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Ryan Truex – NextEra Energy 250 Race Advance

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Official Release
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Team: No. 40 Marquis Chevrolet Silverado

Driver: Ryan Truex

Follow the Team: @NieceMotorsport; @Ryan_Truex

Truex on Racing at Daytona: “I’m ready to get this season started,” said Truex.  “I’m looking forward to working with Niece Motorsports again this season and am really excited about the consistency that will come with racing the full schedule.  I’ve spent some time in the shop this offseason and have seen how hard everyone is working to get our Chevrolets ready for Daytona.  I feel confident that we will have a strong Marquis Chevrolet.”

Truex at Daytona: Truex has four NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at Daytona International Speedway, with two top-five finishes.  His best finish was a runner-up result coming in 2016.

The Mayetta, New Jersey native has three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the 2.5-mile track, with his best finish of seventh coming in 2018.

He also has one NASCAR Cup Series start at Daytona, coming in 2014.

On the Truck: The No. 40 Chevrolet will carry the Marquis colors at Daytona International Speedway.

Marquis, an employee-owned company founded in 1980, offers creative and innovative designs that provide the ultimate soaking experience, cost less to operate, and require the least amount of maintenance.  Marquis spas are designed with cutting-edge features for supreme comfort and long-lasting enjoyment.  Marquis is proud to craft a spa designed to enhance health and well-being.

About Niece Motorsports: 

Niece Motorsports is owned by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece.  In 2021, Niece Motorsports enters its sixth season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.  Niece also owns Niece Equipment, which has for over 40 years provided clients with reliable products at competitive prices.  Niece Equipment’s reputation is built on service, integrity and dependability. The company provides water and fuel/lube trucks that are engineered with quality and durability in mind for the construction and mining industry.  Follow the team on Facebook and Instagram @NieceMotorsports as well as Twitter @NieceMotorsport.

Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Daytona 500

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Official Release
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Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Daytona 500

The 2021 NASCAR season officially kicks off this week in Daytona, with Daytona 500 qualifying Wednesday night, the Duels on Thursday, and ‘The Great American Race’ on Sunday. Coverage for Sunday’s race gets underway at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

Bluegreen Vacations Duels
Thursday, Feb. 11 | 7 p.m. ET
FS1, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
· Ryan Newman, No. 6 Kohler Generators Ford Mustang
· Chris Buescher, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang

Daytona 500
Sunday, Feb. 14 | 2:30 p.m. ET
FOX, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
· Ryan Newman, No. 6 Kohler Generators Ford Mustang
· Chris Buescher, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang

Daytona 500 Qualifying Up First on Wednesday

The most anticipated qualifying session of the season takes place in a rare Wednesday night setting as Newman and Buescher go for the Daytona 500 pole. Newman has an overall average starting position of 19.6 at Daytona, with his best qualifying effort coming last season (seventh). Chris Buescher qualified 19th a season ago in his first Cup season with Roush Fenway.

Jack Roush Looking for Three

Jack Roush has won two poles in the Daytona 500, one coming from Greg Biffle in 2004 and the other in 2012 with Carl Edwards. Biffle earned the 2004 pole after a speed of 188.387 and went on to finish 12th. Edwards had a pole speed of 194.738 and finished eighth in the 2012 Daytona 500.

2012 the Year for Duel, Daytona 500 Success for Jack Roush

Matt Kenseth won Jack Roush’s lone Duel race in 2012, making a last-lap pass after starting seventh to earn a fourth-place starting spot in the Daytona 500. He went on to win the 2012 Great American Race, leading a combined 50 laps for his and Jack Roush’s second Daytona 500 victory.

Duel History

Newman was a push away from contending for the win in last season’s duel event where he ultimately finished third, setting him up to start seventh for the 500. Buescher finished 10th in his qualifying race a season ago and went on to start 19th in the Daytona 500.

Thursday will mark Newman’s 20th Daytona qualifying race, an event he’s now finished third in on two occasions (2008, 2020). Buescher will compete in his sixth qualifying race with a best finish of ninth (2019).

Kenseth Claims Jack Roush’s First Daytona 500 Win in 2009

Kenseth was the first to drive a Jack Roush owned Ford into victory lane for the Daytona 500, earning the victory in 2009. He led just seven laps – the final seven – after starting from the 39th position en route to his first of two Daytona 500 victories over a span of four seasons.

