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Ryan Newman – Darlington Advance

Team: No. 6 Kohler Generators Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Twitter: @Roush6Team, @RoushFenway and @RyanJNewman
Goodyear 400 – Sunday, May 9 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Newman at Darlington Raceway

  • Newman makes his 25th Cup start at Darlington on Sunday, with his 12.8 average finish the best in his career among all NASCAR tracks.
  • In 24 prior starts Newman has 13 top-10s, seven of which were inside the top five. He’s led 339 laps at ‘The Lady in Black’ with a best finish of second in his first-ever Southern 500 back in 2002.
  • Most recently at the 1.366-mile track, Newman finished 15th-14th-15th in three events last season, in which NASCAR returned to racing at the South Carolina track following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Newman also made five starts in the Xfinity Series at Darlington, earning the pole in each of his first two events in 2001. He went on to finish fourth in the 2001 fall race and has an average 13.6 finish at the famed track.

Scott Graves at Darlington Raceway

  • Graves will be atop the box for his eighth Cup event at Darlington. In seven prior races his best finish came just last season with Newman, where they ran 14th.
  • In NXS action, Graves led Daniel Suarez to a third-place run in 2016, a year after he and Chris Buescher paired up for a fifth-place result.

QUOTE WORTHY
Newman on racing at Darlington:
“I’m always excited to go back to Darlington, which stands as my favorite track and one that fits my favorite style of racing. We put together three decent finishes there in three tries a season ago, so I think we’re on the right track in figuring out the right setup for 400 miles. Seeing all the different throwbacks for this race is always something different to experience, and we’re proud to carry a unique throwback of our own with Kohler going back to its early roots in racing with a scheme from the 70s.”

Last Time Out
Newman overcame an early penalty Sunday at Kansas and fought back in the closing laps for a 16th-place finish in the Hy-Vee Ford.

Where They Rank
Newman is 20th in points entering the 12th race of the season at Darlington.

On the Car

Kohler Generators is back on board Newman’s ride this weekend at Darlington, and will sport a unique look as the company celebrates #NASCARThrowback weekend with a throwback to themselves.

  • Newman’s No. 6 Ford will match that of a 1976 scheme that Kohler sponsored in the SCCA, competing in D Sports Racing across America.
  • Kohler sponsored Jeff Miller at Wynnfurst Racing, and they won six SCCA National Championships in the D Sports Racer and C Sports Racer classes (starting in 1976) as well as 13 June Sprints victories.
  • The Wynnfurst/Kohler Special was powered by an experimental 850-cc liquid-cooled two-cycle KOHLER engine.

About KOHLER Generators
KOHLER Generators is a leading manufacturer of automatic standby generators, which connect to the electrical system of a home or a business and quickly restore power following an outage to provide security and peace of mind for everyday life. KOHLER whole home generators are permanently installed outside a home, similar to a central air conditioning (AC) unit. The generator operates on natural gas or liquid propane (LP) and is wired into a home’s electrical system. When power is lost from unexpected events such as severe weather storms, the standby generator automatically kicks in – generally within seconds – and can power hard-wired systems and appliances including air conditioning, heat, medical equipment, Internet and Wi-Fi, security systems and lighting. KOHLER Generators is part of privately held Kohler Co., headquartered in Kohler, Wisconsin. The company provides complete power systems including portable, residential, industrial, and marine generators; automatic transfer switches; switchgear; monitoring controls; and accessories for emergency, prime power and energy-management applications. Kohler Power Systems has delivered energy solutions for markets worldwide since 1920. Visit KOHLERGenerators.com, facebook.com/KOHLERPower, or Twitter at @KOHLERPower. or more information.

About Kohler Co.
Founded in 1873 and headquartered in Kohler, Wisconsin, Kohler Co. is one of America’s oldest and largest privately held companies comprised of nearly 35,000 associates. Kohler is a global leader in the manufacturing of kitchen and bath products; engines and power systems; premier cabinetry, tile and lighting; and owner/operator of two of the world’s finest five-star hospitality and golf resort destinations in Kohler, Wisconsin, and St. Andrews, Scotland.

DGR NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race Advance: Darlington

Friday, May 7
Track: Darlington Raceway, 1.366-mile oval
Race: 8 of 22
Event: LiftKits4Less.com 200 (147 laps, 200 miles)

Schedule
Race: 7:30 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 1)

Hailie Deegan, No. 1 Ford Performance F-150

  • Deegan makes her eighth start of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season in the No. 1 Ford Performance F-150 on Friday evening at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
  • Deegan’s livery is a nod to the Ford GT’s 1966 Daytona 24 Hour Continental race win. In recognition of the historic win, Ford has celebrated with the 2021 Ford GT Heritage Edition.
  • Last weekend at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Deegan had her best run of the season. She ran in the top-10 and ultimately finished 13th after several late-race cautions. Kansas is the only track Deegan has raced at more than once in her young Truck Series career.
  • This weekend marks Deegan’s first time at the historic Darlington track.
  • Veteran crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. has called three truck races at Darlington. Hillman has recorded one win in the series with Todd Bodine in 2010.
  • Click here for Deegan’s career statistics.

Crew Chief Mike Hillman Jr. Quotes:

What are your expectations for Darlington this weekend?

