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No Practice or Qualifying Adds to the Unique Challenge Of Bank of America ROVAL™ 400

By
Official Release
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  • As part of NASCAR’s adjusted weekend schedules due to the ongoing pandemic, teams will not have any practice or qualifying before Sunday’s green flag at the Bank of America ROVAL™ 400

CONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 7, 2020) – The stakes are high for drivers competing in Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL™ 400, especially those jockeying for position in the pivotal Round of 12 cutoff race, where the bottom four playoff drivers will be eliminated from championship contention. Adding to the intensity this season is the fact that drivers will take the green flag without the opportunity to practice or qualify.

As part of NASCAR’s reduced schedule, practice and qualifying have been eliminated for many races as the sanctioning body looks for ways to streamline at-track personnel amid the ongoing pandemic. A direct result: less time for teams to dial in tune-ups before the races begin. And at a track as wildly different as the ROVAL™, that has drivers expecting the unexpected.

“The ROVAL is going to be really tough without practice because it’s low downforce,” said Brad Keselowski, who currently sits fifth in the playoff points’ standings. “We ran the Daytona road course without practice, but it was high downforce so it was a lot easier to drive. The ROVAL will not be that way. I suspect it’s going to be chaos.”

While not yet locked into the Round of 8, at 41 points above the cut line, Keselowski enters the weekend with a comfortable margin. But several playoff contenders aren’t so fortunate. Aric Almirola, who is currently 12th in points, finds himself in nearly a must-win scenario heading to one of the most technically challenging tracks of the season.

“It’s so hard to describe how challenging it is,” the Stewart-Haas Racing driver said. “The infield asphalt is so slippery and treacherous. Some of the corners are actually off camber, so they are banked the wrong way. There’s just a lot of opportunity to get yourself in trouble.

“Thankfully we’ve had the opportunity to race at the ROVAL for two years now. I could not imagine showing up at the ROVAL to run with zero practice.”

While NASCAR has raced much of the season without practice, Martin Truex Jr., who narrowly missed out on winning the inaugural Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 in 2018, said the lack of track time will likely be more evident at a track like the ROVAL™.

“When you’re looking to get better at a race track, you typically have a few ideas you want to try,” Truex said. “You go out there and practice and try them and say, ‘ok, this didn’t do what we thought or this did do what we thought,’ and then you go from there. These days you don’t have that.

“It’s hard to get better at race tracks (with no practice), especially at very unique tracks like the ROVAL™ with so many turns. You change one thing on the car and it effects a few spots like you want it to, but does it effect other spots in a bad way that maybe slows you down?”

Perhaps Kevin Harvick best summed up what fans can expect.

“Unpredictable is a great word for it,” he said. “As we all go to the ROVAL™, we understand that it’s just an unorthodox road course. There’s not anything traditional about the way that it races, the way that you drive it, the things that you do. We prepare more for that race than just about any other race that we go to… You know that it’s going to get crazy, there’s going to be strategy, people are taking chances, and the race track itself can reach out and bite you at any time. It’s a very challenging race track that you have to try to adapt to.”

TICKETS:

While there are no tickets available for Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL™ 400, tickets remain for Saturday’s racing double-header, featuring the Drive for the Cure 250 presented by BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina NASCAR Xfinity Series showdown and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar GT Championship Series’ Motul 100% Synthetic Grand Prix. Adult tickets are just $50; kids 13 and under get in free. To purchase, visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or call 800-455-FANS (3267).

TUNE IN:

In addition to getting in on the fun before the races go green, fans are encouraged to tune in to pre-race coverage of the Drive for the Cure 250 on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and the Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Both races will be broadcast on NBC, the Performance Racing Network and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

FOLLOW ALONG:

Keep track of all of Charlotte Motor Speedway’s events, share their photos and join the conversation by following on Twitter and Instagram or becoming a Facebook fan. Fans can also keep up with all the latest news and information with the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 to reach 1,000 starts at the Roval

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

A significant milestone is in the making for Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 car in the NASCAR Cup Series, currently driven by two-time reigning series champion Kyle Busch. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s Cup event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course for the Bank of America Roval 400, the No. 18 car competing under the JGR banner will reach 1,000 starts in NASCAR’s premier series.

The No. 18 car serves as the first car fielded by Joe Gibbs Racing in NASCAR when the team made its debut in the 1992 Daytona 500 led by Washington Football Team head coach Joe Gibbs. By then, Interstate Batteries was sponsoring the car while Dale Jarrett, a second-generation competitor from Hickory, North Carolina, was serving as the team’s first competitor. Jarrett and the No. 18 team achieved two top-five results and eight top-10 results throughout the 29-race schedule before finishing the team’s first season in 19th place.

The following season, Jarrett and the No. 18 Interstate Batteries car opened the season in style by winning the season-opening Daytona 500 as Jarrett recorded the first NASCAR win for Joe Gibbs Racing. Jarrett went on to record a total of 13 top-five results and 18 top-10 results before he finished in fourth place in the final standings. In 1994, Jarrett won at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October and he notched four top-five results and nine top-10 results in 30 of the 31-race schedule, where he did not make the field at North Wilkesboro Speedway in October, before he concluded the season in 16th place in the final standings.

Following the 1994 season, Jarrett moved to Robert Yates Racing while Terry Labonte, the younger brother of the 1984 Cup champion Terry Labonte, took over as driver of JGR’s No. 18 Interstate Batteries car for the 1995 Cup season. Eleven races into the season, Labonte scored his first Cup career win in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte in May and he became the second competitor to win in NASCAR’s premier series for JGR. Ironically, JGR’s No. 18 car made its 100th Cup career start when Labonte won his first career race at Charlotte.

Ultimately, Labonte achieved two additional victories throughout the 1995 season: Michigan International Speedway in June and again at Michigan in August. He also achieved two poles, seven top-five results and 14 top-10 results before he concluded the season in 10th place in the final standings.

From 1996 to 1998, Labonte and the No. 18 team won a total of four races and racked up 25 top-five results and 50 top-10 results, with Labonte’s best final result in the standings being a sixth-place result in 1998. By then, JGR’s No. 18 car surpassed 200 Cup starts. After winning five races and concluding the 1999 season in second place in the final standings behind Jarrett, Labonte and the No. 18 team notched four victories, 19 top-five results and 24 top-10 results before claiming the 2000 NASCAR Cup championship by 265 points over Dale Earnhardt. The championship was a first for both Labonte and Joe Gibbs Racing in NASCAR. 