Newman, Buescher in the Hunt Late as of Late

Both Newman and Buescher have found themselves in the thick of the action late in Superspeedway racing, with eight combined top-10s in the last 12 combined events. Newman is coming off an emotional ending to last season’s Daytona 500 in which he was leading coming to the line, while Buescher finished third in that race — one of his three top-10 finishes in his last four Superspeedway outings. Jack Roush’s six most recent Daytona races include finishes of fifth, third, and ninth twice.

Fennig Back in Expanded Role

It’s no secret that Jimmy Fennig has had major success in leading Roush Fenway’s Superspeedway program over the years. Now, his talents are front and center after Roush Fenway appointed him Executive Vice President in Charge of Competition last November. Fennig, who joined the organization in 1997 and played a major role in several of the team’s greatest successes, will oversee all aspects of competition for Roush Fenway’s operations.

Shriners Hospitals for Children joins Jesse Little for Multiple Races

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Official Release
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23-year-old kicks off patient-focused campaign for children’s health care system

MOORESVILLE – N.C. (January 10, 2021) – Jesse Little and BJ McLeod Motorsports (BJMM) announce today a partnership with Shriners Hospitals for Children® for the 2021 NXS season, starting at Daytona International Speedway on February, 13, 2021. With this partnership, Little is kicking off an annual campaign to highlight patients of the pediatric health care system in order to drive donations to help provide the highest quality care to children, in addition to conducting innovative research to discover new knowledge that improves the quality care and quality of care and quality of life of children and families.

“I can’t express how excited I am to have Shriners Hospitals for Children back on board for multiple races this year,” said Jesse Little. “We were able to partner for one race last year and it was an incredible experience allowing us to raise almost 25K+ in donations to Shriners Hospitals. That is what I’m most looking forward to this year, is utilizing BJ’s program and platform he has built in the Xfinity series to generate as much awareness to our donation campaign as possible. We are really hoping to exceed expectations on the racetrack as well!”

“We are excited to team up with Jesse as he races in support of our life-changing mission,” said James R. “Jim” Smith, Imperial Potentate of Shriners International and CEO of Shriners Hospitals for Children. “Our healthcare system has helped nearly 1.5 million children, including Jesse’s cousin, April. We are proud of Jesse for sharing his family’s story of how Shriners Hospitals have made a difference in their lives, and we are appreciative of his fundraising efforts to help us provide outstanding specialty care to children, regardless of their families’ ability to pay.”

Shriners Hospitals for Children is changing lives every day through innovative pediatric specialty care, world-class research, and outstanding medical education. With locations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, Shriners Hospitals for Children provides advanced care for children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate, regardless of the families’ ability to pay. 

Little, the son of former NASCAR Cup Series driver Chad Little, will embark on his second full-time NXS season starting at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on Saturday February13, 2021. The 2015 NASCAR NEXT Alumni driver enters his sixth year competing in one of NASCAR’s National Series. Last season as a NXS rookie, the Sherrills Ford, North Carolina. native impressed, scoring 10 top-15 finishes, 2 top-10 finishes and finishing 19th in NXS driver points.

In addition to a primary sponsorship at Daytona International Speedway on February 13th, Shriners Hospitals for Children will be onboard as a primary sponsor throughout the season, in multiple races, to be determined.

The 33-race NXS season will begin at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida on Saturday, February 13, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. ET live on FS1 and MRN Radio.

About Shriners Hospitals for Children 

Shriners Hospitals for Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and relies on the generosity of donors. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. For more information, please visit  shrinershospitalsforchildren.org. Follow the latest updates and keep track of the latest announcements via social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Jesse Little

Follow updates on www.jesselittle.com and keep track of the latest announcements via social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About BJ McLeod Motorsports

B.J. McLeod Motorsports, Inc. is owned by current NASCAR Cup driver, BJ McLeod and his wife Jessica. The team is located in Mooresville, North Carolina and operates out of a 15,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility, fielding three full-time NASCAR XFINITY Series entries and Live Fast Motorsports, a new NASCAR Cup Series team. To learn more about BJ McLeod Motorsports, visit www.bjmcleodmotorsports.com. Follow along with the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Truex to remain at Joe Gibbs Racing following new contract extension

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Tim Jarrold for SpeedwayMedia.com.