“Darlington is so unique in that it doesn’t drive like any of the other tracks we go to. Hailie had a strong run at Kansas, but how you drive at Kansas doesn’t apply at Darlington. We’re going to run Darlington on the simulator on Friday morning and then head straight there. Anytime a rookie goes to Darlington, if you can leave there with a clean truck and a top-15 finish you’ve had a good day.”

How beneficial has it been to have an experienced spotter this year for Hailie?

“You’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with. Having TJ (Majors) on the roof to help guide her and limit as many mistakes as we can is huge. Without practice time, having a spotter who knows how to work traffic and the draft, aero sensitivities, how to enter the corners and all of the variables is very beneficial for Hailie to hear from.”

video

Check out Deegan’s YouTube channel for her vlog which covers her day at Kansas Speedway. She took in the ARCA Menards race, found Deegan fans and recaps the race after her best Truck Series finish.

Tanner Gray, No. 15 Ford Performance F-150

  • Gray makes his eighth start of the 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season on Friday at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway carrying his usual Ford Performance colors.
  • The 22-year-old driver has made one career start at Darlington Raceway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He finished 29th after making contact with the wall while battling for position on lap 124.
  • Although the 18th-place result from last week at Kansas Speedway doesn’t show it, Gray had his best outing of the season hovering around the top-10 for the majority of the race. A speeding penalty when coming to pit road for a green-flag pit stop from the sixth position forced him to serve a passthrough and go one lap down to the leaders.
  • Although he has called 10 Truck Series races and over 70 ARCA races in his career, Seth Smith will call the shots from atop the pit box at Darlington for the first time on Friday evening.
  • Click here for Gray’s career statistics.

Gray on Darlington:

“Darlington is a really tough, technical race track that can be a lot of fun if you are running well. We were decent last year before getting damage late in the race, so hopefully we have the same speed we showed in Kansas at Darlington and we can put together a complete race start to finish.”

David Gilliland, No. 17 Black’s Tire & Auto Service F-150

  • Gilliland makes his third start of the 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season at Darlington. His previous two starts this year came at the season opener in Daytona and the third race of the season at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway.
  • The 45-year-old driver has nine career starts at Darlington Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series with a best finish of 25th in 2012. He has also competed in two career Xfinity Series races at the track.
  • There will be not one, but two Black’s Tire Ford F-150s in the field on Friday evening as Gilliland will pilot the usual Black’s Tire colors and son Todd Gilliland will carry a throwback scheme to Ricky Benton’s 1998 NASCAR Winston Racing Series Atlantic Seaboard LMSC championship.
  • With Seth Smith’s move over to the No. 15 truck, Chad Johnston will serve as crew chief for the No. 17. Johnston has called 10 previous races at the 1.366-mile oval in the NASCAR Cup Series with four top-five and six top-10 finishes.
  • Click here for Gilliland’s career statistics.

Gilliland on Darlington:

“It’s always fun when we get to partner with Ricky (Benton) at the race track. To be representing the Black’s Tire family with Todd in Darlington is special; this is essentially a home game for those guys and we are looking forward to putting on a good show for them.”

Crawford Heading to Barcelona for F3 debut

BARCELONA, Spain (4 May 2021) – Young American racing phenom Jak Crawford till take another significant step on his road to Formula 1 this weekend as he makes his FIA Formula 3 debut at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Red Bull Junior Team driver will race for Hitech Grand Prix for the 2021 campaign, which will see the F3 championship stage the full season as part of Formula 1 events.

Crawford, who has moved to Europe full time in pursuit of an opportunity at the top level of the sport, will have an intensive weekend schedule with practice, qualifying, and three races to open the season.

As he readies for his F3 competition debut, Crawford will look to make the most of pre-season testing with Hitech, where the Houston-based racer showed impressive form as he prepares for his first full season campaign in F3. It will mark his second competition outing in 2021, having taken a seventh-place finish last Sunday on his 16th-birthday in his Euroformula Open Championship debut at Portimao, Portugal after starting the race from last on the grid.

“I’m feeling good for next weekend already, starting in the F3 series,” Crawford said following Sunday’s race. “I feel good and confident in my ability this year, so it should be good.”

Age restrictions prevented him from competing in the two Saturday races, but his Sunday performance in the No. 52 Motopark Dallara 320 Volkswagen earned Crawford his International B license, which is needed to compete in F3.

“I just had to catch up on some school work and relax between the races,” said Crawford about his post-birthday plans. “I am hoping to get up to speed quickly and start the championship off strong. It is always better to be leading the way than to be trying to catch up in a championship. It will be down to the qualifying and with the reverse grids, just making your way to the front.”

Crawford had the opportunity to test the F3 car in an official session at Barcelona less than two weeks ago. Earlier in the month, he was an impressive fourth and third in the pre-season opening two-day test at Spielberg, Austria’s Red Bull Ring.