In 2001, Labonte and the No. 18 team were unable to defend their title after winning only two races, recording 20 top-10 results and concluding the season in sixth place in the final standings. By then, JGR’s No. 18 car surpassed 300 Cup starts. The following season, Labonte and the No. 18 team recorded only one victory throughout the 36-race schedule before finishing the season in 16th place in the final standings. By then, Joe Gibbs Racing achieved its second Cup championship with Tony Stewart and the No. 20 Home Depot team.

In 2003, Labonte and the No. 18 team rallied by winning twice throughout the 36-race schedule and racking up four poles, 12 top-five results and 17 top-10 results before concluding the season in eighth place in the final standings. For the next two Cup seasons, however, Labonte and the No. 18 team went winless. They also achieved one pole, nine top-five results and 18 top-10 results, with Labonte’s best points result being 12th place in 2004. By then, JGR’s No. 18 car surpassed 400 Cup starts.

For the 2006 season, J.J. Yeley, a native from Phoenix, Arizona, and a former USAC competitor who competed for JGR as an Xfinity Series competitor, assumed driving responsibilities of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet while Bobby Labonte made the move to Petty Enterprises. In his first full Cup season in the No. 18 car, Yeley struggled on the track as he only achieved three top-10 results before he finished in 29th place in the final standings. Following the 2006 season, JGR’s No. 18 team reached 500 Cup career starts.

Yeley and the No. 18 team rebounded the following season by notching a second-place result in the 2007 Coca-Cola 600 in May, three top-10 results and a pole position at Michigan International Speedway in June before concluding the season in 21st place in the final standings. Following the 2007 season, Joe Gibbs Racing changed manufacturers from General Motors to Toyota.

In 2008, JGR welcomed Las Vegas, Nevada’s Kyle Busch as the newest driver of the No. 18 Toyota Camry sponsored by M&M’s/Mars Inc. and Interstate Batteries. It only took the first four races into the season until Busch achieved his first victory with the team at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March. Busch’s win at Atlanta was historical with Toyota achieving its first victory in the Cup Series. Through the first 26 races of the season, Busch won eight races, recorded 17 top-10 results and led the standings for the majority of the season. When the 10-race Playoff stretch started, however, Busch struggled with on-track consistency and only notched four top-10 results before concluding the season in 10th place in the final standings.

Following the 2009 season, where Busch won four races and finished in 13th place in the final standings after missing the Playoffs, JGR’s No. 18 car surpassed 600 Cup starts. Busch and the No. 18 team went on to win a total of seven races from 2010 to 2011. At Texas Motor Speedway in November, Michael McDowell drove JGR’s No. 18 M&M’s Toyota after Busch was not allowed to compete in the Cup and Xfinity events at Texas throughout the weekend due to intentionally wrecking Ron Hornaday Jr. in the Truck Series race at the track on Friday night. 

After the 2012 season, where Busch won only once throughout the season and missed the Playoffs while JGR’s No. 18 car surpassed 700 Cup starts, Busch and the No. 18 team rallied in 2013 by winning four races before finishing in fourth place in the final standings. The fourth-place result in the 2013 standings marked the highest result for JGR’s No. 18 car in the standings since winning the 2000 championship. Busch and the No. 18 team went on to win only once and finish in 10th place in the 2014 final standings.

JGR’s No. 18 Toyota team started the 2015 season on a rocky note when Kyle Busch suffered a massive compound fracture on his right leg and fractured his left foot following a harrowing multi-car wreck in the Xfinity Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway in February. The injuries prevented Busch from competing in the early portions of the season. As a result, the No. 18 car was piloted by two-time Truck Series champion Matt Crafton, two-time Cup winner David Ragan and four-time Truck winner Erik Jones through the first 11 races of the season. Following the Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway in May, Busch made his return to racing the following week at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the All-Star Race. After finishing in sixth place in the All-Star Race, Busch finished in 11th place the following race, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. Ironically, Busch’s first points race of the 2015 season at Charlotte occurred as JGR’s No. 18 car made its 800th Cup start.

Though Busch completed his first points race of the 2015 Cup season at Charlotte, he needed a win and enough consistent runs to make the top-30 cutoff mark in the standings by September and when the regular-season stretch concluded before the 16-car Playoff field would be determined. Busch and the No. 18 team achieved their first goal of winning at Sonoma Raceway in June. After finishing 17th at Daytona the following event, Busch and the No. 18 team went on a three-race winning span. The four victories along with five additional top-10 results throughout the summer were more than for Busch and the No. 18 team to remain inside the top-30 mark in the standings and make the Playoffs.

Following a consistent run in the Playoffs, Busch and JGR’s No. 18 team were one of four driver/team pairings to make it all the way to the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November and with an opportunity to win the 2015 Cup championship. During the finale, Busch led 41 laps and pulled away in a late shootout to win the finale and his first title in NASCAR’s premier series. With Busch becoming the first competitor since Richard Petty to win a Cup title despite not competing the entire season and recording the first Cup title for Toyota, JGR achieved its fourth Cup championship overall and its first since the 2005 season with Tony Stewart.

From 2016 to 2018, Busch and the No. 18 team achieved 17 wins. 53 top-five results and 75 top-10 results. In addition, Busch made the Championship Round in all three seasons, with a best result of second place in 2017 and finishing no lower than fourth place. Following the 2018 season, Busch surpassed 900 Cup career starts. He had also achieved a victory across every active track.

In 2019, Busch and the No. 18 team achieved five victories, 17 top-five results and 27 top-10 results throughout the 36-race schedule. By winning the season finale at Homestead in November as a title contender, Busch achieved his second Cup championship and he became the 16th competitor to win multiple titles in NASCAR’s premier series. In addition, Joe Gibbs Racing achieved its fifth Cup title, third with the No. 18 car.

This season, through 31 races, Busch and the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota have recorded 12 top-five results and 17 top-10 results, though the driver and the team remain winless. Currently, Busch is in ninth place in the Playoff standings and is 21 points below the top-eight cutline to advance to the Round of 8 in the Playoffs.

Catch Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 milestone start in the Bank of America Roval 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course on Sunday, October 11, at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC. 