With a new season of NASCAR competition underway, Martin Truex Jr. has inked an undisclosed extended contract agreement to continue to drive the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series.

The 2017 Cup champion is coming off his 15th full-time season in NASCAR’s premier series, second with JGR, where he recorded a lone victory throughout the season at Martinsville Speedway in June. In addition, he achieved five stage wins, 14 top-five results, 23 top-10 results and a final points result of seventh place. It was also his first season with crew chief James Small, a former lead engineer for Truex who took over following the departure of Cole Pearn.

“I’m happy to get this news out there so we can focus on this season and the future with Joe Gibbs Racing,” Truex said. “This is where I wanted to be and to continue building on the success we have had together the past two years. I appreciate Coach [Gibbs], my team, everyone at JGR and all of our partners like Bass Pro Shops, Auto-Owners Insurance, Reser’s Fine Foods, Stanley Black & Decker and Toyota for making this possible and I look forward to continuing those relationships as we move forward.”

“Extending Martin’s agreement has been a big priority for us this off season,” Joe Gibbs, Owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, added. “Martin brings so much to our organization. Obviously he’s talented and shown he can win at any racetrack but his insights also helps to make all our teams better.”

The 2021 Daytona 500 will mark Truex’s 17th attempt to win his first Harley J. Early Trophy. His best result in the 500 was a runner-up result in 2016, where he lost the battle against Denny Hamlin by a mere 0.010 seconds.

In addition, Truex, who enters his 16th full-time season in the Cup circuit and third with JGR, will make his 550th Cup career start in this year’s Daytona 500. In his previous 549 starts, Truex has won 27 Cup races and one championship (2017). He has also achieved 19 poles, 116 top-five results and 228 top-10 results, all while competing for organizations that include Dale Earnhardt Inc., Michael Waltrip Racing, Furniture Row Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing.

John Hunter Nemechek – No. 4 Fire Alarm Services Tundra Camping World Trucks Daytona Preview

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Official Release
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John Hunter Nemechek: Driver, No. 4 Fire Alarm Services Toyota

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview:
Event: NextEra Energy 250, Race 1 of 22, 100 Laps – 20/20/60; 250 Miles
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile tri-oval)
Date/Broadcast: Feb. 12, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90

Neme’check’ the Facts

  • John Hunter Nemechek will make his much anticipated Kyle Busch Motorsports debut driving the No. 4 Fire Alarm Services Tundra Friday night in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season-opening event at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
  • Nemechek is a six-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 102 career starts in NASCAR’s third division, the second-generation driver has compiled two poles, 609 laps led, 28 top-five and 50 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 13.2. 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 second-generation driver has made three starts in Camping World Truck Series action at Daytona, with a best result of seventh coming in the 2017 event. He finished 11th last year in his first career Daytona 500 and equaled that finish in the August Cup Series event at the 2.5-mile tri-oval. Nemechek also has two NASCAR XFINITY Series starts at the World Center of Racing, with an eighth-place finish in the 2019 season-opening event being his best result.
  • 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 37 career Truck Series victories make him the winningest crew chief in Truck Series history, with 27 of those coming while at KBM. Owner-driver Kyle Busch collected his organization’s lone Truck Series victory at Daytona with Phillips atop the pit box in 2014.
  • Fire Alarm Services, a one-stop shop safety company with a proven track record of providing excellent service for over 20 years, will adorn the hood of Nemechek’s No. 4 Tundra for eight events on Camping World Truck Series schedule in 2021. Mobil 1, the world’s leading synthetic motor oil brand, will be the primary sponsor for the No. 4 team next week when teams return to Florida take on the road course at Daytona.

John Hunter Nemechek, Driver Q&A:

Are you looking forward to being back in the Camping World Truck Series this year?
“I definitely am looking forward to being back in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this year. I am looking forward to getting things kicked off this weekend at Daytona with our KBM Fire Alarm Services Toyota Tundra. I am looking forward to getting the year started and hopefully coming home with a truck covered in confetti!”

