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GMS Racing Camping World Trucks Texas Preview

Sheldon Creed, No. 2 LiftKits4Less.com Chevrolet Silverado
Texas Motor Speedway Camping World Trucks Stats

  • Starts: 5, Wins: 1, Best start: 1, Best finish: 1, Top 5: 1, Top 10s: 2, Laps led: 145

2021 Camping World Trucks Stats

  • Starts: 10, Wins: 1, Best start: 2, Best finish: 1, Top 5s: 4, Top 10s: 5, Laps led: 158

Notes:

  • Track record: Sheldon Creed won the most recent NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway in October 2020, which locked him into the Championship 4 in Phoenix where he went on to claim his first series championship.
  • Sponsor spotlight: LiftKits4Less.com returns as primary sponsor for Creed’s No. 2 Silverado this weekend in Texas.
  • Chassis history: Creed and the No. 2 team will utilize chassis no. 324 on Saturday in Texas. This is the same chassis Creed took to victory lane in Kentucky and Texas, collected seven top-10 finishes and led 288 laps with in 2020.
  • Playoff outlook: Creed is currently fourth in the champship standings, 106 points behind the leader. Creed is locked into the playoffs with his win at Darlington and is projected as the number three seed entering the Texas weekend.
  • Crew chief corner: Jeff Stankiewicz has called 14 Camping World Trucks races at Texas Motor Speedway and has collected one win, two top fives and four top 10s in those races.

Quote:

“I’m ready to get to Texas this weekend. It’s a good track for us and we won here last year. We’re bringing that same truck this weekend so that gives us a bit of confidence heading into the weekend. We’ll be starting back in the pack so I’ll have to be patient but I’m sure we’ll be able to work our way to the front and compete for win number two of the year.”

Zane Smith, No. 21 Michael Roberts Construction Chevrolet Silverado
Texas Motor Speedway Camping World Trucks Stats

  • Starts: 2, Best start: 6, Best finish: 3, Top 5s: 1, Laps led: 26

2021 Camping World Truck Stats

  • Starts: 10, Best start: 3, Best finish: 6, Top 10s: 6, Stage wins: 1, Laps led: 6

Notes:

  • Sponsor spotlight: Micheal Roberts Construction returns as primary sponsor of Zane Smith’s No. 21 Silverado for Saturday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway.
  • Chassis history: Smith and the No. 21 team will utilize chassis no. 336 this weekend in Texas. This chassis is a brand new addition to the GMS stable.
  • Playoff outlook: Smith is currently sixth in the championship standings, 143 points behind the leader and 81 points above the playoff cutoff line.
  • Crew chief corner: Kevin “Bono” Manion has called nine Camping World Trucks races at Texas Motor Speedway and has collected three top fives and four top 10s in that time.

Quote:

“I’m looking forward to Texas. We ran good there last year. We have a new truck which I’m excited about as well as having MRC back onboard for Saturday. Just hoping for some luck and to minimize mistakes. If we can keep good track position it should be a good day for us.”

Chase Purdy, No. 23 Bama Buggies Chevrolet Silverado
Texas Motor Speedway Camping World Trucks Stats

  • Starts: 1, Best finish: 12

2021 Camping World Trucks Stats

  • Starts: 10, Best start: 4, Best finish: 18, Laps led: 4

Notes:

  • Track history: Chase Purdy made his first career start at Texas Motor Speedway last October.
  • Chassis history: Purdy and the No. 23 team will compete with chassis No. 328 on Saturday in Texas. This chassis has two top-five finishes in four starts with GMS.
  • Championship Outlook: Purdy is currently 24th in the championship points standings.
  • Crew chief corner: Jeff Hensley has called 34 Camping World Trucks races at Texas Motor Speedway and has collected 1 win, 13 top-five and 24 top-10 finishes in that time. Quote:

“I’m excited about Texas this weekend. We had a pretty good run here last year and it’s definitely a confidence boost going to a track I’ve raced at before in the truck. I’m pumped for this weekend and ready to turn our luck around with this 23 team.”

Chase Elliott, No. 24 Adrenaline Shoc Chevrolet Silverado
Texas Motor Speedway Camping World Trucks Stats

  • No prior Camping World Trucks starts at Texas Motor Speedway.

Career Camping World Truck Stats

  • Starts: 15, Wins: 3, Top 5s: 10, Top 10s: 12, Poles: 3, Laps led: 367

Notes:

  • Track record: Although Chase Elliott has no prior Camping World Truck starts at Texas Motor Speedway, he has one win and five top-10 finishes in five NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the track. Elliott has collected two top-five and five top-10 finishes in 10 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway.
  • Sponsor Spotlight: Adrenaline Shoc energy drink will feature on Elliott’s No. 24 Silverado for Saturday’s SpeedyCash.com 200 at Texas Motor Speedway.
  • Chassis history: Elliott and the No. 24 team will compete with chassis no. 308 this weekend in Texas. This chassis has four top-10 finishes with GMS including two wins at Iowa in 2019 and Bristol in 2020.
  • Crew chief corner: Chad Walter has one top-10 finish in two Camping World Trucks races as crew chief and has collected three top fives and six top 10s in 13 races as a crew chief in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Texas Motor Speedway.

Quote:

“I’m really excited about running the truck race this weekend at Texas. I haven’t been the best at that track so anything I can do to get better and improve. It’s a good opportunity and I appreciate everyone at GMS Racing for letting me come and drive one of their trucks to try to help me out and get better. I’m looking forward to getting the A_SHOC Silverado out there.”

Tyler Ankrum, No. 26 LiUNA! Chevrolet Silverado
Texas Motor Speedway Camping World Trucks Stats

  • Starts: 4, Best start: 5, Best finish: 3, Top 5s: 1, Tpo 10s: 3, Laps led: 9

2021 Camping World Truck Stats

  • Starts: 10, Best start: 1, Best finish: 3, Top 5s: 2, Laps led: 12

Notes:

  • Sponsor spotlight: LiUNA! returns this week to feature on Tyler Ankrum’s No. 26 Silverado.
  • Chassis history: Ankrum and the No. 26 team will utilize chassis no. 305 this weekend in Texas. This chassis has nine top-10 finishes in it’s history with GMS and went to victory lane at Texas Motor Speedway with Justin Haley in 2018.
  • Playoff outlook: Ankrum enters the Texas weekend 14th in the championship standings, 60 points back from the playoff cutoff line.
  • Crew chief corner: Charles Denike has one top-10 finish in two Camping World Trucks races as crew chief at Texas Motor Speedway.