TEXAS LOTTERY NO LIMITS LIVE! PRE-RACE EXTRAVAGANZA TO PROVIDE FULL THROTTLE FAN ENTERTAINMENT DURING OCT. 25 NASCAR DOUBLEHEADER

By
Official Release
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  • Live show between the conclusion of SpeedyCash.com 400 and start of Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 to air on Big Hoss TV for all in attendance to enjoy
  • Special live presentation for seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson
  • Texas Lottery No Limits Live! Pre-Race Show will be hosted by Monica Palumbo and Jose Castillo and live-streamed on www.TexasMotorSpeedway.com

FORT WORTH, Texas (Oct. 7, 2020) – The highly anticipated 2020 NASCAR Playoffs at Texas Motor Speedway now goes nonstop Sunday, Oct. 25, with the addition of the Texas Lottery No Limits Live! Pre-Race Show leading up to the green flag for the NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 (2:30 p.m. CT on NBCSN, PRN, KFWR 95.5 The Ranch).

The Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 caps off a doubleheader of intense late playoffs-season action on the 1.5-mile tri-oval that begins with the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 400 (11 a.m. CT on FS1, MRN, KFWR 95.5 The Ranch).

Texas Lottery No Limits Live! Pre-Race Show co-hosts Monica Palumbo and Jose Castillo will present a one-hour program of full throttle fan entertainment from a news desk stage directly in front of the main grandstands and shown for all in attendance to see on Big Hoss TV as well as live-streamed at www.texasmotorspeedway.com. Vignettes will include interviews with 2020 NASCAR Cup Series title contender Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Ford), a hauler tour with 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series title contender Justin Allgaier (No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet) and a special live presentation with seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet), making his final fulltime series start at No Limits, Texas.

“The Texas Lottery is proud to continue our work with Texas Motor Speedway by collaborating on this fantastic live pre-race show for spectators,” said Gary Grief, executive director of the Texas Lottery. “Since our partnership began in 2015, Texas Motor Speedway has proven to be an innovative and reliable partner that focuses on unique promotional opportunities, like No Limits Live, and we look forward to expanding our partnership in 2021 by providing fans with 50X Speedway Riches – the first Texas Motor Speedway scratch ticket game from the Texas Lottery.”

Texas Motor Speedway’s Big Hoss TV features 22,704.64-square feet of HD LED display and has the distinction of holding the Guinness World Record as the World’s Largest HDTV.

“Having race fans back at Texas Motor Speedway for the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500/SpeedyCash.com 400 doubleheader will be great to see so, working with a great partner in the Texas Lottery, we decided to provide them something special to keep their fantastic energy high between races,” said Texas Motor Speedway President and General Manager Eddie Gossage. “Big Hoss TV allows us to produce the Texas Lottery No Limits Live! Pre-Race Show for fans in the grandstands similar to what those watching at home can see on NBCSN and FS1.”

Tickets for the Oct. 25 NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 400 doubleheader are available starting at $48 at

Tickets for the Oct. 25 NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 400 doubleheader are available starting at $48 here. Tickets for kids 12 and under are just $10. Further details can be found on the Texas Motor Speedway website.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 (Saturday, Oct. 24 at 3:30 p.m. CT on NBCSN, PRN, KFWR 95.5 The Ranch), the fifth of seven races of the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs, will be run as a non-spectator event.

Click for a comprehensive list of answers to frequently asked questions about the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500/SpeedyCash.com 400 doubleheader.

Tickets for Texas Motor Speedway’s 25th major event season in 2021 on are sale now at https://www.texasmotorspeedway.com/nascar-indycar-tickets/.

Keep track of all of Texas Motor Speedway’s events by following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Keep up with all the latest news and information on the speedway website and TMS mobile app.

About the Texas Lottery
Beginning with the first ticket sold in 1992, the Texas Lottery has generated $31 billion in revenue for the state and distributed $66 billion in prizes to lottery players. Since 1997, the Texas Lottery has contributed $25.7 billion to the Foundation School Fund, which supports public education in Texas. As authorized by the Texas Legislature, certain Texas Lottery revenues benefit state programs including the Fund for Veterans’ Assistance. Since the first veterans’ themed scratch ticket game was launched in 2009, the Texas Lottery has contributed more than $142 million for programs supporting Texas veterans.

The Texas Lottery provides several entertaining games for lottery players including Powerball®, Mega Millions®, Lotto Texas®, All or Nothing™, Texas Two Step®, Pick 3™, Daily 4™, Cash Five® and scratch ticket games. For more information visit us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube or at www.txlottery.org. PLAY RESPONSIBLY.

Suarez to reach 250 starts across NASCAR at the Roval

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images.

A significant milestone is in the making for Daniel Suarez, the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion and driver of the No. 96 Toyota Camry for Gaunt Brothers Racing in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season. By taking the green flag in this weekend’s Cup Series event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course for the Bank of America Roval 400, Suarez will reach 250 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

A native of Monterrey, Mexico, Suarez’s racing career started with karts, where he won two national karting championships in 2004 and 2008. He went on to compete and win races in mini-stock cars, a support series of the NASCAR Peak Mexico Series in 2008. Suarez’s early racing success led him to compete in the NASCAR Mexico Series in 2010, where he claimed the series Rookie-of-the-Year title and went on to achieve an abundant of on-track success and wins in the series along with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East through 2013 while alternating between racing in Mexico and the United States of America.

Following the 2013 season, Suarez achieved a total of five victories in the NASCAR Mexico Series with a best result of second place in 2012. He had also completed his first full-time season in the K&N Pro Series East with Rev Racing, where he achieved his first win at Ohio’s Columbus Motor Speedway before he concluded the season in third place in the final standings and all while being a NASCAR Drive for Diversity and Next member.

Suarez started the 2014 racing season by winning the first two K&N Pro Series East races of the season, the first at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway before backing it with a win at the UNOH Battle at the Beach around Daytona International Speedway’s mini oval backstretch course. He went on to record a total of four top-five results and seven top-10 results in 13 starts in the East Series. He also made his ARCA Racing Series at Kentucky Speedway with Venturini Motorsports in September, where he started third and finished fifth.