What does it mean to have a sponsor like Fire Alarm Services supporting your career?
“I can’t say thank you enough to Fire Alarm Services, Shannon and Connie, and everyone that is involved for having my back for so many years back when I started truck racing quite a few years ago from moving up to the Xfinity and Cup series and now back to the Truck Series. It’s something that we didn’t anticipate coming, but they want to win as much as I do. We are here for wins this season. Hopefully, we can get them to victory lane like we have in the past in almost every series and bring them home a championship come Phoenix.”

Did you set any goals for this season?
“There are definitely some internal goals. I don’t want to publicize those goals. The goal is to obviously win races and be a contender for the championship come Phoenix for our finale. Hopefully, we can accomplish all that, get as many wins as possible, and be a contender each week.”

What does it take to be successful at Daytona?
“I think the biggest thing to be successful is to survive. You must be able to survive and be there at the end to have a shot to win it. If you don’t have a truck or anything capable of running at the end of the race, then you don’t have a shot to win it. You must make the right moves. You must communicate well with Eric (Phillips, crew chief) and Tony (Hirschman, spotter) up on the spotter stand to see how the race plays out. It’s going to be hairy. I feel like it always is. It’s not if there is going to be a big one, but when. We have to get through the big one and hope everything turns out the right way for us.”

John Hunter Nemechek Career Highlights:

  • Six-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 102 career starts in NASCAR’s third division, has compiled two poles, 609 laps led, 28 top-five and 50 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 13.2.
  • 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 Fire Alarm Services Tundra:
KBM-51: The No. 4 Fire Alarm Services team will unload KBM-51 for Friday’s season-opening event at Daytona. Christian Eckes captured the pole with this Tundra in the 2019 Daytona race. The truck’s best finish was a third-place result with Riley Herbst at Talladega in 2019.

KBM Notes of Interest:

  • KBM drivers have collected one win, three poles, 102 laps led, four top-five and eight top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 17.1 across 28 starts at Daytona. Owner-driver Kyle Busch picked up the team’s lone victory at the 2.5-mile tri-oval in dramatic fashion in the 2014 season opener, finishing .016 seconds ahead of fellow Toyota competitor Timothy Peters.
  • KBM holds the Camping World Truck Series records for most career wins (80) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). 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 11 career victories at KBM and was the number for both of the organization’s driver championships.

Ford Performance NASCAR: Daytona 500 Advance

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Official Release
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FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: DAYTONA 500 NOTES

The 63rd Annual Daytona 500 is scheduled for this Sunday as the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season begins at Daytona International Speedway. Ford has won “The Great American Race” a total of 15 times with Bill Elliott, Dale Jarrett and Matt Kenseth each taking the checkered flag twice with the Blue Oval. Joey Logano has a chance to join that list as he looks to add a second Daytona 500 victory to his 2015 triumph.

FORD CHANGES IN 2021

There will be a few newcomers to the Ford Cup Series roster with the most notable one coming at Stewart-Haas Racing, where Chase Briscoe is replacing the retired Clint Bowyer in the No. 14 HighPoint.com Mustang. Briscoe led the NASCAR XFINITY Series with nine wins last season before finishing third in the playoff standings. Anthony Alfredo will also get an opportunity to race full-time as he takes over the No. 38 Mustang at Front Row Motorsports while B.J. McLeod pilots the new No. 78 entry for Live Fast Motorsports.

TINY LUND COMES UP BIG FOR WOOD BROTHERS

Ford won the Daytona 500 for the first time on Feb. 24, 1963 when Tiny Lund took the Wood Brothers to Victory Lane and completed a script that would have made Hollywood envious. Lund didn’t have a ride for the 500, but was at the track watching Marvin Panch test a Maserati when the car went out of control, flipped upside-down and started on fire. Lund, along with four others, rushed to the scene and eventually pulled Panch to safety. Panch, who was the primary driver for the Wood Brothers, was unable to race in the 500 due to his injuries, so the team tabbed Lund as a substitute. Lund defied the odds by winning the race on one set of tires to give Ford and the Wood Brothers their first win in “The Great American Race.”