Practice for the F3 opener begins Friday with a 45-minute session at 4:05 a.m. (all times ET). Qualifying begins its 30-minute session at 7:35 a.m. Race 1 is on Saturday at 4:35 a.m., followed by Race 2 at 10:45 a.m. The weekend wraps up with Race 3 at 6:05 a.m., which precedes the Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Corey Heim – No. 51 JBL Tundra Camping World Trucks Darlington Preview

Corey Heim: Driver, No. 51 JBL® Toyota

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event: LiftKits4Less.com 200, Race 8 of 22, 147 Laps – 45/45/57; 200.1 Miles
Location: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (1.336-mile egg-shaped oval)
Date/Broadcast: May 7, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

The Story on Corey:

  • Corey Heim will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut behind the wheel of the No. 51 JBL Tundra in Friday night’s Camping World Truck Series event at Darlington Raceway. As part of his two-race deal, Heim will get back behind the wheel of the No. 51 Toyota Oct. 30 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway
  • The 18-year-old Georgia native is the current points leader in the ARCA Menards Series standings, sitting 13 tallies ahead of Drew Dollar. Heim opened the season with a victory at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in February and also won at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in April. He has finished inside the top five in all four events this season, posting an average finish of 1.8.
  • In addition to two ARCA Menards series this season, the Toyota Racing Development driver earned his first victory in the series finale last October at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City. Across 20 career ARCA Menards Series starts, the talented teenager has recorded three wins, 141 laps led, 14 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes, resulting in an average finish of 4.9.
  • Heim has also found his way to victory lane in the Late Model Ranks the last few seasons. Most recently, the Georgia driver brought home a victory March 27 in the Super Late Model Georgia Spring Nationals at Crip Motorsports Park in Cordele, Ga. It was his second Super Late Model win at his home state track, where he also won CRA SpeedFest at the 3/8-mile track in 2020. On the CARS Tour, Heim has one Super Late Model win at South Boston (Va.) Speedway in 2018 and one Late Model Stock victory at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway in 2020.
  • After seven events, the No. 51 is tied with KBM’s No. 4 team atop the Camping World Trucks owner standings but holds the tiebreaker with three wins on the year compared to the No. 4 team’s two. Owner-driver Kyle Busch has collected victories at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga. and in last week’s event at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, while Martin Truex Jr. got his first-ever Truck Series victory at the Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway Dirt Track. Combined with John Hunter Nemechek’s victories at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway and Richmond (Va.) Raceway, KBM has won the last five races on the schedule. It’s the first time in organization history that they have collected five consecutive victories, they had previously won four straight four different times.
  • The No. 51 team also leads the series with 308 laps led. As an organization, KBM drivers have combined to lead 65.6% (627/956) of the total laps this season. KBM has also combined to win 11 of the 14 stages this season, including five by the No. 51 team.
  • Mardy Lindley has guided the No. 51 team to three victories across seven races 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. Friday night will be Lindley’s first race atop the pit box at his home state track.
  • Friday’s race kicks off the Triple Truck Challenge presented by Womply in the Camping World Truck Series. This year’s program will consist of the events at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, and concludes at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. An extra $50,000 is on the line for each of those three events. If a driver can win all three races, they will get a $500,000 bonus.

Corey Heim, Driver Q&A:

What does it mean to you to be getting the opportunity to make your Camping World Truck Series debut?
“I’m really excited to get started this weekend in Darlington. My JBL Tundra should be really fast. KBM has been on a hot streak the past couple of weeks. I have everyone behind me. Mardy Lindley is working on the truck and doing his best. Hopefully, I can bring my A game.”

Knowing that you will not have any practice, how have you prepared for Friday?
“It’ll definitely be tough this weekend. Darlington, from what I’ve heard, is a really challenging racetrack. To have no practice or qualifying and making my series debut, it’s going to be tough for sure. I know I have a really good team behind me. I’ve been doing things in the sim and everything I can online, like YouTube and some on board research to do everything I can to possibly research for it.”

Have you set any goals for Friday?
“I’m hoping to do the best I can and hopefully win the race. I think Mardy is going to bring me a fast Tundra. Kyle won this past weekend, so I know that I have the equipment to do so. I have to do everything I can to go out there and win the race. If not, a top five will be great too.”

Corey Heim Career Highlights:

  • Across 20 career ARCA Menards Series starts has three wins, 141 laps led, 14 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 4.9.
  • Picked up his first career ARCA Menards Series victory at Kansas Speedway Oct. 16, 2020.
  • Brought home a victory March 27, 2020 in the Super Late Model Georgia Spring Nationals at Crip Motorsports Park in Cordele, Ga. It was his second Super Late Model win at his home state track, where he also won CRA SpeedFest at the 3/8-mile track in 2020.
  • On the CARS Tour, has collected one Super Late Model win at South Boston (Va.) Speedway in 2018 and one Late Model Stock victory at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway in 2020
  • Captured the 2017 Atlanta Motor Speedway Thursday Thunder Pro Series championship and the 2016 Atlanta Motor Speedway Young Lions Legends Car championship
  • Corey Heim’s No. 51 JBL Tundra:
  • KBM-069: The No. 51 JBL team will unload KBM-69 for Friday night’s event at Darlington Raceway. The Tundra has posted an average finish of 2.5 across its two career starts. Kyle Busch finished second with it earlier this year at Las Vegas (Nev.) Speedway and Chandler Smith drove it to a third-place result at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway last November.

KBM Notes of Interest:

  • KBM drivers have collected one win, 95 laps led, two top-five and three top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 11.2 across five starts at Darlington. Kasey Kahne led a race-high 95 laps en route to victory in the 2011 event.
  • KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (85) 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.