Two months after winning the UNOH Battle at the Beach, Suarez was selected by Joe Gibbs Racing to drive the No. 20 Toyota Camry for the NASCAR Xfinity Series spring event at Richmond Raceway. Starting in 12th place, Suarez went on to finish in 19th place in his series debut. He made his second series start at Chicagoland Speedway in September. Driving the No. 29 ARRIS Toyota for RAB Racing, Suarez started 18th and notched a 15th-place result. He also made his NASCAR Truck Series debut at Talladega Superspeedway in October, where he started 17th and finished 15th while driving the No. 35 ARRIS Toyota Tundra for Win-Tron Racing.

Four months after making his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Richmond, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Suarez will be competing in the series on a full-time basis in 2015. Driving the No. 18 ARRIS Toyota Camry led by crew chief Eric Phillips, Suarez recorded three poles, two Dash 4 Cash bonuses, eight top-five results, 18 top-10 results and an average result of 11.7 before he finished in fifth place in the final standings. He ended up claiming the Rookie-of-the-Year title over Bubba Wallace by virtue of one additional top-10 result. As a result, Suarez became the first Mexican and second Drive for Diversity competitor to achieve a rookie title in any of NASCAR’s three major division series. He also made 13 starts in the NASCAR Truck Series with Kyle Busch Motorsports, where he achieved seven top-five results and 10 top-10 results. He also made four starts in the ARCA Series with Venturini Motorsports, where he recorded one pole, one top-five result and two top-10 results.

Suarez remained as a full-time competitor in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs Racing, piloting the No. 19 ARRIS Toyota Camry, and as a part-time competitor in the NASCAR Truck Series with Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2016. In 13 Truck starts, Suarez achieved his first career win at Phoenix Raceway in November and he also achieved one pole, three top-five results and six top-10 results. In the Xfinity Series and paired with crew chief Scott Graves, Suarez recorded 18 top-five results and 26 top-10 results through 32 of the 33-race schedule. By then, he also achieved his first two Xfinity career wins, the first at Michigan International Speedway in June and the second at Dover International Speedway during the inaugural Xfinity Playoffs in October. With his first win at Michigan, he became the first Mexican-born competitor to win within NASCAR’s three major division series. Suarez, ultimately, entered the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November as one of four competitors contending for the championship. During the finale, Suarez led a race-high 133 of 200 laps and went on to beat Elliott Sadler, Justin Allgaier and teammate Erik Jones in a two-lap shootout to win the finale and the 2016 Xfinity championship. With his accomplishment, Suarez became the first foreign-born/Latin American competitor to win a championship within NASCAR’s three major division series and he recorded the second Xfinity drivers’ title for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Following the sudden departure of Carl Edwards, Suarez was named a full-time competitor of the No. 19 ARRIS/Stanley Tools/Subway Toyota Camry for JGR for the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series season, marking Suarez’s first opportunity in competing in NASCAR’s premier series. Suarez made his Daytona 500 debut in February, where he finished 29th after crashing out in the second half of the season. Three races later, he achieved his first top-10 result in the series by finishing in seventh place at Phoenix in March. He went on to achieve 11 additional top-10 results and a best result of third place at Watkins Glen International in August, where he also won a stage, for the remainder of the season. He also won the Monster Energy Open preliminary race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, where he transferred to his first All-Star Race appearance and went on to finish in 15th place of the 20-car field. When the season concluded, he finished in 20th place in the final standings and he ended up finishing in second place in the Cup Rookie-of-the-Year standings behind Erik Jones. Throughout the 2017 season, Suarez also made 14 starts in the Xfinity Series for JGR, where he achieved five top-five results and eight top-10 results. Following the 2017 season, Suarez surpassed 100 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series.

Suarez remained as driver of the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2018. Throughout his sophomore season in the Cup Series, he achieved his first career pole position at Pocono Raceway in July and he went on to achieve a career-best second-place result during the main event following a late battle with teammate Kyle Busch. Another bright moment of Suarez’s 2018 Cup season occurred at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, where he won the second stage of the Monster Energy Open preliminary event, transferred to his second consecutive All-Star Race appearance and settled in second place following a late battle with Kevin Harvick. Suarez also achieved a total of 12 top-10 results and he concluded the season in 21st place in the final standings. He also made two Xfinity Series with JGR, where he finished in the top 10 in both races. Following the 2018 season, however, Suarez was released from JGR in favor of Martin Truex Jr.

A month before the 2019 season started, Suarez was named driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation/ARRIS Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series season led by Billy Scott. He started the season on a low note by racking up his third consecutive DNF in the Daytona 500 after being involved in a late multi-car wreck. He rallied the following race at Atlanta Motor Speedway by finishing in 10th place. Four races later and following a three-race stretch of finishing no higher than 13th, he finished 10th at Martinsville before he recorded a strong third-place result at Texas Motor Speedway in April. Throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, Suarez achieved nine top-10 results and one pole position. His late consistent surge on the track was not enough, however, to make the 2019 Cup Playoffs after he finished in 11th place in the regular-season finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and being beaten by Ryan Newman for the final spot to the Playoffs. It marked the third consecutive season where Suarez failed to make the Cup Playoff field as he has yet to do so. Nonetheless, he went on to achieve two additional top-10 results and finish the season in 17th place in the final standings. By then, he surpassed 200 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series. Despite a productive junior season in the Cup circuit, Suarez was released from SHR in favor of Cole Custer.

A month before the 2020 season started, Suarez joined forces with Gaunt Brothers Racing to drive the 96 Toyota Camry in the NASCAR Cup Series season. He started this season on a low note when he crashed out in the second Duel race at Daytona International Speedway in February and failed to make the Daytona 500. His first start with GBR was at Las Vegas Motor Speedway the following week, where he finished 30th after encountering mechanical issues at the start of the race. 

Through 30 starts this season, Suarez has finished no higher than 18th place, which occurred twice at Bristol Motor Speedway in May and at Kansas Speedway in July. His average result is 26.4 and he is ranked in 31st place in the standings. While he has yet to achieve his first Cup Series win, he is set to drive for the newly formed Trackhouse Entertainment Group and in the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in 2021.

Catch Suarez’s milestone start in the Bank of America Roval 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course on Sunday, October 11, at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC. 

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Charlotte this Sunday

By
SM
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The NASCAR Cup Series heads to the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in Charlotte, North Carolina this Sunday for the Bank of America 400.  The race coverage will begin at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.  The ROVAL made its debut on the NASCAR circuit in 2018 and this will be the first time the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff’s sixth race has been held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.