KENSETH WINS EXPLOSIVE DAYTONA 500

When Ford won the Daytona 500 on Feb. 27, 2012 with Matt Kenseth, it marked his second victory in three years. But while Kenseth will be remembered for becoming the ninth multiple winner of “The Great American Race,” the weekend will forever be remembered for a series of unforeseen events. For the first time in its 54-year history the race had to be postponed until Monday due to rain. As lingering showers persisted the next day, NASCAR officials decided to make it a primetime event for the first time. The race was building to a climax when caution came out on lap 157. During the ensuing caution, something broke on Juan Pablo Montoya’s car and sent it careening into a jet dryer that was working on the track. An explosion ensued and resulted in a red flag that lasted more than two hours as officials repaired the track. There were no major injuries, but the incident resulted in one of the more memorable photos ever taken as driver Brad Keselowski used his cell phone to post a shot from his vantage point on the backstretch. Kenseth eventually held off Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Roush Fenway teammate Greg Biffle on a green-white-checker finish to win.

A CINDERELLA STORY

Ford won the Daytona 500 for the 15th time after Kurt Busch took the checkered flag for Stewart-Haas Racing in its debut event with the manufacturer in 2017. That Cinderella story marked Ford’s fourth Daytona 500 win in a seven-year period, a streak that started with another Disney-type story when Trevor Bayne became the youngest Daytona 500 winner in 2011. The victory was even more memorable because it came one day after his 20th birthday and in only his second career NASCAR Cup Series start for the Wood Brothers.

LOGANO GIVES FORD FIRST SWEEP OF DAYTONA SPEEDWEEKS

Joey Logano survived an intense final 10 laps, including a green-white-checkered finish, to give Ford a sweep of Daytona Speedweeks by winning the 57th running of the Daytona 500. The win came on the heels of Tyler Reddick winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Ryan Reed taking the checkered flag for the first time in the NASCAR XFINITY Series event. It also capped an undefeated month of racing at Daytona for Ford, which also won the season-opening Rolex 24 Hours. In the end, Logano used a push from Clint Bowyer to get in front of the pack, but when caution came out with three laps to go for an accident involving Justin Allgaier, the field bunch back up for the deciding restart. As the leader, Logano opted for the outside line and that proved to be the right decision as he got ahead of Denny Hamlin on the inside and stayed in front until the caution came out on the final lap to officially end the race.

FORD’S DAYTONA 500 WINNERS
1963 – Tiny Lund (Wood Brothers)
1965 – Fred Lorenzen (Holman-Moody)
1967 – Mario Andretti (Holman-Moody)
1969 – LeeRoy Yarbrough (Junior Johnson)
1978 – Bobby Allison (Bud Moore)
1985 – Bill Elliott (Harry Melling)
1987 – Bill Elliott (Harry Melling)
1992 – Davey Allison (Robert Yates)
1996 – Dale Jarrett (Robert Yates)
2000 – Dale Jarrett (Robert Yates)
2009 – Matt Kenseth (Jack Roush)
2011 – Trevor Bayne (Wood Brothers)
2012 – Matt Kenseth (Jack Roush)
2015 – Joey Logano (Roger Penske)
2017 – Kurt Busch (Stewart-Haas)

JR Motorsports — NXS Daytona Preview

By
Official Release
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JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Daytona International Speedway
RACE: Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300 (120 laps / 300 miles)
DATE: Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021

Broadcast Information – TV: 5 p.m. ET on FS1 / Radio: 4:30 p.m. ET on MRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90

Michael Annett
No. 1 Pilot Flying J / American Heart Association
• Michael Annett returns to Daytona International Speedway with a new crew chief, as Mike Bumgarner will be atop the pit box for the 2021 season.
• On Saturday, Annett’s No. 1 Pilot Flying J/American Heart Association Chevrolet Camaro will carry a special paint scheme in honor of American Heart Month. Sponsor Pilot Flying J is supporting the AHA’s “Life Is Why™” awareness campaign.
• Daytona is the site of Annett’s first career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, having earned the win in this event in 2019.
• In 2020, Annett posted a career-high 22 top-10 finishes in 33 races on the way to making the NXS Playoffs.

Josh Berry
No. 8 FilterTime Chevrolet
• Josh Berry makes his NXS return in the No. 8 FilterTime Chevrolet for JRM this weekend in Daytona.
• In seven career starts in the NXS, including five for JRM, Berry has earned two top 10s and a best finish of seventh.
• Berry is also the defending NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Touring Series National Champion, having won an astounding 27 Late Model races en route to the championship.
• Ahead of Daytona, new customers who sign up for FilterTime’s subscription-based custom air-filter service can get 20 percent off their first order by using the discount code JRM when visiting FilterTime.com/JRM.