Quote:

“I’m excited to go back to Texas. We’ve run really well there in the past and it’s one of my favorite 1.5-mile tracks we go to. Last year we didn’t end so hot, but we had a really strong run in the first race there. I’m really happy with the next stretch of races we have coming up and I’m ready to go kick off the summer stretch with a win at Texas.”

ABOUT GMS RACING

GMS Racing competes full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with drivers Sheldon Creed, Zane Smith, Tyler Ankrum and Chase Purdy. The team also competes in the ARCA Menards Series with Jack Wood and Daniel Dye. Since the team began in 2014, GMS Racing won the 2016 and 2020 Camping World Trucks Championship, the 2015 ARCA Racing Series championship as well as the 2019 & 2020 ARCA East championship and 2020 Sioux Chief Showdown Championship. GMS has grown to occupy several buildings located in Statesville, N.C. The campus also includes operations for GMS Fabrication. More information can be found at https://gmsracing.net/.

SOCIAL MEDIA

To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and exclusive content, follow GMS Racing on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Ryan Newman – All-Star Advance

Team: No. 6 Wyndham Rewards Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Twitter: @Roush6Team, @RoushFenway and @RyanJNewman
Race Format: 150 miles, 100 laps, Six Rounds (15-15-15-15-30-10)
NASCAR All-Star Race – Sunday, June 13 at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Another Historic, New-Look All-Star Race on Deck

  • After holding the NASCAR All-Star Race in Charlotte for many years prior to 2020, the annual invitational event moves to its third track in as many seasons with the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway set to host the 2021 event.
  • Outside of the 1986 event in Atlanta, the race had been held in Charlotte every season. Due to implications from COVID-19 a season ago, NASCAR officials moved the event from Charlotte to Bristol. And this season it moves again, this time to TMS.
  • Also new to this season’s version of the ASR is a six-round, 100-lap bout that will see the winner collect $1 million, and an additional $100,000 will be presented to the fastest pit crew in a mandatory pit stop near the end of the race.
  • For the All-Star Race itself, the overall starting lineup will be set by random draw. The format and procedures are below:
    • Round 1: 15 laps. After this round, the field will be inverted starting anywhere from the eighth through 12th positions, to be selected by a random draw.
    • Round 2: 15 laps, with entire field inverted after this segment.
    • Round 3: 15 laps, again the field will be inverted starting anywhere from the eighth through 12th positions, to be selected by a random draw after this round.
    • Round 4: 15 laps.
    • Round 5: 30 laps. The lineup for this round will be determined by cumulative finish from the first four rounds, with the best cumulative finisher starting from the pole. All cars must enter pit road for a mandatory four-tire pit stop during this round. The crew with the fastest stop will pocket $100,000.
    • Round 6: 10 laps. Cars will line up according to their finishing position from the previous round for the final segment.

Newman Historically in the All-Star Race

  • Newman will make his 20th All-Star Race start on Sunday. He is eligible by way of his 2002 victory in The Winston, a race he won after also winning that event’s qualifying race just prior.
  • Outside of the victory in 2002, Newman has two additional top five finishes, including second in 2004 and fifth in 2006. He most recently finished 19th in last season’s non-points race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
  • Newman is one of 17 drivers locked into the All-Star Race, while the rest of the field will compete in the NASCAR Open qualifying race two hours prior.
  • The 2003 Driver of the Year started on the pole once back in 2004, and had two second-place starting positions in 2004 and 2012.
  • Overall at Texas, Newman has 35 starts with one win, three top fives and six top-10s for an average finish of 18.4. He has finished 11th, 15th, 13th and 19th in the last four events at TMS.

Scott Graves in the All-Star Race

· Graves will be atop the box for his third All-Star Race after finishing 13th and 19th each of the last two seasons with Newman.

QUOTE WORTHY
Newman on racing in the All-Star Race:
“I think the opportunity to move the All-Star Race around and do as they started to do and have it at Texas versus where it’s been in the last 20-plus years in Charlotte is a good thing. The format, it’s like a recipe. You can make cookies many different ways and in the end you still have a cookie. Not everybody is gonna like that cookie, but there’s a chance you’re gonna like it. I really don’t know that I have one, to stop talking about cookies and making myself hungry, I know that the way I won it eliminated the competition, but, in reality, that competition is eliminated anyway. You’re not gonna go from 20th to first in 10 laps. It just doesn’t happen, so it kind of is what it is and we deal with the ingredients that NASCAR provides for the All-Star Race going into it and you just do your best to try to make up for what you’re lacking, whether it’s track position, starting position, things like that and make a good day out of it.”

Last Time Out
Newman was on the wrong end of a last-turn incident Sunday at Sonoma and finished 33rd in the Guaranteed Rate Ford.

Where They Rank
Newman is 23rd in points through 16 events.

On the Car

Wyndham Rewards returns to Newman’s No. 6 machine for its second race of 2021.

About Wyndham Rewards
Recently named the number one hotel rewards program by readers of USA TODAY, Wyndham Rewards® is the world’s most generous rewards program with more than 50,000 hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals worldwide. Designed for the everyday traveler, members earn a guaranteed 1,000 points with every qualified stay and may redeem points for a wide range of rewards, including free nights at over 8,900 hotels or thousands of vacation club resorts and vacation rentals globally through affiliation with Wyndham Destinations and others. Wyndham Rewards has 86 million enrolled members around the globe. Join for free today at www.wyndhamrewards.com. You’ve earned this.®

2016 Challenger R/T Scat Pack | Customer Spotlight Video

AmericanMuscle Breaks Down a Big Body Muscle Car

PAOLI, Pa. (June 7th, 2021) – AmericanMuscle (AM) is back with another episode of their popular “Customer Builds” YouTube series. The new video gives viewers an exclusive look at a 2016 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack with McLeod RXT 1000HP Clutch. AM host, Adam Maqboul chats virtually with the owner, Bennett Sheppard to learn more about his existing and future upgrades. Muscle car enthusiasts can head to AM’s website for more photos, a complete mods list, and other inspiring customer builds.

“I love when people put like five or six really small, but super impactful mods on and that’s exactly what you did.”                                     – Adam Maqboul  

What looks like a regular Challenger is a real surprise once it starts up. The Corsa Xtreme Cat-Back Exhaust coupled with Kooks Long Tubes deliver maximum sound output. Early in the video, viewers are treated to a sound clip before finding out how Bennett settled on this combination. Bennett credits AM’s tech guide for helping to narrow down the options and finally, sealing the deal on the long tube headers. Adam and Bennet get into details on his pre-loaded tuner, performance results, and plans for future mods.