Chase Elliott has the best driver rating at 122.0, followed by Kevin Harvick (111.7), Jimmie Johnson (105.0), Clint Bowyer (103.5), Martin Truex Jr (101.3), William Byron (98.6), Brad Keselowski (97.6), Ryan Blaney (96.1), Kurt Busch (85.9), and Joey Logano (85.9).  The odds and bets could be on Alex Bowman with a 3.0 average finish along with drivers Clint Bowyer and Elliott at 3.5 after two ROVAL races.  Bowman leads the series in average starting position at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course with a 2.5 in two starts. 

The previous two ROVAL races resulted in Elliott winning the race in September 29, 2019 and Ryan Blaney won the tracks inaugural race on September 30, 2018.  Elliott went on to finish the 2019 championship standings in 10th place and Blaney finished the 2018 season also in 10th.

Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course Data

  • Track qualifying record: Kurt Busch at 106.868 mph, 76.805 secs
  • Track Size: 3.67-kilometers / 2.28-miles
  • Track Type: Road Course
  • Number of Turns: 17
  • Elevation Change: 35 degrees
  • Race Length: 109 laps / 400 kilometers
  • Stage 1 and 2 Length: 25 laps (each)
  • Final Stage Length: 59 laps

Only 11 points separate the fifth through eighth-place drivers in the playoff hunt, and Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon are both just 21 points behind eighth place Joey Logano.

NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Elliott has won each of the last three road races, including an incredible finish in the 2019 Bank of America ROVAL™ 400.  The race is very unpredictable, and Elliott is one of the clear favorites to win on Sunday despite him not thinking the course is not meant to be one.

“I think what makes the Roval really unique is it’s kind of like trying to fit a whole bunch of stuff in a very small area, I feel like. The place just does not flow very good. That thing probably wasn’t meant to be a road course, I would say, when they built it. It’s just unique and there’s just a lot of places around the racetrack that are really tight with not a lot of flow.” Elliott said of the ROVAL

Will Jimmie Johnson add to his record 12 Cup Series victories at Charlotte?  Johnson made his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2001 and on Sunday he will strap in to his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports car for the final time at Charlotte as a full-time Cup Series driver.  Johnson has won four of the NASCAR All-Star Race’s (2003, 2006, 2012, 2013). and a record setting eight Cup Series points wins (2003, 2004(2), 2005(2), 2019, 2014, 2016) at the 1.5-mile speedway the was also nicknamed “Jimmie’s House” during this period.

Denny Hamlin won this past week at Talladega Superspeedway. Hamlin started from the pole position and led 26 laps in route to tying NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Bill Elliott with 44 career wins.  When asked about the different kind of track, he said “The Roval is a tough track and can turn your entire season on its head with just one wreck. It’s unforgivable. We’ll go out there with the best strategy we can and execute it to the best of our ability.”

If you are attending this Sunday’s race, you need to be aware that more common-sense measures have been put in place for the health and safety of the attendees, drivers, teams and staff.  Guests are required to wear masks or other appropriate face coverings, which cover the nose and mouth, once they enter the property in common areas such as gate entries, restrooms, concessions, souvenir stands, elevators, concourses, suite-level hallways and in the grandstands.  All purchases from food and souvenir stands will be electronic transactions (debit and credit cards only, no cash or checks).

CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE 2020 NASCAR CUP SERIES EVENT SCHEDULE

** ACCESS RESTRICTED – ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL ONLY **

** ENTRANCE SCHEDULE AVAILABLE BY DEPARTMENT **

Saturday, October 10

4:30 PM NCS ROOKIE MEETING (ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION)

5:00 PM NCS DRIVER / CREW CHIEF MEETING (ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION)

8:00 PM 10:00 PM NCS HAULERS ENTER (SCREENING & EQUIPMENT UNLOAD)

Sunday, October 11

7:30 AM 2:00 PM NCS GARAGE ACCESS SCREENING IN PROGRESS

7:30 AM NCS GARAGE OPEN

1:55 PM NCS DRIVERS REPORT TO VEHICLES (GRID LOCATION)

2:00 PM NCS DRIVER INTRODUCTIONS (DRIVERS STANDING BY CARS)

2:00 PM TRACK SERVICES MEETING (RADIO CHANNEL ASSIGNMENT)

2:30 PM NCS RACE (STAGES 25/50/109 LAPS = 252.88 MILES)

Hamlin to start on pole position at Charlotte Roval

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

Denny Hamlin will be starting on pole position for the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course for the third annual Bank of America Roval 400 on Sunday, October 11.

The starting lineup was based on four stats: current owner’s standings, the driver’s results from a previous Cup race, the owner’s results from a previous Cup race and the fastest lap recorded from a previous Cup race.

With that, Hamlin, who won last weekend’s Playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway, was awarded the top starting spot for this weekend’s race at Charlotte, which serves as the third and final event in the Round of 12 of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. This will mark the third time this season where Hamlin will start on pole position as he is secured into the Round of 8 in the Playoffs following his victory at Talladega.

Chase Elliott, the reigning winner of the Charlotte Roval, will start alongside Hamlin on the front row. Brad Keselowski will start in third place followed by Kevin Harvick and Alex Bowman, who was revealed as the newest driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for the 2021 season a day ago.

Austin Dillon, who currently sits 21 points below the top-eight cutline in the Playoff standings, will start in sixth place followed by Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch. Teammates Clint Bowyer and Aric Almirola will line up in 11th and 12th.

Starting in positions 13-26 are William Byron, Erik Jones, Ryan Newman, Tyler Reddick, Ty Dillon, Ryan Preece, John Hunter Nemechek, Matt DiBenedetto, Chris Buescher, Brennan Poole, Matt Kenseth, Ryan Blaney, Quin Houff and Bubba Wallace.