John Hunter Nemechek – No. 4 Pye-Barker Tundra Camping World Trucks Darlington Preview

John Hunter Nemechek: Driver, No. 4 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety Toyota

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event: LiftKits4Less.com 200, Race 8 of 22, 147 laps – 45/45/57; 200.8 miles
Location: Darlington Raceway in Darlington, S.C. (1.366-mile egg-shaped oval)
Date/Broadcast: May 7, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

Neme’chek’ The Facts:

  • John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 4 Pye-Barker team roll into Darlington (S.C.) Raceway after scoring a fifth-place finish at Kansas Speedway last week. After seven races, Nemechek continues to sit at the top of the Camping World Trucks championship standings, 33 tallies ahead of Ben Rhodes. In addition to his lead in the point standings, Nemechek tops Truck Series regulars this season in average finish (3.3), laps led (273), driver rating (118.9), average running position (5.5) and fastest laps (144).
  • Nemechek will be making his first career start at Darlington in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competition. In 2020, Nemechek made three NASCAR Cup Series starts at Darlington with a best finish of ninth coming in NASCAR’s return to racing in May following a 10-week shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. In 2019, Nemechek made his sole NASCAR Xfinity Series start at the 1.366-mile facility and finished 21st.
  • KBM enters Friday’s event having won the last five Camping World Truck Series races. Nemechek started the streak at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway in March and at Richmond (Va.) Raceway in April. Busch was victorious at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway and captured KBM’s most recent victory at Kansas Speedway. Martin Truex Jr. captured his first Truck Series victory at the Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway Dirt Track. It’s the first time in the organization’s history that they’ve collected five straight victories.
  • This weekend kicks off the Triple Truck Challenge presented by Womply in the Camping World Truck Series. This year’s program will consist of the events at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, and concludes at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. An extra $50,000 is on the line for each of those events. If a driver can win all three races, they will get a $500,000 bonus.
  • Nemechek is an eight-time winner in Camping World Truck Series action, winning at least one race each season from 2015 to 2018 for his family-owned team, NEMCO Motorsports, and returning to victory lane this year with KBM. Across 109 career starts in NASCAR’s third division, the second-generation driver has compiled two poles, 882 laps led, 33 top-five and 56 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.9. The North Carolina native qualified for the Camping World Truck Series playoffs in each of his two full-time seasons, finishing eighth in the championship standings in both 2016 and 2017. He was voted the series most popular driver in 2015.
  • The 23-year-old driver produced three top-10 finishes and an average result of 22.4 while competing for rookie of the year honors in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2020. He recorded a career-best eighth-place finish twice, both coming at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, earned the Sunoco Rookie of the Race award four times and finished 23rd in the championship standings.
  • Eric Phillips returns to KBM to lead the No. 4 team this season. Phillips led the No. 18 team at KBM in its debut season in 2010 and helped build the organization into one of the premier teams in all of NASCAR before departing at the end of the 2014 season. Under his guidance, the No. 18 team won eight races in its inaugural campaign and became the first team in Truck Series history to capture an owner’s championship in its first season of competition. In 2014, the Illinois native led the No. 51 team to an owner’s championship and his team’s 10 wins spearheaded KBM to a single-season Truck Series record of 14 wins. His 39 career Truck Series victories make him the winningest crew chief in Truck Series history, with 29 of those coming while at KBM. At Darlington, Phillips has three starts with one win coming in 2011 when Kasey Kahne led a race-high 95 laps driving KBM’s No. 18 Tundra.
  • Pye-Barker Fire & Safety, an industry leader in commercial fire protection since 1946, will adorn the hood of Nemechek’s Tundra this weekend at Darlington, at Talladega (Ala) Superspeedway (Oct. 2), and for the season finale at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway (Nov. 5). Pye-Barker recently acquired Nemechek’s long-time supporter Fire Alarm Services.

John Hunter Nemechek, Driver Q&A:

What does it mean to have Pye-Barker on board this weekend at Darlington?
“It’s very neat to have Fire Alarm Service and Pye-Barker on board this week. It’s a new company that Fire Alarm Services is a part of now. It’s their first race with us, so they are going to have quite a few guests in the grandstands which will be really neat. Hopefully, we can go out and get them their first win in their first start.”

What are your expectations going into Darlington?
“The last racetrack I’d been to that wasn’t in a truck ended up pretty well at Richmond. Hopefully we have the same outcome here at Darlington. It’s one of my better racetracks. It was one of my best runs last year in the Cup series right after the return from the COVID pandemic. I’m looking forward to this weekend. It’s too tough to tame for sure. There are a lot of characteristics with the racetrack. I don’t know how the lines will vary from the Cup car to the truck, but it is something that we will have to figure out. We’re coming off some momentum still after a fifth-place run last weekend and a pretty solid truck. I’m proud of everyone at KBM and look forward to getting going.”

Your crew chief Eric Phillips took a gamble last week at Kansas. As a driver, how does it feel knowing you have a couple of wins under your belt so that you can gamble throughout a race?
“It feels good knowing that we have a couple of wins under our belt and some playoff points. We didn’t feel like we had a truck capable of winning from where we were at during the second-to-last caution. Being able to take a gamble and come down pit road, I have all the faith in Eric and his call to come down and get a little bit of an advantage. It almost worked out. There was a little chaos there at the end. Overall, it was a solid day and solid performance. I’m still gaining on the points lead, so that’s a positive.”