AM’s 2016 Challenger R/T build profile is ideal for customers who want to get a taste of all the possibilities out there when it comes to personalizing their own ride. Bennett’s upgrades show the impact a handful of well-chosen mods can make. More information about this specific build is found on AM’s customer spotlight page. This includes images and a full breakdown of Bennett’s mods list. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

About AmericanMuscle

Starting out in 2003, AmericanMuscle quickly rose to be one of the leading aftermarket Mustang parts providers in the business. With the addition of Challenger in 2018 and Charger in 2020, AmericanMuscle provides the most sought-after parts, accessories, and fast shipping. Located just outside of Philadelphia, AmericanMuscle is dedicated to supporting the Mustang, Challenger and Charger communities with the highest level of customer service. Please visit http://www.AmericanMuscle.com for more information.

Chris Buescher – All-Star Advance

Team: No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Luke Lambert
Twitter: @17RoushTeam, @RoushFenway and @Chris_Buescher
Race Format: 75 miles, 50 laps, Three Segments (20-20-10)
NASCAR All-Star Open – Sunday, June 13 at 6 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Another Historic, New-Look All-Star Race on Deck

  • After holding the NASCAR All-Star Race in Charlotte for many years prior to 2020, the annual invitational event moves to its third track in as many seasons with the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway set to host the 2021 event.
  • Outside of the 1986 event in Atlanta, the race had been held in Charlotte every season. Due to implications from COVID-19 a season ago, NASCAR officials moved the event from Charlotte to Bristol. And this season it moves again, this time to TMS.
  • Also new to this season’s version of the ASR is a six-round, 100-lap bout that will see the winner collect $1 million, and an additional $100,000 will be presented to the fastest pit crew in a mandatory pit stop near the end of the race.
  • Buescher will compete in the NASCAR Open qualifying race and attempt to race his way into the All-Star field. The Open will be run in three segments – 20 laps, 20 laps and a 10-lap shootout – with segment winners and the overall winner advancing into the main event. Fan balloting will determine the final driver in the field who is otherwise ineligible.
  • For the All-Star Race itself, the overall starting lineup will be set by random draw. The format and procedures are below:
    • Round 1: 15 laps. After this round, the field will be inverted starting anywhere from the eighth through 12th positions, to be selected by a random draw.
    • Round 2: 15 laps, with entire field inverted after this segment.
    • Round 3: 15 laps, again the field will be inverted starting anywhere from the eighth through 12th positions, to be selected by a random draw after this round.
    • Round 4: 15 laps.Round 5: 30 laps. The lineup for this round will be determined by cumulative finish from the first four rounds, with the best cumulative finisher starting from the pole. All cars must enter pit road for a mandatory four-tire pit stop during this round. The crew with the fastest stop will pocket $100,000.
    • Round 6: 10 laps. Cars will line up according to their finishing position from the previous round for the final segment.

Buescher Historically in the All-Star Race

  • Buescher has one start in the All-Star Race, which came in 2017. He was eligible for that race after winning in 2016 at Pocono, his lone win in the Cup Series to date.
  • Buescher finished 17th in the 2017 event. Otherwise, his best finish in the Open (qualifying race) is fourth, which came last season at Bristol. He also finished fifth in the Open in 2018.
  • Overall at Texas, Buescher makes his 12th Cup start. His best finish there is 15th, which came in 2018.

Luke Lambert in the All-Star Race

  • Lambert has called seven All-Star Races all-time, and will again try and race his way in Sunday evening with Buescher. His best ASR finish came in 2013 with Jeff Burton finishing third.

QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on racing in the All-Star format:
“This weekend we’ll have yet another new-look All-Star event, both in the track and the format. Last season we were very close in racing our way in at Bristol, and our goal come Sunday is to do just that. Obviously going back home again to Texas is cool for me, and it makes Sunday’s Open that much more special. Sunday is sure to be full of fireworks, and we hope to have our Fastenal Ford in the big show late Sunday night.”

Last Time Out
Buescher finished 16th at Sonoma after a hectic ending that saw the race go into NASCAR Overtime.

Where They Rank
With a halt in points racing this week, Buescher maintains his 14th spot in the point standings through 16 events.

On the Car
Fastenal is in its 11th season with Roush Fenway, having first joined the fold in 2010 as the primary partner on the No. 60 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team and driver Carl Edwards. That team went on to win the owners championship with Edwards in 2011. Fastenal later served as a primary on Buescher’s No. 60 Ford that captured the NXS Championship in 2015.

Fastenal will feature top suppliers Louisville, Eaton and National Safety (NSA) on Buescher’s Mustang as he competes this weekend. For more information on these suppliers, visit Fastenal.com, and stay up-do-date on social @FastenalRacing, @Fastenal.

About Fastenal
Fastenal helps its business partners strengthen their supply chains, remove unnecessary costs, and focus more resources on what they do best. The company’s distribution system centers on 3,200+ in-market locations, each providing tailored inventory, flexible service, and custom solutions to support the unique local needs of our customers. This customer-centric service network is supported by 15 regional distribution centers, a captive logistics fleet, multiple teams of industry specialists, a suite of e-business and automated supply technology solutions, and robust sourcing, quality, and manufacturing structures – all focused on helping customers reduce costs, capture time, and achieve their business goals.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Ryan Newman All-Star Race Media Availability Transcript

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Ford Zoom Media Availability | Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 6 Guaranteed Rate Ford Mustang for Roush Fenway Racing, will be making his 20th NASCAR All-Star Race appearance this weekend. The race, which is taking place for the first time at Texas Motor Speedway, will start with the All-Star Open at 6 p.m. ET with the main event following at 8 p.m. Newman was this week’s guest on the Ford Media Zoom call.

RYAN NEWMAN, No. 6 Guaranteed Rate Ford Mustang — DOES IT SEEM LIKE 20 YEARS OF ALL-STAR RACES FOR YOU? “Yeah, if you think about it. I got to start pretty early as a rookie and got fortunate that our first real Cup win was the All-Star Race, so to look back at it, I guess it’s paid dividends because I haven’t earned my way in other than that first All-Star Race on many occasions, but in the grand scheme of things that’s part of the way it works and just happy to be a part of it. It’s a pretty special race. I’m happy to see that they’re including the pit crew back into the mix this year, more so than the past few years.”