Noah Gragson
No. 9 Bass Pro Shops / TrueTimber / Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson returns to Daytona as the defending winner of the season-opening event, a victory which was his first career NXS win and secured a berth in the 2020 Playoffs.
• At tracks that are 2 miles or larger, Gragson has an average finish of 11.2, including one win, five top fives, seven top 10s and 68 laps led.
• Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee return as coprimary partners for the No. 9 in all 33 NXS events in 2021.
• Gragson will also attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 in the No. 62 Beard Motorsports Camaro ZL1 1LE. The 22- year-old will battle for one of four open positions for unchartered teams.

Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• Veteran driver Justin Allgaier returns for his sixth season with JRM in the No. 7 BRANDT Camaro.
• In 20 NXS starts at Daytona, the Illinois native has four top fives and eight top 10s. He’s twice finished in the runnerup position, most recently in the 2019 season opener behind teammate Michael Annett.
• Last year in this event, Allgaier won the second stage and led 23 laps on the day, but was ultimately caught up in a multi-car incident that ended his day just shy of the finish.
• In 31 career NXS starts on restrictor-plate tracks, the 34- year-old driver has seven top fives, 14 top 10s and has led a total of 133 laps.

Driver Quotes

“I’m really excited to get to Daytona and get 2021 off on the right foot. We have a new crew chief in Mike Bumgarner, and he’s a great guy to have on the pit box. My engineers (Kevin Walter and Eric Long) are the same, and they know what I like in the car. We finished off 2020 with a strong run (fourth at Phoenix Raceway) and we’ve got a good car for this weekend. JRM is always strong at Daytona, and we get to the front and help each other when we can. It’s fun when you know you have a shot at it every time you come to Daytona.” – Michael Annett

“Daytona is one of those places where you can have a strong car and have great pit stops and strategy, but end up being in the wrong place at the wrong time and it ruins your day. That happened to our BRANDT Professional Agriculture team last year. We led a lot of laps and won a stage, but got caught up in a wreck and didn’t make it to the end of the race. This year, I’m hoping our luck is different and we can get this season started off strong. Our teammates have been fortunate enough to win this event in the past and this weekend we’re going to give it all we’ve got to make it our turn to end up in Victory Lane.” – Justin Allgaier

“I’m really looking forward to getting to Daytona this weekend with our FilterTime Chevrolet and I can’t thank everyone at JR Motorsports enough for this opportunity. Getting to compete here at the next level is something that means a lot to me and hopefully we can carry over that same success we’ve had in the Late Models and come away with a strong finish. I can’t wait to get down there and see what we can do.” – Josh Berry

“We are riding a lot of momentum through the offseason as we head into Daytona after our run through the playoffs last year and we are returning with the same crew. I am really looking forward to getting back to the site of my first Xfinity Series win and I know we can do it again with a similar strategy as last year. I’m going to go out, be aggressive and we will be there at the end contending for the win.” – Noah Gragson

JRM Team Updates
• JRM at Daytona: In 84 NXS starts at Daytona International Speedway, JR Motorsports has scored seven wins (an organizational best), 24 top fives and 37 top 10s. The organization is not only the defending race winner with Noah Gragson, taking the checkered flag out of the gate last year, but JRM has also driven into Victory Lane at Daytona once every season for the last five years, including in the last three season-opening events with drivers Tyler Reddick and Michael Annett accompanying Gragson.
• What’s inside your fridge?: Hellmann’s is trying to tackle the challenge of food waste in a new commercial starring comedian Amy Schumer that debuted during last week’s Super Bowl. Guess what’s inside your fridge? Endless possibilities. Schumer is here to help Hellmann’s end food waste by opening America’s pantries and making snack magic – sad solitary ingredients will now join a delicious, creamy group hug. Ready to explore your kitchen?
• Valentine’s Day with Black Rifle Coffee: Flowers and chocolates are nice, but what better way to show your love this Valentine’s Day than by sharing a cup of Black Rifle Coffee in the morning? Click here and show your love with Black Rifle Coffee and get 20 percent off Valentine’s Day gifting bundles.
• Celebrating American Heart Month: The No. 1 Chevrolet is running a special paint scheme this week and at both the road course at Daytona and Homestead-Miami Speedway in honor of American Heart Month. Pilot Flying J is proud to support the American Heart Association’s “Life is Why™” campaign. To find nearby locations to donate, download the Pilot Flying J app and to learn more about the “Life Is Why™” campaign.