John Hunter Nemechek Career Highlights:

  • Eight-time winner in Camping World Truck Series action, winning at least one race each season from 2015 to 2018 for his family-owned team, NEMCO Motorsports. Across 109 career starts in NASCAR’s third division, has compiled two poles, 882 laps led, 33 top-five and 56 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.9.
  • Qualified for the Camping World Truck Series playoffs in each of his two full-time seasons, finishing eighth in the championship standings in both 2016 and 2017.
  • Produced three top-10 finishes and an average result of 22.4 while competing for rookie of the year honors in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2020. He recorded a career-best eighth-place finish twice, both coming at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, earned the Sunoco Rookie of the Race award four times and finished 23rd in the championship standings.
  • Across 51 career XFINITY Series starts, has totaled one win (Kansas Speedway, 10/20/18), one pole, 225 laps led, 12 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 11.6.
  • John Hunter Nemechek’s No. 4 Pye-Barker Tundra:
  • KBM-053: The No. 4 Pye-Barker team will unload KBM-053 Friday in Darlington. The chassis was previously run at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway earlier this year, where Nemechek piloted the chassis to a third-place finish. The chassis has been run seven times with an average finish of 5.4.

KBM Notes of Interest:

  • KBM drivers have collected one win, 95 laps led, two top-five and three top 10 finishes across five starts at Darlington. Kasey Kahne collected the organization’s sole win at the 1.366-mile facility.
  • KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (85) 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. 4 has 13 career victories at KBM and was the number for both of the organization’s driver championships.

Chandler Smith – No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Tundra Camping World Trucks Darlington Preview

Chandler Smith: Driver, No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass® Toyota

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event: LiftKits4Less.com 200, Race 8 of 22, 147 Laps – 45/45/57; 200.1 Miles
Location: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (1.336-mile egg-shaped oval)
Date/Broadcast: May 7, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

Mr. Smith Throws it Back:

  • Chandler Smith and the No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass team head to Darlington Raceway for Friday’s LiftKits4Less.com 200. As part of Darlington’s throwback weekend, Smith will have fresh colors on his Tundra under the lights Friday night. Smith’s normal paint scheme on his Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM)’ entry is based off Safelite’s MobileGlassShop vehicles that have been predominately black with silver and red stripes since 2013. This week the No. 18 will throw it back to before 2013 when Safelite’s MobileGlassShop vehicles were predominately white with red and black stripes on the side. Safelite AutoGlass – the nation’s largest provider of vehicle glass repair, replacement, and recalibration services – has been a partner of KBM since the 2017 season and will be the primary sponsor on Smith’s Toyota for 15 races this season.
  • Smith will be making his second career Camping World Truck Series start at Darlington. Making just his ninth career Camping World Truck Series start last September, the Georgia native had maneuvered his way up to the sixth position with just under 20 laps remaining when he reported a bad vibration. As the condition worsened, he was forced to pit road and would end the day a lap down in the 23rd position.
  • The Georgia native comes into Saturday’s race 11th in the Camping World Truck Series championship standings. He currently sits 14 points behind Johnny Sauter for the 10th and final spot in the playoffs with eight races remaining in the regular season. Across seven starts this season, Smith has one top-five and two top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 17.7. He produced a season-best result of fourth at Richmond (Va.) Raceway in April. He leads the Rookie of the Year standings by two points over Carson Hocevar and his 11th-place result at Kansas last week earned him his fourth rookie of the race award of the season.
  • The Toyota Racing Development driver has finished inside the top five in nine of his 23 career Camping World Truck Series starts, including a career-best runner-up finish at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in 2019.
  • The talented teenager recorded nine wins, 10 poles and an average finish of 5.3 across 33 ARCA Menards Series starts the last three seasons. He captured the pole in his series debut at Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville (Tenn.) in April of 2018 and set an ARCA Menards Series record by winning four consecutive poles to start his career. He earned his first victory at Madison (Wis.) International Speedway in just his fourth series start in June of 2018. Despite running a part-time schedule, he led the series in laps led in both 2018 and 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 earned one top-five finish across three starts. Dillon’s fifth-place finish in 2010 was his best result. In Xfinity Series action, his best result across six starts was also a fifth-place result with Dillon in 2012.
  • Friday’s race kicks off the Triple Truck Challenge presented by Womply in the Camping World Truck Series. This year’s program will consist of the events at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, and concludes at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. An extra $50,000 is on the line for each of those three events. If a driver can win all three races, they will get a $500,000 bonus.
  • Smith General Contracting and Katerra will be associate partners on the bedtop of the No. 18 Toyota for Friday’s 147-lap event.

Chandler Smith, Driver Q&A:

What is your outlook heading into Friday night’s race at Darlington?
“Overall, I’m just looking for a solid day and get some stage points to have a good weekend. We struggled a little bit at Kansas, but we are looking for a good rebound.”

What does it take to be successful at Darlington?
“Darlington is unique and has its own character to it. Tire conservation in our series is kind of critical but not because the stages are so short. Overall, Danny (Stockman) and the guys are going to give me a good Safelite AutoGlass Toyota Tundra to get it going.”

What does it mean to you as a driver to have bonus program like the Triple Truck Challenge in place?
“It’s really cool to have a partner out there to foot out a bonus for these next three races. I’m really proud to be part of something big and be a small part of it. It’s really cool to be a part of it.”

Chandler Smith Career Highlights:

  • Across 23 career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts has recorded 139 laps led, nine top-five and 11 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 14.0.
  • 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 Safelite AutoGlass Tundra:
  • KBM-67: The No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass team will unload chassis number KBM-67 for Friday night’s event at Darlington. Smith was relegated to a 35th-place result with this Tundra at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga. same Tundra earlier this season after suffering a parts failure. Kyle Busch was victorious with KBM-67 at Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth last July. Smith piloted it three times last year, with a best result of fifth coming at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City.

