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Harvick awarded pole position for Cup Playoff race at Vegas

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

In what has been a dominating season for him and his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford team, Kevin Harvick will start on pole position for the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, September 27.

Harvick, who won last weekend’s Playoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway, was awarded the pole based on four stats: current owner points standings, driver’s results, and team owner’s results from a previous Cup race, and the fastest lap recorded from a previous Cup race.

Sunday’s race at Vegas will mark the fifth time this season, the second time at Vegas, and the third time in the previous five Cup races where Harvick will lead the field on pole position as he continues his quest for a second Cup championship.

Sunday’s race at Vegas will also serve as the first race in the Round of 12 in the 2020 Cup Playoffs after last weekend’s race at Bristol featured the first four contenders (Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Cole Custer, and Matt DiBenedetto) eliminated from the Playoffs.

Kyle Busch, who aims to snap his 29-race winless drought of this season at his home track this weekend, will start alongside Harvick on the front row. Chase Elliott, Aric Almirola, and Joey Logano will start in the top five.

Clint Bowyer will start in sixth place followed by Austin Dillon, Alex Bowman, and Kurt Busch. Denny Hamlin, coming off a historic announcement to field a NASCAR Cup Series team with NBA legend Michael Jordan and to have Bubba Wallace as the team’s driver in 2021, will start in 10th place. Martin Truex Jr. and Brad Keselowski will start in 11th and 12th.

Starting in positions 13-26 are Erik Jones, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, Michael McDowell, Jimmie Johnson, Matt DiBenedetto, Matt Kenseth, Ryan Preece, Cole Custer, Bubba Wallace, Ty Dillon, John Hunter Nemechek, and Christopher Bell.

Starting in positions 27-39 are Ryan Newman, William Byron, Daniel Suarez, Gray Gaulding, Corey LaJoie, Quin Houff, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Joey Gase, Brennan Poole, Timmy Hill, J.J. Yeley, Josh Bilicki, and Chad Finchum.

The NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will occur on Sunday, September 27, at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Las Vegas II

By
Official Release
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Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Las Vegas

With just seven races remaining in the NASCAR Cup Series season, the circuit heads west this weekend to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for its second event at the Nevada track in 2020. Jack Roush has 16 wins all-time at the 1.5-mile track, including seven in the NCS.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1.5-Mile)
South Point 400
Sunday, Sept. 27 | 7 p.m. ET
NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
· Ryan Newman, No. 6 Guaranteed Rate Ford Mustang
· Chris Buescher, No. 17 SunnyD Ford Mustang

Vegas Next Stop for NASCAR Playoffs

· For the first time since the return to racing, NASCAR heads west as Las Vegas Motor Speedway plays host to the fourth race of the NASCAR Playoffs, and first in the Round of 12. All three National series will be at the 1.5-mile track this weekend as part of their respective playoff schedules.
· Following action in Vegas, the series heads to the high banks of Talladega Superspeedway (Oct. 4) followed by the ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway (Oct. 11) to cap off the Round of 12.
· The starting lineup will once again be set by three competition-based performance metrics, rewarding both season-long and single-race performance. Chris Buescher will roll off 16th for the event, with Ryan Newman starting from the 27th position.
· Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the COVID-19 hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed before the schedule later picked back up in mid-May.

Bristol Recap, Vegas Preview

· Newman finished 25th last weekend in Bristol.
· Buescher rallied late to finish eighth at Bristol, his seventh top-10 of the 2020 season.
· Guaranteed Rate returns to Newman’s machine for the Sunday evening race in Las Vegas, where he has 10 top-10 results and an average finish of 15.7.
· SunnyD is back on Buescher’s machine this weekend for the first of two-straight races for the brand as part of the #SUNNYDouble. During #SUNNYDouble race week, fans will have the opportunity to win a personalized, virtual signed hero card, a virtual photo with Buescher and their very own personalized SunnyD bottle. Fans will also have the chance to win spectacular SunnyD giveaways like lanyards, t-shirts, hats, laptop stickers and more.

Early JACKpot

Roush Fenway hit the Vegas jackpot right off the bat, winning the inaugural Cup event at Las Vegas in 1998. Mark Martin led 82 laps in the victory that served as a banner day for Roush Fenway.