HOW DO YOU EXPECT THE 510 HORSEPOWER TO BE ANY DIFFERENT THAN 550? “I just learned about that over the weekend and I’m kind of curious. I don’t know what the exact number was on the initial All-Star package. We started off with the reduced horsepower package for the very first All-Star Race, but I don’t remember if it was 430 or 450.”

I WANT TO SAY 450. “And I think you’re right. I couldn’t remember the exact number. That sounds right. I guess my point is we’re taking a step towards that direction. We’re already wide-open all the way around the racetrack at Texas, so I think it’s gonna turn it into a mini-Daytona or a mini-Talladega, which has a sidebar I guess attached to it with the way we race those racetracks and the situations that we’re in. You can make one little mistake or you can be a part of somebody else’s mistake a lot easier it seems at those racetracks, so I really just don’t know. Three and four, I think, is gonna be no issue. My biggest question is gonna be more about how they prepare the racetrack and the race-ability we’re gonna have with multiple grooves. When you reduce horsepower it gets back to the point of usually the shortest distance is the best, especially when you’re wide-open, so the draft is gonna be pivotal, but again, if you can’t make up for that distance, then it doesn’t really matter.”

WHAT DO YOU KNOW MORE ABOUT — A, THE ALL-STAR RULES THIS WEEKEND OR B, WHAT YOU’RE DOING NEXT YEAR? “I guess neither at this point, but probably what I’m doing next year is a better answer because I don’t know. I got a cliff notes version and didn’t read it before I got on this call because I knew that you would know more than I did no matter what, so my point is there are too many things to try to remember and I guess the crew chiefs are gonna get some mental exercise as we go through each stage on Sunday.”

DOES THE ALL-STAR RACE STILL HAVE THE SAME SIGNIFICANCE IT HAD WHEN YOU WON IN 2002? “That’s a good question and I can look at that two different ways. In 2002, it paid $750,000 and now it pays $1 million, so that part is different. I think the criteria and how they do things are similar, but yet they’re still quite a bit different. When I won in 2002 there were teams that got eliminated as we went through stages and we barely made the cut on multiple occasions, got the invert and got to start up front and were able to be fast and lead and when we didn’t take tires and the 8 car did we were able to capitalize. I think all those things are gonna be similar, but it’s so much different, now especially being in Texas versus Charlotte and the car package, the aero package and how we race is so much different. So, yes, same luster, same significance, and I’m not a fan of really any other sport for that matter, but the All-Star games and the All-Star events in other sports, I think, are fairly equal to what we do. I guess my point is they are a pretty special event.”

YOU’VE WON THE DAYTONA 500 AND BRICKYARD. OTHER THAN WINNING THE SOUTHERN 500, COCA-COLA 600 AND THE CHAMPIONSHIP, WHAT ELSE DO YOU HAVE TO ACCOMPLISH IN CUP? “A great question and the reality is I’m way past the point of being more successful than a failure. After 700-plus starts and only 18 wins, there’s not enough life in me to try to get that back to a 50-50 number, but you’re right. I feel like I’ve been so close with the Coke 600 and so close with the Southern 500, a championship, a road course win — all those things that I’ve been second in, which is nothing to be ashamed of, but, at the same time, it’s not achieving the goals that I want and that’s really where I stand and where I sit. I don’t mean this in a bad way by any means and I think you know that knowing me, but I don’t want to have Mark Martin syndrome where you achieve a lot, but don’t always achieve the things that you say you wanted to achieve, but I think that’s the case for so many people. There are guys in our sport that have not gotten their first top 10 or top 5, and to have 18 wins and as many poles as I have is special, but it’s a humbling sport and you’re never probably as successful as you think you can be or should be.”

HOW MUCH IS NOT BEING ABLE TO QUALIFY NOW HURTING YOUR ABILITY TO PROGRESS IN THE POINTS AND STANDINGS WITH WHERE YOU HAVE TO START A LOT OF THESE RACES? “It’s whatever they call the law of diminishing returns and that’s the way the series kind of is right now. I don’t mean it in a bad way, but the fact is if you don’t run well on one week, you start at a deficit the next week and without practice and qualifying you don’t have much of a chance to work on your race car to make it better. There are only so many things that we can do adjustment-wise to try to make gains for a 300-500 mile race, so it’s got way more challenges than we’ve ever had, but those challenges are the biggest issue when you start at that deficit and it carries over. I’ll just give you an example. We’ve struggled in the pits for a few weeks. This past weekend we didn’t struggle in the pits, but we struggled on the racetrack. It takes everything, so to keep moving up and try to gain some positions and gain starting spots and gain points and get stage points and things like that, if you don’t start on the front side of it, I guess you could say, you’re gonna be at that disadvantage for a long time throughout the year and then as it resets for the last 10 races it becomes a different type animal if you’re in that group of 16 or if you’re not.”

ARE THERE ANY CHANGES YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN THE ALL-STAR EVENT AND WHAT FORMAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE? “I don’t know that it necessarily matters what I think. I don’t mean that in a bad way, but I think the opportunity to move the All-Star Race around and do as they started to do and have it at Texas versus where it’s been in the last 20-plus years in Charlotte is a good thing. The format, it’s like a recipe. You can make cookies many different ways and in the end you still have a cookie. Not everybody is gonna like that cookie, but there’s a chance you’re gonna like it. I really don’t know that I have one, to stop talking about cookies and making myself hungry, I know that the way I won it eliminated the competition, but, in reality, that competition is eliminated anyway. You’re not gonna go from 20th to first in 10 laps. It just doesn’t happen, so it kind of is what it is and we deal with the ingredients that NASCAR provides for the All-Star Race going into it and you just do your best to try to make up for what you’re lacking, whether it’s track position, starting position, things like that and make a good day out of it.”

HOW CAN NASCAR RECAPTURE THE ALLURE IT HAD AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY? “I don’t know that that’s possible. I think society has changed so much. People have changed so much that you can compare it and it’s fair to compare it, but in the end I don’t think that you can target that as a goal. It’s just because things have changed. It’s just not the same and I don’t know that you’d want it to be the same, but it’s definitely no doubt different — different in good ways and different in bad ways and that’s just the way life is. That’s my experience in doing this 20-plus years.”