KBM Notes of Interest:

  • KBM drivers have collected one win, 95 laps led, two top-five and three top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 11.2 across five starts at Darlington. Kasey Kahne led a race-high 95 laps en route to victory in the 2011 event.
  • KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (85) 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.

Armed Forces Day iRacing Challenge & Fundraiser Scheduled for May 15th

Broadcasted Events will benefit VETMotorsports.

Racing has a prolific history of supporting causes for the greater good. This spring VETMotorsports presents the Annual Armed Forces Day Challenge. This event will be held on the popular racing simulator platform iRacing, hosted by Rayesportsracing.com, and broadcasted by the Global Simracing Channel (GSRC). Competing drivers will go head-to-head while supporting North America’s largest veteran non-profit the Mission: Providing a grassroots effort using motorsports to empower Active, Guard, Reserve, veterans with service-connected injuries, and Gold Star families. Over 80 cents of every dollar they receive go directly towards their veteran’s programming.

At 5 pm EST on May 15, 2021 competitors will race at Laguna Seca on the iRacing platform. Two groups will practice, qualify and race. Group 1 will consist of Global MX-5 Cup & Ford Mustang FR500S with 30-minute sprint races, open setups, and a 20x incident limit. Group 2 is GT3’s with a 60-minute race with a single driver, open setups, fuel limits, and a 25x incident limit. Cars allowed will be the Audi R8 LMS, BMW M4 GT3 Prototype, Ferrari 488 GT3, Ford GT GT3, Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO, Mercedes AMG GT3 & McLaren MP4-12C GT3.

This event is global, open to anyone with an iRacing account, and capacity will be limited to sixty drivers in each class. Participants can register for one or both groups. Registering drivers are asked to pay an entry amount of $5, provide their contact information and select a branch of service they represent (optional). Additional donations can be made when registering and the total donation pool will be matched up to $5000. The race will be streamed live on the GSRC Network on YouTube on their Facebook page.

Want to participate? Register at this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/151128769217

Star-Studded Motorsports Hall of Fame of America “Heroes of Horsepower” Event September 28 at The Henry Ford to be Presented by Ford Performance

  • Special Guest Edsel B. Ford II to Welcome the Celebrity-Filled Gathering
  • Guests will Enjoy a Strolling Dinner at The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation and Experience the Internationally Acclaimed New Driven to Win: Racing in America Exhibit
  • Middle Event of this Year’s Unprecedented MSHFA Dual Induction Extravaganza, September 27-29 at M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Michigan Features Inductees and Presenters from Both the Class of 2020 and 2021

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 3, 2021) — On Tuesday, September 28 the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) will take over the world-renowned Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation for the MSHFA’s annual “Heroes of Horsepower” event. The strolling dinner and plaque unveiling will take place at The Henry Ford and be Presented by Ford Performance. Event tickets can be reserved now at www.mshf.com for $300 each.

The Heroes of Horsepower event comes on the middle night of the MSHFA’s three-day dual induction celebration at M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Michigan. The Class of 2020 will be inducted there Monday night, September 27, the Class of 2021 on Wednesday night, September 29, and inductees and presenters from both will come together on the 28th at the Heroes of Horsepower at The Henry Ford.

“We’re honored to be able to help present this truly unique gathering of some of the greatest names in auto racing history,” said Rob Johnston, global marketing manager, Ford Performance. “And to be able to do it in the Driven to Win: Racing in America exhibit area makes it even more special. The exhibit features every major form of racing in America, but just as important to us, it features some of the greatest race cars in Ford history. It’s just a fantastic setting for this event.”

Special guest Edsel B. Ford II (pictured above) will welcome the celebrity-filled gathering to the event that will bring together am amazing assemblage of motorsports royalty. This is the first time ever that inductees and presenters from two different induction classes (2020 and 2021) will be at the same Heroes of Horsepower event, so it will be an even bigger gathering of stars than usual.

A longstanding tradition of each year’s MSHFA induction celebration, the Heroes of Horsepower event is a high-end but more casual gathering of motorsports royalty than the accompanying black tie induction ceremonies. Attendees can mingle and meet-and-greet each year’s induction class while enjoying the finest food and beverages in the middle of a major motorsports attraction. A highlight of the evening is the unveiling of each inductee’s bronze plaque that will be displayed permanently at the MSHFA Museum in Daytona Beach.
“To have so many stars in one place and for that place to be The Henry Ford among all of these landmark racing treasures will make for an absolutely unforgettable evening,” said MSHFA president George Levy. “The Heroes of Horsepower evening has become a highlight of our annual induction celebrations over the last few decades but this September’s edition will be unlike any other and is a can’t miss event for all motorsports enthusiasts.”

The MSHFA Class of 2020 includes NASCAR’s first-ever champion Robert “Red” Byron (Historic), flat-track impresario Chris Carr (Motorcycles), early motorcycle racer, promoter and publisher Floyd Clymer (At Large), driver, official and safety advocate Wally Dallenbach, Sr. (Open Wheel), Rick Hendrick, one of NASCAR’s most successful owners (Stock Cars), Daytona 500 champion Tiny Lund (Historic), Can-Am and Rolex 24 At Daytona champion Jacky Ickx (Sports Cars), quarter-mile racing legend “Ohio George” Montgomery (Drag Racing) and multi-time Baja 1000 and SCORE Champion Ivan “Ironman” Stewart (Off-Road).