Inaugural Sweep

Roush Fenway placed all five of its Cup entries inside the top 10 of that inaugural Las Vegas Cup race in 1998, including three inside the top five, four inside the top six, one in the winners circle and the runner up (6 – 1st, 99 – 2nd, 26 – 4th, 16 – 6th and 97 – 10th).

Continued Success

Roush Fenway Racing won the first three Cup races at LVMS from ‘98-’00, with Jeff Burton winning back-to-back events in ’99 and ’00. Roush Fenway also took three of the first nine Xfinity Series events at LVMS.

Victory Lane at Vegas

In addition to the first three Cup races at LVMS, Roush Fenway again found the winners’ circle in 2003 and 2004 at the 1.5-mile track with Matt Kenseth. Carl Edwards took the checkered flag at the 2008 and 2011 events to give RFR seven Cup wins at Las Vegas with four different drivers.

Back to Back at Vegas

Roush Fenway has won back-to-back Cup races at LVMS on two separate occasions in ’99-’00 and ’03-04’ and once in the Xfinity Series in ‘99 and ‘00.

Across the Board at Vegas

All in all, Roush Fenway Racing has tallied 16 total NASCAR wins, while turning 37,000+ laps in NASCAR action at LVMS for 55,000+ miles, while leading over 2,600 laps at the track in NASCAR’s top three divisions. At the same time the organization has finished inside the top 10 in 50 percent of its 176 NASCAR starts at LVMS.

Roush Fenway Las Vegas Wins
1998 Martin Cup
1999 Burton Cup
2000 Burton Cup
2003 Kenseth Cup
2004 Kenseth Cup
2008 Edwards Cup
2011 Edwards Cup
1999 Martin NXS
2000 Burton NXS
2002 Burton NXS
2005 Martin NXS
2009 Biffle NXS
2012 Stenhouse NXS
1997 Ruttman NGOTS
1999 Biffle NGOTS
2007 Kvapil NGOTS

JR Motorsports — NXS Las Vegas II Preview

By
Official Release
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JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
RACE: Alsco 300 (200 laps / 300 miles)
DATE: Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020
Broadcast Information – TV: 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN / Radio: 7 p.m. ET on PRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90

Michael Annett
No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
• Michael Annett enters the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs on a high note, with six top-10 finishes in his last seven races, part of a longer streak that includes three top-five and 13 top-10 results in his last 15 races.
• Annett’s best finish in 10 starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is fifth in the spring of 2019.
• Entering the playoffs tied for ninth in the standings, Annett is three top-10 finishes from tying his career high in top10s (19) set last season.
• This season, Annett has two top-five and seven top-10 finishes on 1.5-mile tracks, averaging a finish of 8.3 in nine starts.

Daniel Hemric
No. 8 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet
• Daniel Hemric has a best finish of sixth in four previous NXS starts at Las Vegas.
• In eight combined starts across NASCAR’s three major touring series at Las Vegas, Hemric has scored one top five and three top 10s with a best finish of second coming in 2016 in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.
• Through 16 NXS starts in 2020, Hemric has earned a best finish of second at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.
• This weekend marks the third primary race of 2020 for South Point Hotel & Casino with the No. 8.
• The No. 8 team enters the playoffs as the 10th seed in the NXS owner standings, 49 points behind the series lead.

Noah Gragson
No. 9 Bass Pro Shops / TrueTimber / Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson enters the opening round of the NXS Playoffs fourth in the playoff seeding, just 25 points behind leader Austin Cindric.
• Gragson returns to his home track in Las Vegas having never finished outside of the top 10 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the 1.5-mile facility.
• At tracks that are between 1-2 miles in length, Gragson holds an average finish of 9.1 and has led 75 percent of his career total at these facilities.
• In his last 10 series starts, Gragson has finished inside of the top 10 eight different times including four straight.

Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• Justin Allgaier heads into the opening race of the NXS Playoffs as the third seed, just 17 points outside of the lead.
• In 12 NXS starts at Las Vegas, Allgaier only has two finishes worse than ninth. His average finish at the track is 8.5, his best among all oval tracks on the circuit.
• Earlier this season, the veteran driver led 63 laps and earned a stage win at Las Vegas, bringing home an eighthplace finish.
• This season on tracks measuring 1.5-miles in length, Allgaier has three top fives and six top 10s, with 162 laps led.