Starting in positions 27-38 are Timmy Hill, Cole Custer, Joey Gase, Jimmie Johnson, Michael McDowell, Corey LaJoie, J.J. Yeley, Daniel Suarez, Christopher Bell, Gray Gaulding, James Davison and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

The Bank of America Roval 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course will occur on Sunday, October 11, at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

JR Motorsports — NXS Charlotte Roval Preview

By
Official Release
-

JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Charlotte Motor Speedway
RACE: Drive for the Cure 250 (67 laps / 155.44 miles)
DATE: Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020

Broadcast Information – TV: 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC / Radio: 3 p.m. ET on PRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90

Michael Annett
No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
• Michael Annett enters this week’s NASCAR Xfinity Series cutoff event for the Round of 8 12th in points, 38 below the cutline to advance.
• On road courses this season, Annett has scored two top-10 finishes at Indianapolis and Road America.
• As October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Annett will carry the name of family friend Diane Ramsey on his No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet this weekend. Ramsey is a close friend of Annett and his family and is bravely battling cancer. Her name will appear on Annett’s right-side door.
• Annett has 17 top-10 finishes and three in the top five so far this season.

Daniel Hemric
No. 8 OnDeck Capital Chevrolet
• Daniel Hemric and the No. 8 team currently sit sixth in the playoff grid for the owner’s championship, 10 points ahead of the eighth and final cutoff position with one race remaining in the Round of 12.
• In nine NXS starts on road courses, Hemric has earned three top fives, four top 10s and a best finish of second in the 2017 event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
• Hemric has also scored an additional two top-five finishes in six combined road course starts across the Truck Series and the NASCAR Cup Series.
• OnDeck Capital, the largest US online lender for small businesses, adorns the No. 8 for the second time in 2020.

Noah Gragson
No. 9 Lionel Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson currently sits third in the playoff standings, 47 points above the cutline with one race remaining in the Round of 12.
• Gragson has one start at the Charlotte Roval coming in 2019 where he finished fifth.
• In seven starts on road courses in the NXS, Gragson has earned five top fives, seven top 10s and an average finish of 5.0. Gragson’s best finish of third came on the road courses at Daytona and Indianapolis.
• In his last 10 series starts, Gragson has finished inside of the top 10 nine different times, including six straight.

Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• Justin Allgaier heads into the final race of the first round of the NXS Playoffs seventh in the standings. He’s currently 19 points above the cutline for the Round of 8.
• In two starts on the Charlotte Roval, Allgaier has one top five, finishing fourth last fall after starting seventh.
• This season on road courses, the 34-year-old driver has two top-10 finishes, with a best effort of seventh coming at Indianapolis.
• Overall, Allgaier has scored three victories, nine top fives and 21 top 10s in 31 starts on road courses in the NXS.
• Through 28 races this season, the Illinois native has three victories, 12 stage wins and has led 897 laps

Driver Quotes

“To have a runner-up finish taken away in post-race inspection this close to the cutoff race was a tough blow. We were in the playoffs at that point, too. That leaves us a lot of work to do this weekend at the Roval. Travis Mack and the No. 1 team have given me fast Pilot Flying J Chevrolets all year long, and the key to finishing well in these road-course events is to stay on the track. We’ll do that and do everything we can to win the race and keep going in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs.” – Michael Annett

“Being in the position we’re in after Talladega makes me that much more thankful for the wins and bonus points we earned before the playoffs. We definitely wish we had more of a cushion heading into to the Roval this weekend, but we’re still above the cutline and I feel like we’ve got a good track record on road courses. We just need to have a solid day, make no mistakes and maximize stage points with our BRANDT Camaro. I’m looking forward to the challenge and I know that I’ve got the best team that I could possibly have to get things done and move on to the next round.” – Justin Allgaier

“Any opportunity to race here in Charlotte is extremely special to me. From growing up racing on the quarter-mile here to competing across all three series here, it just carries a special meaning, especially since this is my home track. I feel really confident that we will unload with a really fast OnDeck Capital Chevrolet on Saturday. I have always enjoyed this layout at the Roval and road-course racing as a whole has been something that I’ve always enjoyed doing. So hopefully we can have a solid day and get this No. 8 team into the Round of 8 for the owner’s championship.” – Daniel Hemric

“I’m really looking forward to racing at the Charlotte Roval this weekend in my Lionel Racing Camaro. I enjoy road-course racing and have had success at road courses but the only thing I haven’t done yet is win at one in the Xfinity Series. That is the goal for this weekend to advance us into the Round of 8 and to give us a few extra playoff points along the way to help us further down the road.” – Noah Gragson

JRM Team Updates:
• JRM at the Roval: In eight previous starts at the Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway, JRM has recorded two top fives and four top 10s with a best finish of fourth coming in this event last season with Justin Allgaier.
• JRM on Road Courses: JRM has netted four wins, 30 top fives and 65 top 10s in 125 starts on road courses in the NXS. Ron Fellows and Regan Smith earned the organization’s first two road course victories at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal in 2008 and at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2015, while Justin Allgaier went to Victory Lane at Mid-Ohio and Road America in 2018.
• Driven by Die-Cast: This year marks 10 years since Lionel Racing was named The Official Die-Cast of NASCAR. Located near Charlotte Motor Speedway, the company continues to be “Driven by Die-Cast” and produces replica NASCAR cars and trucks that can be found at LionelRacing.com, official trackside merchandise trailers, authorized retailers and etailers, and in Walmart and Target stores nationwide.

Toyota Racing Weekly Preview – 10.07.20

By
Official Release
-

This Week in Motorsports: October 5-11, 2020
· NCS/NXS: Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (Concord, North Carolina) – October 10-11
· ARCA EAST: 5 Flags Speedway (Pensacola, Florida) – October 10

PLANO, Texas (October 7, 2020) – It’s a milestone weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval as Toyota competes in its 500th Cup Series event. This weekend is also a Playoff Cutoff race for both the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS). The ARCA Menards Series East closes their season at the fast 5 Flags Speedway in Florida.

NASCAR National Series – NCS| NXS

500 for Toyota … This weekend’s race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval will be the 500th Cup Series event for Toyota. Toyota made its series debut at the season-opening Daytona 500 in February 2007. Since that race, Camry drivers have scored 151 victories, three manufacturer’s titles (2016, 2017, 2019) and three driver’s titles with Kyle Busch (2015, 2019) and Martin Truex Jr. (2017).

Hamlin Adds Another Win… Denny Hamlin added another victory to an incredible season on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway. Hamlin started from the pole position and led 26 laps (of 200) on his way to tying NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Bill Elliott with 44 career wins. Although superspeedway races are notorious for large accidents, Hamlin has been incredible in the four events this season with two victories and four top-five finishes.