DOES RACING PART-TIME OR ANY LOVE OF RACING TO BE A PART OF IT BECOME AN OPTION? IF IT DOES COME TO THAT WOULD THAT FULFILL THAT IN YOU OR ARE YOU ALL-IN, OR DO YOU NOT KNOW? I KNOW HOW MUCH YOU WANT THAT CHAMPIONSHIP. “That’s always been my ultimate goal from the time I was in elementary school. That’s on my radar still and will always be on my radar, whether I achieve it or not because that’s just the nature of the beast when it comes to the competitiveness of what we do, so I don’t know. I don’t know what all the steps will be, but, ultimately, that’s where my mind and heart will always want to be.”

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TROPHY IN TERMS OF UNIQUENESS? “I think that the no-brainer for me for the most special trophy I’ve ever earned and been a recipient of was the Daytona 500 in 2008, the 50th running. I have the one and only — when I say the one and only there’s a replica made for the team owner and what-not — but the original, the one and only given in victory lane gold Harley J. Earl Trophy and that commemorates the 50th running of the 500. So that will always be, I don’t know that there’s anything that could be more special than that. I mean, even a Cup championship trophy. I wouldn’t think that has the significance of 50 years of the sport and the people that I’ve followed as a driver and as a fan before I was ever my own race car driver in NASCAR, so that. The Brickyard 400 was really special just because I’m from Indiana and the yard of bricks and the brick that comes on the trophy, and then I always keep my second-place finish in the 2014 championship. That was just a significant race because it was one race. We were so close. We got beat, but we gave it 100 percent and we got 100 percent, we just didn’t have enough.”

WILL YOU BE ABLE TO LEARN ANYTHING THIS WEEKEND WITH THE 510 PACKAGE THAT WILL APPLY IN THE PLAYOFF RACE? “I don’t think it will be a whole lot different because we’re so close to terminal velocity. A lot of it depends on the weather and on track position. When I say terminal velocity you’re wide-open all the way around the racetrack and it’s just a matter of how little bit of drag you have in your car and what your package is, so I don’t know how different it’s gonna be, but I know it will be different because the All-Star Race is hero or zero, drive it like you stole it, and there will be some drivers that are like that in the fall race in Texas because of the playoff situation, but, overall, it’s gonna be much more mild in the fall race than it will be at the All-Star Race, in my opinion.”

HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILI BOWL EXPERIENCE TEST YOU AS A DRIVER? “I wouldn’t say it tested my driving skills, I had to knock off some rust that I had from over the years. I never drove a midget like that and we talked about it at the Chili Bowl. I never drove a midget like that with that much power to weight ratio and lifting the front tires off the ground. When I drove midgets back in ‘93 and ‘94 and ‘95, when I raced mostly on dirt then, or ran dirt as well as pavement is what I’m trying to say, and, for me, it was kind of just an opportunity. I’m very thankful for Driven to Save Lives and Clauson Marshall Racing for giving me that opportunity to got there and do that. This past year I wasn’t as successful as I was the year before, but I had my kids there and they got the chance to see it and be a part of me racing in the Chili Bowl, which is a different kind of special, but it’s just racing. You’ve always heard me say this too, I admire guys that can drive anything anywhere at anytime like the A.J. Foyts and the Tony Stewarts and now the Kyle Larsons of the world. That’s just the way I look at it. It’s just a part of what my makeup is and I’ve always looked at myself as a racer, not a stock car racer, or a midget racer, or go-kart racer, or a quarter-midget race, just a racer, and if I’ve got an opportunity to jump in something that’s good, I’ll strap the helmet on and do it.”

WILL WE SEE YOU WITH TIM CLAUSON IN TULSA NEXT JANUARY? “I don’t know about next January. I’m hoping to be able to do the BC39 race, which I think they’ve announced, at Indy. I want to be able to do it some more, but it’s got to be the right time and the right place because I’ve always said, and you’ve heard this before, that I won’t take away from what we do in the Cup garage. That’s been a challenge in more ways than one with the lack of practice and all the things that we have to do now with the simulators and whatever else, so I want to be the best person, the best driver I can be.”

CORVETTE RACING AT DETROIT: Home, Sweet Home

Corvette Racing; Rolex 24 at Daytona in Daytona Beach, Florida; January 30-31, 2021; Corvette C8.R #3 driven by Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor, and Nicky Catsburg; Corvette C8.R #4 driven by Tommy Milner, Nick Tandy, and Alexander Sims (Richard Prince/Chevrolet Photo).

· First race for program on Belle Isle since 2008
· Two mid-engine Corvette C8.Rs to compete in front of home crowd
· Corvette brand with victories in GT, Prototypes at Detroit over the years

DETROIT (June 8, 2021) – For the first time in more than a decade, Corvette Racing will compete in its hometown when the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship returns to Detroit and the Belle Isle street circuit this weekend for the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic.

Both of the team’s mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.Rs will compete in the 100-minute race that airs live at 5 p.m. ET Saturday on NBCSN as part of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix weekend. While the GT Le Mans (GTLM) contest in a non-points event, that doesn’t lessen the importance of having Corvette Racing back on Belle Isle.

For one, Belle Isle will provide an opportunity for the hundreds of Chevrolet production team members – both within the Corvette team and others outside the main program, all of whom contributed in some way to the C8.R and the road-going Corvette Stingray – to see Corvette Racing in-person for the only time in 2021. The reveal of the C8.R nearly 18 months ago was culmination of almost six years of work between all facets of engineers and designers from the Corvette production side and Corvette Racing.

What resulted was a racecar that won six times during its 2020 debut season and swept the full-season IMSA GTLM championships for Manufacturers, Drivers and Teams. The Corvette C8.R also won the Rolex 24 At Daytona to start the 2021 season.

Second, it’s Corvette Racing’s first IMSA event since the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March. Competing on Belle Isle will serve as a tune-up for a busy summer schedule that includes four races in a six-week span, plus the 24 Hours of Le Mans in mid-August. It also will be the first time the full-season driver pairings compete together – defending GTLM champions Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R with Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette.

Corvette Racing competed at Belle Isle in 2007 and 2008 with the sixth-generation racing Corvette, which took American Le Mans Series class victories each year. The event date shifted from September to June in 2012, which was in conflict with the 24 Hours of Le Mans – one of the premier events on Corvette Racing’s calendar.

Two of the four Corvette Racing drivers – Milner and Taylor – have previous experience on Belle Isle. Milner twice raced GT2 cars in the American Le Mans Series, and Taylor is a five-time winner in prototypes at Belle Isle, including three in a Corvette Daytona Prototype.