Driver Quotes

“We had such a fast Pilot Flying J Chevrolet last week at Bristol, and I’m really looking forward to being fast again this weekend at Las Vegas. This is what we worked so hard to achieve, making the playoffs, and now it’s all about advancing to the Round of 8. This run of good finishes we’ve been on is great, and we’re going to have to keep that up from here on out. Every race is important, and being fast and consistent is what we have to do from here on out.” – Michael Annett

“I feel like we have some really good momentum heading into the playoffs and I’m glad we’re kicking things off at Vegas. It’s been a strong track for our BRANDT Professional Agriculture team and with the next two races in the Round of 12 being wild cards, this is definitely the place where you want go out there and win and secure your spot in the next round. I believe we have a team capable of getting it done.” – Justin Allgaier

“I’m really looking forward to heading back to Las Vegas this weekend with our South Point Chevrolet. We have had a lot of speed this season on the mile-and-a-half tracks and I feel extremely confident that we will have that again when we unload for the race on Saturday. I know that Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and all the guys on this JR Motorsports team have been working extremely hard and I’m ready to see what we can do.” – Daniel Hemric

“It’s always great to race in Las Vegas because it allows me to see family and friends that I don’t get to visit with too often during the season. It’s also a track that really suits my driving style as we start off on the bottom and slowly work our way up the banking. My team at JR Motorsports has been bringing fast Camaros each week and hopefully we can put this Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Camaro in Victory Lane so we don’t have to worry about Talladega or the Roval in the first round.” – Noah Gragson

JRM Team Updates:
• JRM at Las Vegas: In 48 NXS starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, JR Motorsports has one win, 17 top-five and 28 top-10
finishes. NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin scored the organization’s lone victory at the 1.5-mile speedway in March of 2008. This victory was the first of 51 for JRM as an NXS team. Justin Allgaier scored the most recent victory for the company on Sept. 12 at Richmond.
• Black Rifle Coffee Wildland Firefighter Donations: The wildfires in the northwest states are causing immense strain on wildland firefighters. To help fuel their fight, Black Rifle Coffee Company is making direct coffee donations to wildland firefighters through a Buy a Bag, Give a Bag (BABGAB) initiative. With the purchase of any BRCC coffee product throughout September, you’ll directly support coffee donations to first responders on the front lines. Visit www.blackriflecoffee.com/babgab to help.
• Hellmann’s Ultimate Race Fan Experience: Enter for a chance to win the ultimate race fan experience from Hellmann’s and Sam’s Club. Each valid submission will receive entry into the Hellmann’s Ultimate Race Fan Experience Sweepstakes with the chance to win the Grand Prize of a meet and greet with Justin Allgaier, two VIP

Toyota Racing Weekly Preview – 09.23.20

By
Official Release
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NEWS RELEASE

This Week in Motorsports: September 21-27, 2020

· NCS/NXS/NGROTS: Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Sept. 25-27

· ARCA: Memphis International Raceway – September 26

· ARCA West: The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – September 26

PLANO, Texas (September 23, 2020) – NASCAR heads back to the West Coast as the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Round of 12 begins under the lights at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. They will be joined by the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS), which begins their Playoff run, and the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series (NGROTS). The ARCA Menards Series also finishes its first of four championships on Saturday afternoon in Memphis.

NASCAR National Series – NCS| NXS| NGROTS

Kyle Wins at Home… Kyle Busch has quite the track record at this home track, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with six victories across the top three series of NASCAR, including earning his first Las Vegas crown in the NCS in 2009. Busch added a Truck Series victory to his total earlier this season.

Round of 12 Begins… The NCS begins the second round of the Playoffs – the Round of 12 – this Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with all three Toyota drivers advancing to the second round. Denny Hamlin is the second seed with Martin Truex Jr. in sixth and Busch starting in 10th.

Burton Ready for Vegas… NXS Rookie Harrison Burton has been extremely consistent in his limited starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In his NGROTS rookie year one season ago, Burton drove to two top-10 finishes in Las Vegas and added a fifth-place result in his NXS track debut in February.

Headed Back Home… Las Vegas native Riley Herbst returns home for his third career NXS start at his home track. Herbst has finished ninth in both of his previous starts at the track.

