOU HAVE ANY CONVERSATIONS WITH CHIP GANASSI AFTER THE NASHVILLE RACE? “No, we played phone tag a little bit with Chip. I agree on the practice side. But I think all race car drivers are better with practice, like you can work on your car. Now we were good from lap 1. I actually rode out and Daniel (Suarez) and I were like passing each other in practice. I don’t know why that was happening. Neither one of us really knew why we were together on track. But I knew from my get-up-to-speed lap, my car was going to be good. And then it was just about managing the build-up of rubber and the resin and the spray throughout the weekend. The track got to a lot better spot. I ran the Truck race. I had practice Friday morning, and from there until Sunday afternoon for the Cup race, the track was proper from a rubber standpoint by Sunday. It really wasn’t ready Friday. It needed more rubber in my opinion. From Truck, practice, to race and then Cup practice to race is big and it’s big for my confidence. You go out and you’re a top-10 in practice and you’re like okay. And then you mock up and you go a little bit faster but not quite and it’s like okay, I know what I can do different. I didn’t exactly execute it Sunday morning for qualifying on Sunday morning, but I at least knew what to expect going into the race.”
HOW MUCH DIFFERENT DO YOU THINK POCONO 2 THIS WEEKEND WILL BE COMPARED TO POCONO 1? HOW MUCH WILL IT DIFFER BECAUSE OF CHANGES MADE OVERNIGHT? “I think the track will continue to take rubber. We’ll have the Xfinity race Sunday morning before our Sunday race. We’ll have some rubber on the track from the Truck guys. So that’s good. But it is two different days. If we were coming back tomorrow, what would we change? We have one night of talk through and debrief and what would we change? And then we write all that down and we incorporate it into the set-up for the next season or whenever we come back to that track again. Now it truly is. You’re coming back in the Cup Series the very next day. Unfortunately, in my experience, sometimes there’s not as big of an increase in grip or speed that you would like. The guys that are good on Saturday are probably going to be good on Sunday, plus or minus a few spots. There might be those one or two guys that might be really bad on Saturday, and they fix an issue like a mechanical issue. Nobody is going to like fall off a cliff on Sunday without a true problem. It’s going to be pretty similar. You get your balance a little closer. Unfortunately, as much as I am a race car driver and I want to practice, I am not naive to the fact that our non-practice races have been pretty good. And I don’t know that practice necessarily helps the racing product. I don’t necessarily think you’re going to expect to see a better race on Sunday. The best race might be on Saturday when we don’t really know what to expect because we haven’t been on-track here in months.
“Pocono is a place with three totally different turns and different banking and entry speeds and exit speeds and different loads on the car. So yeah, you’re going to sacrifice something to try to make the best lap times. And then you’re like oh, if I can get a little more in that back corner in my worst corner, I’ll be better. And then you hurt the other two. And you’re like oh, darn it. You have enough adjustments built into the car and that’s where my engineers and crew chief and all my guys at Chip Ganassi Racing; we have an army of people for a reason, and they build the best race car they can build. Having that adjustability built in is key to have your box big enough to truly work in.” 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.