Chevrolet on Display at Belle Isle
In addition to happenings on the racetrack on Belle Isle, fans will have no shortage of things to see and do from Chevrolet. That’s because the Chevrolet Motorsports Display will be full of Chevrolet vehicles that spectators can learn more about throughout the weekend.

The Chevrolet Motorsports Display opens at 7:30 a.m. from Friday through Sunday in the fan midway. Numerous Chevrolet vehicles and other highlights include:

• A Corvette Racing C8.R showcar and the No. 16 Paretta Autsport IndyCar
• Additional Chevrolet products such as the Camaro ZL1, Silverado and Blazer Redline Edition
• An opportunity to receive a 2021 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix special edition T-shirt

The Chevrolet Sports Car Classic is scheduled for 5:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 12. The race will air live on NBCSN and stream on TrackPass via NBC Sports Gold and the NBC Sports App. IMSA Radio will air full qualifying and race coverage at IMSA.com along with Sirius 219, XM 202 and SiriusXM Online 992.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Even though this isn’t a points race, I’m glad we are back at Belle Isle. It’s the first time for me racing in Detroit. Knowing we are racing with one of the most iconic cars around there is pretty cool. Combining that with fans being back in the grandstands and in the paddock is even better. I’m looking forward to getting back on the racetrack and back to racing after a long period since Sebring. I had a chance to race at Spa, but it still feels like a long time since I’ve raced in the States. It’ll be nice to get back to doing what we are used to doing – being around the fans and seeing them. That’s one of the biggest things.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “At any racetrack where you’ve had success, you’re excited to go back and enjoy being there. For me, I’ve been with GM for so many years. I won there in 2012 in a Camaro, three times in Corvette Daytona Prototype, and then 2017 in a Cadillac. To be there always in a GM vehicle with the Renaissance Center nearby and all the big bosses coming to the race, it always adds a lot of pressure but always means so much more when the race goes well. You can see those guys in person, and they are so passionate for these programs that it’s awesome to see their excitement. To go back there with the Corvette C8.R after such a strong opening year in 2020 and a strong start in 2021, it’s going to be cool to show them in person what these cars are able to do.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I’m excited to get back in the C8.R again. It’s been a bit of break since Sebring. There has been some testing but there’s nothing like a race weekend. The Detroit event will be a little different for us since it’s a non-points event. We will treat it as a race event but it will be a good warmup with quite a few races coming up. There won’t be much time to take a breath before the end of the season. We’ve missed the atmosphere of having the fans there. For me at least I still feel that’s a missing element. Fundamentally that’s why we go racing – to showcase these amazing Corvette race cars and allow the people to get up close and see how cool they are five feet away. For the fans who have been around sports cars so long to get back the access is pretty special. For us, that’s something that is fun to see.”

NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I’ve been to Detroit to visit the Corvette Racing shop. But due to things associated around COVID, I haven’t yet been able to integrate fully into the Chevrolet and Corvette programs. So this is something that I’m looking forward to – meeting some of the team members who have designed and worked on this car and seeing the people of Detroit who want to come and see us. We’re all looking forward to having the paddock open again to show off these cool machines and interact with people. On top of that, it’s my first time at Belle Isle. From a competition standpoint, I’m looking forward to getting onto a brand new circuit. It’s not often that we go to a new track so it’s something that is exciting for me personally.”

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.

O’NEIL ELECTRIC PARTNERS WITH LARRY JACKSON

(Left to right) O’Neil Electric executives Stephen Kleynhans President, Michael O’Neil CEO with driver Larry Jackson. Photo Credit: Joel Robinson

(June 8, 2021) Ten-year NASCAR Pinty’s Series veteran racer Larry Jackson is elevating his racing program to the next level in 2021. This season the Oakville, ON driver will partner with O’Neil Electric becoming the primary sponsor on his #84 Dodge as he competes in the full NASCAR Pinty’s Series campaign.

O’Neil Electric Supply is a Canadian Owned, Independent Wholesale Supplier of Premium Electrical Products serving clients throughout Ontario from its two Toronto locations for more than 50 Years.

Coming up through the ranks of Ontario’s short track racing community and having made 68 Pinty’s Series starts, Jackson has held the role of driver, mechanic even crew chief. When he’s not at the track or in his race shop Jackson is a Fire Captain with the Mississauga Fire Department. He is a passionate and dedicated first responder who’s committed his work life to helping others. Jackson takes that approach in his motorsports dealings too.

With this new partnership with O’Neil Electric the Mississauga firefighter sees this as a prime opportunity for both parties. “I’m really proud to be carrying the O’Neil Electric colours,” said Jackson. “Mr. O’Neil, the staff and customers are true NASCAR fans, and this is year one of what we all expect to be a long relationship” he added.

“O’Neil Electric Supply is excited about our new partnership with Larry Jackson and his #84 Dodge Team. We feel that NASCAR offers an excellent fit for our brand, and we can’t wait until the season gets to the starting line” stated O’Neil Electric CEO Michael O’Neil.

Though the start of the 2021 racing season has been delayed due to government-imposed restrictions, Jackson and the #84 O’Neil Electric Dodge team are busy preparing to hit the track.

“We acquired some new equipment and everyone in the shop has been working hard to make the cars fast. We have some testing sessions booked, we can’t wait to get out and see what we’ve got and work on getting the #84 O’Neil Electric Dodge to Victory Lane” he stated.

A revised 2021 Pinty’s Series schedule is expected very soon, one that will see the series race in August & September at tracks in Ontario and Quebec. The 2021 NASCAR Pinty’s Series will be broadcast on TSN and RDS in Canada and will once again air in the US on MAVTV. The NASCAR Pinty’s Series is the most watched homegrown series in Canada

Learn more about O’Neil Electric Supply http://www.oneilelectric.com/about-us-2-about-us

Race fans can get the latest information about Larry Jackson and the #84 O’Neil Electric team on these social channels

Twitter: @larryjacksonvrm
Instagram: @larryjackson84

Record Rack’s ‘Bucks for the Brave’ is Back with Spencer Boyd

Mooresville, NC (June 8, 2021) – In their fourth season of partnership with NASCAR driver Spencer Boyd, Record Rack® premium wildlife feed (brand owned by Cargill, Inc.), is again asking for nominations of heroes to attend their annual Bucks for the Brave charitable event. This contest allows you to nominate Veterans (no longer serving) and retired First Responders (Law Enforcement, Firefighters) to win the hunting experience of a lifetime.