GMS Racing – Jack Wood – ARCA Daytona Preview

By
Official Release
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Jack Wood, No. 21 Chevy Accessories Chevrolet
Daytona International Speedway Stats
– No prior starts at Daytona International Speedway

2020 Stats – ARCA Menards Series West
– Starts: 8, Top 5s: 1, Top 10s: 6

Notes:

– Jack Wood joins GMS Racing for the 2021 season. Wood will make his first start at Daytona International Speedway and his first start in the ARCA Menards Series.

– Wood previously competed part-time for a family-run team in the ARCA West Series and earned one top-five and eight top-10 finishes in 14 starts throughout the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

– Wood made his first start with GMS on Monday at New Smyrna Speedway where he qualified fourth, but a cut left rear tire ended his night early, relegating him to a 13th-place finish.

Quote:

“It’s exciting to go to a track with so much history. It’s definitely a dream come true to race at Daytona. the GMS crew has done a great job of giving me a car that’s capable of competing for wins. We will have to keep our eyes up during the race and hope we can be there at the end.”

ABOUT GMS RACING

GMS Racing competes full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with drivers Sheldon Creed, Zane Smith, Tyler Ankrum, Chase Purdy and Raphael Lessard. The team also competes in the ARCA Racing Series with Jack Wood. 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://www.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

JASON WHITE RACING BACK TO DAYTONA

By
Official Release
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Photo Credit: Rubbings Racing-Corey Grapevine

February 10, 2020. Sun Peaks, BC racer Jason White has worked long and hard to be able to get back racing in 2021. While adhering to strict Covid-19 safety protocols Jason is set to resume his quest for success at Daytona International Speedway. This year he will compete in three events in the coming weeks, the first two races in the Camping World Truck Series, the season opener on the famed oval and a week later on the road course. White will also contest the ARCA series events during Speedweeks.

With a couple of previous races experience White believes this year presents his greatest opportunity for success. “Having connected with Reaume Brothers racing a couple of years ago for the event at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) and run a few races here I am so much better prepared” explained White. “Understanding how the aerodynamics work, how to use the draft, having a base of knowledge now I feel really good about our chances” he stated.

The top-flight equipment he’ll be driving also has White feeling confident. “The Reaume Brothers Racing #33 Powder Ventures/YOURGMCTruckstore.com truck I’ll be running has been completely rebuilt, front to back, top to bottom. I spent some time in the shop seeing the work that’s gone into preparing it for Daytona and I’m super pumped”.

“And the #10 Powder Ventures/YourGMCTruckstore.com ARCA car is a brand-new Superspeedway car that Andy Hillenburg and his group built during the off season” said White. “They’ve taken all that they’ve learned and applied it to this new car and we’re pretty anxious to get out on track to see what we can do” he added.

Jason White is excited to be back on track at the high banks of Daytona and also looking forward to the road course event the following week. “We ran top-ten in both the Speedway races last year, finished sixth in the ARCA race. With all the work that’s gone into both programs, we should be able to take another step” stated the driver.

“Having started with Reaume Brothers Racing at the road course at CTMP, we feel that we have a understanding of what kind of set up we’ll need and believe that we can have some success”

“I also have to thank Rob Zimmer and Zimmer Group at YourGMCTruckstore.com for their help and returning with us this year to make the Daytona triple possible” added White.

Schedule
Truck Series Oval, Feb 11, Practice 5:35-6:35PM. Feb 12, Qualifying 3:10PM, Race, 7:30PM Stages 20/40/100 laps = 250 miles
ARCA Series, Feb 12, Practice 1-2PM. Feb 13, Qualifying 8:30AM, Race 1:45PM (80 laps)

Truck Series Road Course, Race, Feb 19, 7:30PM Stages 12/25/44 laps
To keep up with the latest news about Jason White and the team follow Jason on twitter @racinjasonwhite and on his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RacinJasonWhite

It’s Busch in the Busch Clash! Kyle Wins on DAYTONA Road Course After Elliott, Blaney Collide Coming to Checkered Flag

By
Official Release
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NASCAR Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 9, 2021) – Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch may carry the nickname “Rowdy” but it was a couple of his competitors acting that way that allowed him to move into the lead out of the final turn and earn his second career Busch Clash victory Tuesday night.