Reigning Las Vegas Winner… Austin Hill drove to his third win of the season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last fall. Hill took the lead with 12 laps to go and drove away to earn the victory. Hill was also solid in the first race at Las Vegas Motor this season, finishing third to fellow Toyota driver Busch. Hill will also compete in the NXS race on Saturday.

First Career Vegas Start…Chandler Smith heads into Las Vegas with momentum after earning a top-five finish at Bristol Motor Speedway. It is the 18-year-old’s first Las Vegas start after making his mile-and-a-half track debut earlier this season at Kentucky Speedway.

NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA| ARCA West

Championship Opportunity for Gibbs… The first ARCA Menards Series championship of the season – the Sioux Chief Showdown – will be decided at Memphis International Speedway on Saturday afternoon with 17-year-old Ty Gibbs still in the running for the title. Gibbs is currently second in the standings and sits six points behind leader Sam Mayer. Gibbs currently has two wins and eight top-10 finishes in nine events so far this season.

ARCA West Back on Track… After one month off, the ARCA Menards Series West is back on track with the first of four remaining events at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Last time the series was on track at Colorado National Speedway, Jesse Love continued his strong season with his third win of the year. Love continues to lead the point standings.

Stay Connected

https://www.toyota.com/racing @ToyotaRacing.com @ToyotaRacing

facebook.com/ToyotaRacing Camera With Flash on Apple iOS 11.3 ToyotaRacingMedia.com

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in 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.

Haley to Jump-Start Playoffs with Solid Points Day in Las Vegas

By
Official Release
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Justin Haley Notes
Best start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS): 10th (2019)
Best finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the NXS: 10th (2019)

Kaulig Racing Notes
Best start Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the NXS: 8th (2019)
Best finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the NXS: 4th (2019)

Race Notes
Saturday, September 26 at 7:30PM ET on NBCSN
Stages: 45/90/200 Laps

Justin Haley Quote
“We are headed to Las Vegas Motor Speedway – a night race! It’s an important one though, because it’s the first round of the playoffs and the first race of the playoffs. It’s crucial to get all the points that we can. We have a red banner, a red spoiler, and a red splitter, so that way you know who we are racing against in the playoffs. It’s crucial for us to have a good first race and get a good points gap, so then we can have a little fun at Talladega and the ROVAL. It’s going to be an exciting one!”

About Kaulig Racing™
Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time multi-car NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016 Kaulig Racing™ has made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started. Kaulig Racing fields two full-time entries; the No. 10 Chevrolet driven by Ross Chastain and the No. 11 Chevrolet driven by Justin Haley, as well as, a part-time entry – the No. 16 driven by AJ Allmendinger. Kaulig Racing™ earned two wins in 2019 and have come to be one of the top competitors on track each weekend. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

About LeafFilter Gutter Protection™
Since 2005, LeafFilter Gutter Protection™ has revolutionized the gutter protection industry. The company is proud to have grown from one small office in Hudson, Ohio to the largest direct to customer home products company in the nation and the leading choice in gutter protection systems. Once installed on a homeowner’s existing gutters, LeafFilter Gutter Protection eliminates gutter cleaning for life. With more than 70 million feet of gutter guards installed on homes across the United States and Canada, LeafFilter Gutter Protection has the knowledge and expertise to guarantee that nothing, but water, will get into your gutters. Learn more about LeafFilter Gutter Protection and request a free estimate at www.leaffilter.com.

Ryan Newman – Las Vegas II Advance

By
Official Release
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Team: No. 6 Guaranteed Rate Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Twitter: @Roush6Team, @RoushFenway and @RyanJNewman
Race Format: 400.5 miles, 267 laps, Stage Lengths: 80-80-107
South Point 400 – Sunday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Vegas Next Stop for NASCAR Playoffs

· For the first time since the return to racing, NASCAR heads west as Las Vegas Motor Speedway plays host to the fourth race of the NASCAR Playoffs, and first in the Round of 12. All three National series will be at the 1.5-mile track this weekend as part of their respective playoff schedules.
· Following action in Vegas, the series heads to the high banks of Talladega Superspeedway (Oct. 4) followed by the ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway (Oct. 11) to cap the Round of 12.
· The starting lineup will once again be set by three competition-based performance metrics, rewarding both season-long and single-race performance. The lineup will be announced later this week prior to Saturday night’s event.
· Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the COVID-19 hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed before the schedule later picked back up in mid-May.