Spencer Boyd commented on the event, “There was such a great response from NASCAR fans the last time we had Bucks for the Brave on the truck. We want to continue to grow awareness of what Record Rack is doing for these service members by rolling it out during the NASCAR Salutes timeframe. I’ll be driving a super-patriotic red, white, and blue paint scheme with the Bucks for the Brave Challenge Coin on the hood at Texas Motor Speedway to drive the message home. I’m just humbled to do my part for this great event.”

Bucks for the Brave is an all-expense paid trip that will take place later this year. The event will be hosted at Trinity Oaks’ Thumbtack Ranch in Batesville, TX, which is the only nationally recognized Purple Heart Ranch in the United States. One winner from each of our seven categories will be chosen: Air Force Veteran, Army Veteran, Coast Guard Veteran, Marine Corps Veteran, Navy Veteran, Retired Firefighter, and Retired Law Enforcement. To receive notification of when the nomination process opens visit https://www.spencerboyd.net/bucks-for-the-brave.

“We want to honor these heroes by sharing their stories, and provide them the chance for this once in a lifetime experience,” said Wildlife Marketing Lead, Jodi Cornelison. “Spending time in the outdoors is a way for many to unwind and recharge from daily life. Bringing these heroes together that have formerly served, gives them back some of the comradery they have been missing. We at Sportman’s Choice® & Record Rack want to recognize these men and women for their service and sacrifices and provide a product that helps them further enjoy wildlife in the outdoors.”

Record Rack’s Bucks for the Brave No. 20 Chevrolet Silverado will head to Young’s Motorsports home state of Texas on Saturday, June 12 for NASCAR’s All-Star Weekend. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 220 at Texas Motor Speedway can be seen live on FS1 or heard on the Motor Racing Network or Sirius XM Radio Channel 90 beginning at 1:00pm ET.

About Cargill:
Cargill’s 160,000 employees across 70 countries work relentlessly to achieve our purpose of nourishing the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way. Every day, we connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients, and people and animals with the food they need to thrive.
We combine 155 years of experience with new technologies and insights to serve as a trusted partner for food, agriculture, financial and industrial customers in more than 125 countries. Side-by-side, we are building a stronger, sustainable future for agriculture.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Texas All-Star Advance

FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: ALL-STAR RACE NOTES

The annual NASCAR All-Star race headlines this weekend’s activity as Texas Motor Speedway hosts the event for the first time. In addition, the NASCAR XFINITY and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be featured at the 1.5-mile facility in a Saturday doubleheader.

This Week’s Schedule:
Saturday, June 12 – NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, 1 p.m. ET (FS1)
Saturday, June 12 – NASCAR XFINITY Series, 4 p.m. ET (FS1)
Sunday, June 13 – NASCAR Cup Series, All-Star Open, 6 p.m. ET (FS1)
Sunday, June 13 – NASCAR Cup Series, All-Star Race, 8 p.m. ET (FS1)

FORD IN THE NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE

  • Ford has won the All-Star Race 12 times.
  • NASCAR Hall of Famer Davey Allison is the only Ford driver to win it twice.
  • Ryan Newman, Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick have All-Star wins with Ford.

FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT TEXAS

  • Ford is tied for the most series wins at Texas with 14.
  • Mark Martin has the most series wins with Ford at Texas (3).
  • Austin Cindric is the defending winner of this weekend’s race.

FORD IN THE NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES AT TEXAS

  • Ford won the first two series races at Texas with Kenny Irwin Jr. and Tony Raines.
  • Greg Biffle won at Texas in his championship season of 2000.

FORD’S ALL-STAR LINEUP

There are seven Ford drivers guaranteed a place in the All-Star field with additional spots available through the preliminary Open qualifying race and fan vote. Currently, all three drivers from Team Penske, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney, are in the race while Stewart-Haas will be represented by Kevin Harvick and Cole Custer, and Roush Fenway Racing by Ryan Newman, who won the All-Star Race in 2002 with Ford. Michael McDowell of Front Row Motorsports rounds out the Ford roster of drivers after winning this year’s Daytona 500.

ELLIOTT WINS ALL-STAR RACE IN FRONT OF HOMETOWN FANS

The first time Ford won the All-Star Race was in 1986 when Bill Elliott drove his Thunderbird to Victory Lane, but that race is remembered for another trivial fact as well. That marked the only time, prior to this year, that the event has been run at a track other than Charlotte Motor Speedway. Elliott’s home track of Atlanta Motor Speedway served as host on Mother’s Day that year, a date NASCAR traditionally does not race. With only 10 cars making up the field, Elliott darted to the lead from his outside front row starting position and never gave it up as he led all 83 laps en route to a popular victory with the fans.

WALTRIP-WOOD FIRST-TIME WINNERS

Michael Waltrip’s win in 1996 marked his first victory in NASCAR’s top division and was the first in the event for Wood Brothers Racing. Waltrip almost didn’t get into the big show because he had to battle it out in the preliminary Winston Open, where he grabbed the final transfer spot by holding off Johnny Benson to finish fifth. That meant he started last in the 20-car main event, which was called the Winston Select. After the first two 30-lap segments had been completed, Waltrip found himself fourth for the final 10-lap shootout. He passed Rusty Wallace for third after an aborted restart, and then was riding behind Dale Earnhardt and Terry Labonte, who were battling side-by-side. As the two entered turn one with eight laps to go, they made contact which slowed them down enough to allow Waltrip to dart to the inside and pass both of them for the lead. He held on the rest of the way to post his first win of any kind in NASCAR’s top division.

ONE HOT NIGHT

Davey Allison had won the 1991 version of the All-Star Race, but when he and the other competitors came back the following year it was a totally different experience. Why? The 1992 Winston at Charlotte Motor Speedway was the first NASCAR superspeedway race run under the lights. Billed as “One Hot Night” it lived up to that billing as the final 10-lap shootout featured a battle between Dale Earnhardt and Kyle Petty, who were racing for the win on the final lap. Earnhardt was in the lead coming down the backstretch, but as they entered turn three Petty appeared to tap the familiar No. 3, which sent Earnhardt sliding toward the outside wall. That enabled Allison to get to Petty’s rear bumper coming off turn four and then go to the inside as they entered the tri-oval. As the two hit the finish line, Petty and Allison made contact sending the No. 28 Texaco Havoline Ford into the outside wall. Allison ended up winning by half-a-car-length, but didn’t get to experience Victory Lane as he had to be cut out of the car and removed through the roof before being placed on a stretch and airlifted to an area hospital with a concussion and bruised lung.