The Playoffs Move to the Round of 8… For both the NCS and NXS, this weekend marks the Playoff cutoff race, moving from the Round of 12 to the Round of 8. In the Cup Series, Hamlin has locked his place in the next round with his Talladega victory, while Truex Jr. is in a solid position with a 32-point advantage on the cutline. Busch sits in ninth, 21 points behind the eighth and final position to advance. In NXS competition, Brandon Jones is a strong fifth overall, and 34 points to the good heading into Charlotte. Harrison Burton sits ninth, just seven points out of advancing to the next round, while Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Riley Herbst looks for a victory to continue his Playoff run.

Toyota Xfinity Drivers Impressive at Previous Road Course Race… Joe Gibbs Racing NXS drivers had a great run at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course in August. Brandon Jones led two laps and finished second for his career-best road course finish, while rookie drivers Herbst and Burton drove to top-10 finishes.

NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA EAST

West Points Leader Comes East… Jesse Love will make his second start for Venturini Motorsports this weekend at 5 Flags Speedway. The 15-year-old driver, who leads the ARCA Menards Series West standings on the strength of eight top-five finishes in eight events, scored a fourth-place finish in his Venturini Motorsports Camry at Winchester Speedway in September.

Venturini Motorsports Strong at 5 Flags… Venturini Motorsports put three Toyota Camrys in the top-four finishing positions last year at 5 Flags Speedway with Michael Self scoring his first victory of the season. This year, Love will be joined by Mason Diaz and Corey Heim.

Stay Connected

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About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

RCR Event Preview – Charlotte ROVAL

By
Official Release
-

Richard Childress Racing at the Charlotte ROVAL… The Charlotte ROVAL made its debut on the NASCAR circuit in 2018. In five NASCAR Cup Series starts at the Charlotte ROVAL, Richard Childress Racing has a best finish of 11th in 2018 with Ryan Newman. The Welcome N.C. organization’s NASCAR Xfinity Series program also secured one top-five and three top-ten finishes in just four starts.

NASCAR Playoffs… Austin Dillon is in the midst of his fourth NASCAR Playoffs appearance and currently ranks 10th among the 12 drivers attempting to advance from the Round of 12 into the Round of Eight at this weekend’s cut off race at the ROVAL. Dillon is just 21 points below the cut line despite mechanical issues at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and being involved in several on-track incidents at Talladega Superspeedway.

Catch the Action… The NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Drive for the Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina at the Charlotte ROVAL will be televised live Saturday, October 10, beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

The NASCAR Cup Series’ ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte ROVAL will be televised live Sunday, October 11, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

This Week’s TRACKER Off Road/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at the ROVAL … Dillon has two NASCAR Cup Series starts at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, with a best finish of 23rd in last year’s event.

TRACKER Off Road … Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE prominently features TRACKER ATVs, a game-changing new line of all-terrain vehicles and side-by-sides offering breakthrough performance, service and value in the off-road industry. TRACKER OFF ROAD was born out of a powerhouse partnership formed between Bass Pro Shops and TRACKER founder Johnny Morris and Textron Specialized Vehicles, bringing together the undisputed world leader in boating with a global leader in innovation and technology.

Bass Pro Shops … Bass Pro Shops is North America’s premier outdoor and conservation company. Founded in 1972 when avid young angler Johnny Morris began selling tackle out of his father’s liquor store in Springfield, Missouri, today the company provides customers with unmatched offerings spanning premier destination retail, outdoor equipment manufacturing, world-class resort destinations and more. In 2017 Bass Pro Shops acquired Cabela’s to create a “best-of-the-best” experience with superior products, dynamic locations and outstanding customer service. Bass Pro Shops also operates White River Marine Group, offering an unsurpassed collection of industry-leading boat brands, and Big Cedar Lodge, America’s Premier Wilderness Resort. Under the visionary conservation leadership of Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops is a national leader in protecting habitat and introducing families to the outdoors and has been named by Forbes as “one of America’s Best Employers.” Bass Pro Shops has a long relationship with NASCAR, dating back to 1998. For more information, visit www.basspro.com/.

E-Z-GO … E-Z-GO is an iconic, world-renowned brand in golf cars and personal transportation vehicles. Products sold under the E-Z-GO brand include RXV® and TXT® fleet golf cars, Freedom® RXV and Freedom TXT personal golf cars, E-Z-GO Express™ personal utility vehicles, and the 2Five® street-legal low-speed vehicle. Known for innovation in electric-vehicle technology, E-Z-GO’s newest offerings include the ELiTE series of lithium-ion powered golf cars and PTVs, and the company’s exclusive 72-volt AC electric powertrain found in its latest Express series vehicles. Founded in 1954 in Augusta, Ga., E-Z-GO became part of Textron Inc. in 1960, and today operates as part of the company’s Textron Specialized Vehicles division.

NASCAR Playoffs … Dillon is currently competing for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Championship, where he ranks 10th in the standings and 21 points below the cutoff line to advance to the Round of Eight after a mechanical issue at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and an on-track incident at Talladega Superspeedway. The four-round postseason consists of eliminations after the Round of 16 (Darlington, Richmond, Bristol), the Round of 12 (Las Vegas, Talladega, Charlotte Roval) and the Round of 8 (Kansas, Texas, Martinsville). The Championship 4 will compete for the title at Phoenix.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:
Evaluate your NASCAR Playoffs performance in the Round of 12 so far …
“At Talladega Superspeedway, I got into every wreck possible. It was just a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time for most of the day. The week before that, we had a mechanical issue. But through both of those races, my Richard Childress Racing team has been amazing. The communication is unbelievable. They’ve been able to jump right in and fix the damage the last two weeks. At Talladega Superspeedway, we changed the oil cooler and only lost two laps. At Las Vegas Motor Speedway, we knocked the belts off and only lost eight laps. I don’t know how you can make either of those repairs so fast. The communication is great with this team. Even though the last two weeks have been unfortunate, we’re still in the hunt and have a chance to advance to the Round of Eight.”

What are your thoughts on the next race in the NASCAR Playoffs, the ROVAL?
“We have the ROVAL left in the Round of 12. We just need some help from some of these guys who are higher than us in the point standings, and we have to be in the position to help ourselves some, too. We’re going to rely on our notes from the Daytona Road Course a lot. Kaz Grala was a fill-in driver for me that week, and he did a great job. We will try to use that same setup moving forward. The ROVAL has never been the greatest track for us, but we’ll see what we can do. We’re going to try our hardest.”