The MSHFA Class of 2021 includes one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers Davey Allison (Stock Cars), three-time land speed record holder John Cobb (Historic), three-time NHRA Top Fuel champion Larry Dixon Jr. (Drag Racing), Indy and NASCAR trailblazer Janet Guthrie (Open Wheel), 2006 MotoGP World Champion “Kentucky Kid” Nicky Hayden (Motorcycles), legendary Indy correspondent Robin Miller (Media), seven consecutive APBA Gold Cup winner Fran Muncey (Powerboats), multi-time USAC and NASCAR champion Ray Nichels (Historic) and world class timer/scorer Judy Stropus (Sports Cars).

In addition, there will be many more motorsports notables in attendance as either guests or presenters.

The Driven to Win: Racing in America presented by General Motors exhibit is drawing rave reviews. It features vehicles, videos and artifacts relating to many MSHFA inductees, including the Ford-powered “Malco Gasser” 1933 Willys made famous by Class of 2020 inductee George Montgomery, who will be one of many legends in attendance, and the bright red No. 1 Ford Mark IV that inductees Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt raced into the history books at the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans.

For more information on the MSHFA Museum and this year’s dual induction celebration and Heroes of Horsepower event, visit the MSHFA at www.mshf.com or contact George Levy at (248) 895-1704 or glevy@mshf.com. For MSHFA tickets, call 1-800-PIT-SHOP.
The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MotorsportsHOF/ and Instagram and Twitter at @MotorsportsHOF.

About the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America: The MSHFA is the only hall that honors all American motorsports: cars, motorcycles, airplanes, off road and powerboats. Its mission is to celebrate and instill the American motorsports values of leadership, creativity, originality, teamwork and spirit of competition. Founded by Larry G. Ciancio and Ronald A. Watson, it held its first induction in 1989. Watson spent the next 30 years tirelessly building it into the nation’s premier such hall until his passing in 2019. The original museum in Novi, Mich., relocated to Daytona Beach, Fla., in 2016 and greets more than 100,000 guests a year. MSHFA is operated by the nonprofit Motorsports Museum and Hall of Fame of America Foundation, Inc.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Darlington Throwback Weekend Advance

FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: DARLINGTON NOTES

It’s Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway, where the NASCAR XFINITY and NASCAR Cup Series will compete for the first time in 2021. Kevin Harvick and Chase Briscoe each posted victories a year ago as Ford ran its total of all-time wins in the two series combined to 51 at NASCAR’s first superspeedway. Here’s a look at some Ford notes going into this weekend’s action.

This Week’s Schedule:
Saturday, May 8 – NASCAR XFINITY Series, 1 p.m. (FS1)
Sunday, May 9 – NASCAR Cup Series, 3:30 p.m. (FS1)

FORD IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES AT DARLINGTON
· Ford has 31 all-time series wins at Darlington.
· NASCAR Hall of Famer Curtis Turner won Ford’s first race at Darlington in 1966.
· Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick are the only active Ford drivers with Darlington Cup wins.

FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT DARLINGTON
· Ford has 20 series wins at Darlington.
· Mark Martin holds the record for most series wins at Darlington with eight.
· Jack Roush leads all owners with 15 Darlington series wins.

FORD ON TOP OF CUP MANUFACTURER’S STANDINGS

There’s still a long way to go in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season and the manufacturer’s championship battle is a close one with Ford holding a five-point lead over Chevrolet. Ford, which is tied for the most wins this season with four, is looking for its third manufacturer’s title in the last four years after winning in 2018 and 2020. Ford has gotten victories this season from Michael McDowell (Daytona), Ryan Blaney (Atlanta), Joey Logano (Bristol Dirt) and Brad Keselowski (Talladega).

CINDRIC STILL ROLLING IN 2021

Austin Cindric has picked up in 2021 right where he left off in 2020 as he sits on top of the NASCAR XFINITY Series standings after eight events. Cindric, who has two wins already this season, has a 59-point lead over second-place Daniel Hemric going into this weekend’s race at Darlington Raceway and much of that is due to his early-season consistency. The Team Penske driver has finished in the top 10 all but once, leads the series in top-five finishes with six, and has an average finishing position of 4.3. The 2020 series champion has 10 career victories, but is still looking for his first at Darlington.

HARVICK CELEBRATES RETURN TO RACING IN STYLE

Nobody enjoyed a return to Darlington in 2020 more than Kevin Harvick, who celebrated the sport’s return to competition by winning his 50th career series race in what turned out to be the first of three NASCAR Cup Series races held at the track dubbed ‘Too Tough to Tame.’ Harvick led 159-of-293 laps and continued a streak that has seen him win at least one time in 11 straight seasons. He passed fellow Ford driver Brad Keselowski on lap 216 and never gave up the lead, which included a restart with 34 laps to go. That marked the first of two Darlington wins on the season for Harvick, who captured the annual Southern 500 in the fall.

WOOD BROTHERS LEAD THE WAY

It comes as no surprise that the Wood Brothers are Ford’s all-time winningest team at Darlington Raceway, posting eight career victories. All but one of those triumphs came in a Mercury, which the team ran in the 1960’s and 70’s. David Pearson, who holds the record with 10 career Darlington Cup victories, led the way with six while Cale Yarborough captured the team’s first in 1968. The last Darlington win for Wood Brothers Racing came in 1981 when Neil Bonnett took the Southern 500 in 1981 behind the wheel of a Ford.