Busch’s No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led only the length of a football field en route to the checkered flag – the only time he was out front all night at the exciting 14-turn Daytona International Speedway Road Course. But it was enough – earning the former champion his first victory with new crew chief, Ben Beshore, in the annual non-points exhibition that kicks off Daytona Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth.

Race runner-up Chase Elliott had been fighting with then-race leader Ryan Blaney for the lead as the cars went into the final sequence of turns – called the bus stop. They collided. Blaney’s pole-sitting No. 12 Ford hit the wall. Elliott was able to recover enough to head to the finish line but Busch had already gotten around them both to take a .765-second victory.

Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick and William Byron rounded out the top five. Denny Hamlin, who led a race best 21 of the 35 laps, finished sixth, unable to make his way back to the front after a late race pit stop. Alex Bowman, Erik Jones, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Matt DiBenedetto rounded out the top 10.

“I kinda felt like there was an interesting opportunity that was developing there,” Busch said of the Blaney-Elliott situation, adding “When that started happening I was hoping they would wreck long enough I could get up there and get by them and win the thing. It’s never over until it’s over in these kind of things.”

Both Elliott, who won the last four NASCAR Cup Series road course events, and Blaney spoke about “going for the win” on that final series of turns. They are close friends off track and said that won’t change despite the competitive run for Tuesday’s trophy.

They had a conversation on pit road after climbing out of their cars and then came to the infield media center at the same time as well for post-race interviews.

Blaney said he was surprised Elliott was able to even make the race as close as it was, considering Blaney’s Ford had fresher tires.

“I hate it happened too, it didn’t work out for either of us,” said Blaney, who started from the pole position and ultimately ended up 13th. “We were just racing hard and I had a little bit fresher tires there. We saved a set [of tires] and got back to second there. His car was really good, I had to use up a lot to get to him. I tried to protect and drove into that last corner really deep to make sure I didn’t get dive-bombed like that. But we just came together.”

“Of course he didn’t mean to wreck me, but I ended up wrecked,” Blaney said later, in the post-race media conference. “I told him if you’re going to make a move like that, at least win the race.”

Elliott, the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion, was apologetic for the hard contact – especially because it cost them both a victory. But he said he would do it again to win a race.

“Neither one of us won, that’s the big one,” Elliott said. “I was close enough to drive it in there. I feel like I’d be mad at myself for not at least trying. Obviously, I don’t mean to wreck anybody, especially him – some guys I wouldn’t mind, but he’s not one of them. Hopefully he’s not too mad at me. I feel like you have to go for it in an event like this.

“I can’t be sorry about going for the win, but certainly didn’t mean to wreck him.”

Speedweeks continues Tuesday evening with DAYTONA 500 Qualifying Presented By Kroger at 7:00 p.m., which can be seen on FS1 and heard on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Tickets for Speedweeks Presented By AdventHealth events, excluding the DAYTONA 500, are still available as children 12 and under are FREE in the 100 level seating and $10 in all other reserved seating. Tickets start at $49 for adults for Thursday’s Bluegreen Vacations Duel At DAYTONA, Friday’s Nextera Energy 250 and Saturday’s doubleheader featuring the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. ® 300 for the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the Lucas Oil 200 Driven by General Tire for the ARCA Menards Series.

For information and a complete schedule of all racing events as part of Speedweeks, log onto www.DAYTONA500.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP. Tickets are also available for the track’s tripleheader weekend on the DAYTONA Road course (Feb. 19-21), featuring NASCAR’s top three national series.

Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for the latest speedway news.

About Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a state-of-the-art motorsports facility and was awarded the SportsBusiness Journal’s prestigious Sports Business Award for Sports Facility of the Year in 2016. Daytona International Speedway is the home of “The Great American Race” – the DAYTONA 500. Though the season-opening NASCAR Cup Series event garners most of the attention – as well as the largest audience in motorsports – the approximately 500-acre motorsports complex, also known as the “World Center of Racing,” boasts the most diverse schedule of racing on the globe. In addition to at least nine major event weekends, the Speedway grounds are also used extensively for events that include concerts, civic and social gatherings, car shows, photo shoots, production vehicle testing and police motorcycle training.

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