EDWARDS WINS IN 2011

Carl Edwards took home the $1 million prize for winning the main event in 2011, capturing three of the four segments, while Roush Fenway teammate David Ragan won the preliminary Sprint Showdown. The race came down to a mandatory four-tire pit stop to begin the fourth and final 10-lap dash to the checkered flag. The 99 crew got Edwards out first and he was never threatened over the last 15 miles as he beat Kyle Busch to the finish line. It marked the third time in history Ford swept the Showdown and All-Star Race. The other two occasions came in 1996 with Jimmy Spencer (Showdown) and Michael Waltrip (All-Star), and 1998 with Jeremy Mayfield (Showdown) and Mark Martin (All-Star). The win was the fourth for car owner Jack Roush, who also won with Matt Kenseth (2004) and Mark Martin (1998 and 2005).

LOGANO AND KESELOWSKI FINISH 1-2

Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski made All-Star history as they became the first teammates to sweep the top two spots in the All-Star Race when they did it in 2016. Logano came out on top of a side-by-side battle with Kyle Larson in the final two laps, getting clear with just over one lap to go after Larson hit the outside wall coming off turn two. That enabled Keselowski to get the runner-up spot and successfully commemorate the 50th Anniversary of car owner Roger Penske’s career in motorsports. It marked Ford’s 11th All-Star Race win and first in five years since Edwards won in 2011.

HARVICK DOMINATES

Kevin Harvick used a push from Ford teammate Joey Logano down the stretch to win the 2018 All-Star Race, a race that featured a new aerodynamic package that utilized restrictor plates for the first time on a 1.5-mile track. In addition, a larger spoiler designed to keep the cars packed together and create passing through the night was used and resulted in 38 lead changes. Harvick was the dominant driver as he won Stage 1 and Stage 3 before leading all 10 laps of the final segment. Daniel Suarez finished second with Logano third.

FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES ALL-STAR RACE WINNERS
1986 – Bill Elliott
1991 – Davey Allison
1992 – Davey Allison
1994 – Geoffrey Bodine
1996 – Michael Waltrip
1998 – Mark Martin
2002 – Ryan Newman
2004 – Matt Kenseth
2005 – Mark Martin
2011 – Carl Edwards
2016 – Joey Logano
2018 – Kevin Harvick

FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES RACE WINNERS AT TEXAS
1997 – Mark Martin
1999 – Mark Martin
2000 – Mark Martin
2004 – Matt Kenseth
2007 – Matt Kenseth (1)
2010 – Carl Edwards (2)
2011 – Carl Edwards (1) and Trevor Bayne (2)
2012 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (1)
2013 – Brad Keselowski (2)
2015 – Brad Keselowski (2)
2018 – Ryan Blaney (1) and Cole Custer (2)
2020 – Austin Cindric (1)

FORD NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES RACE WINNERS AT TEXAS
1997 – Kenny Irwin
1998 – Tony Raines
2000 – Greg Biffle (1)

No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 Team to Take on the Motor City This Weekend

Brownsburg, Ind. (June 8, 2021) – The current 2021 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship leaders will compete at Raceway at Belle Isle Park in Detroit, Michigan this weekend for the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic. After a thrilling victory at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course last month that saw the team extend their championship, Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque will pilot the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-05 for a one-hour and 40-minute sprint race.

The No. 10 Konica Minolta team has four wins in their eight years of competing at the 2.35-mile, 14-turn street circuit with their most recent victory in 2017 with Ricky Taylor behind the wheel. Taylor’s success at the track includes three wins and five top-five finishes.

“This will be my third year at Detroit with the Acura ARX-05 but the first with WTR running one,” said Ricky Taylor. “Between the relatively smooth first and second sectors and the very bumpy and unforgiving third sector it can be very difficult to nail the car setup at this racetrack. However, the team has done a lot of homework since Mid-Ohio to make sure we are as prepared as possible. WTR has a great history of racing in Detroit, but for the first time it’s not going to feel like being on home turf. It’s the home of the Cadillacs here and we get to play as the away team a bit, which makes it fun as well.”

This will be Filipe Albuquerque’s third attempt at the Detroit Grand Prix. He has not won at the historically difficult track but enjoys the challenge that the streets of Belle Isle create while racing.

“We have been preparing for the Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Isle,” commented Filipe Albuquerque. “It’s one of the most challenging tracks that I have ever driven in my life, and I really enjoy racing there. This year the championship is very close between anyone, so I think it’s possible for anyone to win the race. Although I don’t think Detroit is the best suited track for our car, but we will do our best. Strategy is a big role, and anything can happen.”

“I always love coming to Detroit, the big Motor City,” mentioned Wayne Taylor. “We’ve had a lot of success there. This is the first time we’re going there as an Acura, so we are a little in the dark. But we feel that we’re getting to know the car well and every race we’re making it faster. The one thing about Detroit is that it’s all about track position, so it’s ideal to start it on pole. The other advantage we have is that we have the last pit since we’re leading the championship. It’s still a very tough and demanding track where a slight mistake can take you out of the race. We’ve really honed it in on the drivers that this is one of those races where you must finish. We’re looking forward to it and hoping we can add another Detroit win.”

Practice for the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic begins Friday, June 11th at 8:00 a.m. ET with qualifying following at 3:30 p.m. ET. Green flag for the second sprint race of the season will wave at 5:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 12th, with live broadcast coverage beginning at 5:00 p.m. ET on NBC.

About Konica Minolta
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is reshaping and revolutionizing the Workplace of the Future. The company guides and supports its customers’ digital transformation through its expansive office technology portfolio, including IT Services (All Covered), content services, managed print services and industrial and commercial print solutions. Konica Minolta has been included on CRN’s MSP 500 list nine times and The World Technology Awards recently named the company a finalist in the IT Software category. Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for fourteen consecutive years, and received Keypoint Intelligence’s BLI 2021 A3 Line of The Year Award and BLI 2021-2023 Most Color Consistent A3 Brand Award for its bizhub i-Series. Konica Minolta, Inc. has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for nine consecutive years and has spent four years on the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World list. Konica Minolta partners with its clients to give shape to ideas and works to bring value to our society. For more information, please visit us online and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter. Wayne Taylor Racing’s existing lineup of partners that also features Harrison Contracting, Acura Motorsports , Hammer Nutrition and CIT.