DARLINGTON MASTER

As noted above, David Pearson holds the record for most NASCAR Cup Series wins at Darlington Raceway with 10 and eight of those came in Ford Motor Co. products. He won six times driving the famed No. 21 Wood Brothers Mercury (1972,’74,’76-2,’77), winning the Southern 500 twice in that span (1976-77), and two more times in a Holman-Moody Ford (1968 and ’70). Pearson won three Southern 500 titles overall, capturing his third in 1979.

FIELD OF 70

The first time Ford won a NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway was when Curtis Turner took the Southern 500 on Sept. 3, 1956. Unlike today, where the field is set at a maximum of 40 cars, there were 70 vehicles in the race that saw Turner lead 224 of the 400 laps. He beat Speedy Thompson to the finish line by more than two laps, and did it in record fashion with an average race speed of 95.167 mph.

DALE AND BUD

The first of Dale Earnhardt’s three NASCAR Cup Series wins with Ford and car owner Bud Moore came on April 4, 1982 when he won the CRC Chemicals Rebel 500 at Darlington Raceway. Earnhardt, who drove two seasons for Moore in 1982 and ’83, dominated a race that saw 20 of the 37 cars not finish due to a variety of issues. Earnhardt led 181-of-367 laps and beat Cale Yarborough to the finish line for his seventh career victory. Earnhardt eventually went on to win two more races with Moore the following season at Nashville and Talladega.

FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES RACE WINNERS AT DARLINGTON
1956 – Curtis Turner
1960 – Joe Weatherly (1)
1961 – Fred Lorenzen and Nelson Stacy
1962 – Nelson Stacy and Larry Frank
1963 – Fireball Roberts (2)
1964 – Fred Lorenzen (1)
1965 – Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett
1968 – David Pearson (1)
1969 – Lee Roy Yarbrough (2)
1970 – David Pearson (1)
1981 – Neil Bonnett (2)
1982 – Dale Earnhardt (1)
1985 – Bill Elliott (Sweep)
1988 – Bill Elliott (2)
1992 – Bill Elliott (1)
1993 – Mark Martin (2)
1994 – Bill Elliott (2)
1997 – Dale Jarrett (1)
1998 – Dale Jarrett (1)
1999 – Jeff Burton (Sweep)
2001 – Dale Jarrett (1)
2005 – Greg Biffle
2006 – Greg Biffle
2018 – Brad Keselowski
2020 – Kevin Harvick (1) and (3)

FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES RACE WINNERS AT DARLINGTON
1993 – Mark Martin (2)
1994 – Mark Martin (Sweep)
1995 – Mark Martin (2)
1996 – Mark Martin (1) and Terry Labonte (2)
1997 – Jeff Burton (2)
1999 – Mark Martin (2)
2000 – Mark Martin (Sweep)
2001 – Jeff Green (1) and Jeff Burton (2)
2002 – Jeff Burton (Sweep)
2004 – Greg Biffle
2005 – Matt Kenseth
2009 – Matt Kenseth
2018 – Brad Keselowski
2019 – Cole Custer
2020 – Chase Briscoe (1)

Todd Gilliland to Race Black’s Tire and Auto Service Championship Scheme

Orange and Black Colors Throwback to Myrtle Beach Speedway Championship

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 4, 2021) – Todd Gilliland and Black’s Tire and Auto Service will honor grassroots racing this Friday night during NASCAR’s Throwback Weekend at the Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

Gilliland will race the No. 38 Black’s Tire Service Ford F-150 in the livery of the 1998 NASCAR Atlantic Seaboard Regional Champion, Charles Powell III. Powell III was the first Late Model Stock driver from Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Speedway to win a regional title. He did it racing for Ricky Benton and the Black’s Tire and Auto Service team. The black base and bright orange logo and number mirror the No. 22 Late Model that Powell III won the championship in.

“It’s really cool to race a scheme that is such a big part of Black’s Tire racing history,” said Gilliland. “The truck looks great with the original Black’s Tire logo and the orange number. I know it brings back a lot of great memories for Ricky (Benton, President of Black’s Tire) and I hope we can make more memories this Friday night.”

Black’s Tire has a long-standing history in NASCAR, and more specifically, with the Gilliland family. Todd is the second-generation driver to carry the Black’s Tire colors. The Ricky Benton-owned company has sponsored Gilliland’s father, David, in numerous races throughout his career in both the NASCAR Camping World Series and the NASCAR Cup Series.

ABOUT BLACK’S TIRE AND AUTO SERVICE
Black’s Tire and Auto Service was formed as Black’s Service Station by W. Crowell Black in Whiteville, N.C. in 1929. Now, with 46 locations in both North and South Carolina, Black’s remains a local, family owned/operated tire sales and service and vehicle repair business. In addition to the retail and commercial locations, Black’s also operates four warehouse/distribution centers, BTS Tire & Wheel Distributors, a commercial sales division and a tire-retreading business, Carolina Retreads. The Black’s Tire family includes more than 700 highly skilled, service-minded team members and ASE certified technicians.

To learn more about Black’s Tire or to find a location, visit www.blackstire.com. Follow Black’s Tire and Auto Service on social media: Twitter at @BlacksTire, Instagram at @BlacksTire and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/blackstire.

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