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL… This weekend’s race will mark Tyler Reddick’s first NASCAR Cup Series start on the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL configuration. Reddick has two NASCAR Xfinity Series top-10 finishes in two starts on the ROVAL configuration, capturing his best finish of second during last year’s event.

Tyler on Twitch… Join Tyler Reddick and Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen for an exclusive virtual Q&A session on Cheddar’s new Twitch channel this Thursday, October 8, at 5:30 p.m. ET. Fans can hang out with Reddick as he tries his hand at a couple of video games, ask him questions through the chat and be entered to win prizes throughout the stream, including a grand prize of autographed, race-worn gloves.

Watch the Race with Cheddar’s… To celebrate the debut of the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet Camaro this season, Cheddar’s is offering 15% off all To Go orders with the offer code RACEDAY placed on 10/11 and every Cup Series race day for the remainder of the 2020 season! Whether you’re watching the race on a Sunday afternoon or on a weekday under the lights, watch with all your Cheddar’s favorites for 15% off. Terms & conditions apply, visit cheddars.com/offer/race-day for full offer details.

About Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen… Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen is the homestyle casual dining restaurant where guests always ‘Get a lot, for not a lot’ in a place that feels like home. After being welcomed with a signature Honey Butter Croissant on the house, guests can enjoy favorite dishes like hand-breaded Chicken Tenders, Homemade Chicken Pot Pie and House-Smoked Baby Back Ribs. For an even greater value, guests can pick up Family Bundles To Go featuring guest favorites designed to feed the whole family (or Pit Crew!) starting at only $24.99 with contactless curbside pickup. Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen operates more than 160 restaurants in 28 states. See the full menu and order online at cheddars.com.

TYLER REDDICK QUOTES:
Is there any comparison between the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL and the Daytona International Speedway Road Course you competed on earlier this year?
“I really thought the two were going to be pretty similar, but they are really nothing alike. The Daytona Road Course is a really challenging track. The chicane we added to the frontstretch has some similarities to what the nature of the Charlotte ROVAL can be like, but to me, the Charlotte track feels a lot more like a street course. I’d be curious what drivers of other divisions would say to that if they ran the ROVAL. To me though, if I imagine running a street course, this is what I imagine it being like. I really enjoy both tracks even though they are nothing alike other than being two ovals we’ve turned into road courses.”

You also have a unique event coming up on Thursday where you and your partner, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, will be streaming live on Twitch with fans. What can you tell us about that?
“I think this Thursday’s event on Twitch is going to be a lot of fun. Everyone knows we haven’t been able to interact with fans as much face-to-face this year due to the restrictions, so I’m excited to hang out on the Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Twitch channel and answer some fan questions and have some fun. I’m going to get to play the new NASCAR Heat 5 game and take the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet around the ROVAL before this weekend, so maybe I’ll pick up some tricks on that. But overall, this is all about the fans and getting some time to interact with them. Plus, we have some cool prizes to give away during the stream, including a grand prize of autographed, race-worn gloves, so it should be a fun evening.”

Kaz Grala and the No. 21 Ruedebusch.com Chevrolet Camaro at the Charlotte ROVAL… Kaz Grala will return to the seat of the No. 21 ruedebusch.com Chevrolet Camaro this weekend at the Charlotte ROVAL. Grala has one career start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the Charlotte ROVAL, where he finished eighth in 2018. The Boston native has scored one top-five and three top-10 finishes in four NASCAR Xfinity starts this season. Grala also made his Cup Series debut in August at the Daytona Road Course, where he finished in the seventh position.

About Ruedebusch Development & Construction… At Ruedebusch, we have the ability to combine commercial real estate development, design-build construction, commercial real estate brokerage, and commercial real estate consulting services or contract them individually. Ruedebusch has knowledge and experience in all aspects of the commercial real estate field. From locating new rental space for your business, to finding the perfect piece of land for your new corporate headquarters; from the turn-key facility, to the architectural and interior design that will best reflect your company’s culture, Ruedebusch is with you every step of the way. Let Ruedebusch assist you with your project; we handle the details so you can concentrate on your business. For more information visit ruedebusch.com.

KAZ GRALA QUOTES:
You are heading into the Charlotte ROVAL this weekend for your last start of the year. Talk a little bit about your 2020 season.
“It’s been another great year here with everyone at Richard Childress Racing. This year has been short, but sweet for me. I haven’t run that many races this year, but I feel like I’ve shown myself well in the races that I did run and have raised my stock as a driver. It’s been an awesome season, and I don’t think there is any better place to finish this year out than the Charlotte ROVAL. We’ve had some really strong performances this year at places like Road America and the Daytona Road Course, so I definitely feel like we’re capable of going out and winning this weekend in our No. 21 ruedebusch.com Chevrolet.”

What are some of the unique challenges at the Charlotte ROVAL that make this track so difficult compared to the Daytona Road Course?
“The biggest challenge at the Charlotte ROVAL, in my opinion, is a lot of the braking zones are not straight-line braking zones, whereas, the Daytona Road Course, most of the braking zones are straight line. So, you really have to make an effort to float the car in more gently in the infield portion at Charlotte because, as we’ve seen in the past and in testing, you can tear up a lot of equipment very easily. You really have to be careful and take care of the car early in the race to make sure you have something to race with by the end. I think you’ll see a little different of a race here than the Daytona Road Course. I’m predicting this race will produce more chaos, especially with it being the cutoff race in the NASCAR Playoffs to get inside the Round of 8. My goal is to ultimately get this No. 21 Chevrolet inside that next round, so we can continue to pursue the Owner’s championship for Richard Childress and everyone at Richard Childress Racing.”

CITGARD To Give Nemechek a Boost at Charlotte

By
Official Release
-

Nemechek on Charlotte ROVAL:

“I ran the ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Xfinity last year and we had a decent result. It’s a unique place so I think we’re going to see some great racing again this weekend. The weather may end up playing a factor, so that will make things interesting. Regardless, I’m looking forward to having a fast car to try and get us to Victory Lane.

“It’s great to see our partners at CITGARD back on our No. 38 Ford Mustang for the ROVAL. We had a decent car at the Daytona Road Course earlier this season, so I’m hoping we can channel our speed into a great result at our hometown track.”

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