Newman Historically at Las Vegas

· Newman makes his 22nd Cup start at Las Vegas on Sunday, where he has 10 top-10s and an average finish of 15.7. Most recently, Newman finished 10th in the No. 6 last fall after starting 17th.
· Newman’s best result at the 1.5-mile track came in 2015 when he finished third, one of his four top-fives dating back to 2001. He ran fourth twice – first in 2002 and again in 2012 – and also finished fifth in 2011.
· Dating back to his last eight events at Vegas, Newman has just two finishes outside the top-15 and an average finish of 11.7.
· Newman has an average starting position of 14.9 Vegas, with one pole and nine top-10 starts.

Scott Graves Historically at Bristol

· Graves will be atop the box for his seventh Cup race at Las Vegas on Sunday, where he has an average finish of 18.8 with two top-10s.
· Graves led Newman to the 10th-place run last fall, and also finished eighth with Daniel Suarez in the 2018 fall race.
· In Xfinity Series action, Graves called three events – including two with Chris Buescher – and recorded a best finish with him of ninth (2014). In his final Xfinity race at the 1.5-mile track, Graves led Suarez to a runner-up result in 2016.

QUOTE WORTHY
Newman on racing at Vegas:
“We’re going into the weekend hoping for a strong run in the Guaranteed Rate Ford. We found something in our car last fall and ran 10th, so our goal is to come out with an even better result this weekend.”

Last Time Out
Newman finished 25th last weekend in Bristol.

Where They Rank
Newman is 26th in driver points after 26 points races in his 2020 campaign. In owners’ points, the No. 6 is 25th.

On the Car
Guaranteed Rate returns to Newman’s Ford this weekend in Vegas, as part of the overall 12-race schedule for the brand to close out the 2020 slate.

Supporting Childhood and Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
September is childhood and ovarian cancer awareness month. In an effort to create awareness, the Martin Truex Jr., Foundation has partnered with the NASCAR Foundation to launch the Nominate a Cancer Hero program for this weekend’s race. Proceeds from the program will support the children’s emergency department in Huntersville, N.C., as well as therapies for women and children undergoing cancer treatments and child life services across the racing communities.

The name of a Cancer Hero will ride along the name rail on the cars of drivers who participated in the campaign. Riding on Newman’s passenger name rail will be Terri Bush, nominated by her husband, Jerry.

About Guaranteed Rate

Guaranteed Rate is one of the largest retail mortgage lenders in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the Company has more than 5,000 employees in nearly 350 offices across the U.S., and is licensed in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Since its founding in 2000, Guaranteed Rate has helped hundreds of thousands of homeowners with home purchase loans and refinances and funded more than $30 billion in loans in 2019 alone. The Company has cemented itself as Positively Different by introducing innovative technology, such as the world’s first Digital Mortgage, by offering low rates and by delivering unparalleled customer service. Honors and awards include: Top Lender for Online Service for 2018 by U.S. News & World Report; No. 3 ranking in Scotsman Guide’s Top Retail Mortgage Lenders 2019; Top Lender 2016, 2017 and 2018 by Chicago Agent magazine; Chicago Tribune’s Top Workplaces list for seven consecutive years; and Best Online Mortgage Lender, Best Mortgage Lender for VA loans and Best Conventional Mortgage Lender by NerdWallet in 2019. Visit rate.com for more information.

It is more than just a race for Joe Graf Jr. at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

By
Official Release
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LAS VEGAS, Nev.: As NASCAR Xfinity Series rookie Joe Graf Jr. returns to Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway for Saturday’s Alsco 300, the SS GreenLight Racing driver is racing more than just to chase his first career Xfinity checkered flag.

During the 200-laps that await him in his second career NASCAR Xfinity Series run at the 1.5-mile track, the 22-year-old will use Las Vegas to partake in the virtual myFace eighth annual Races for Faces.

More than half a million people in the United States are living with a craniofacial difference and they all deserve access to personalized care and support.

myFace, is a leading nonprofit focused on providing the comprehensive care, education and information to help people with craniofacial differences lead full and productive lives.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the event that usually attracts thousands of participants will now be done virtually providing a platform that now everyone across the nation can join as myFace creates and celebrate an environment where we can all feel safe, hopeful and empowered – and come together in solidarity to know we collectively have the capacity to make a difference.

For every lap that Graf Jr. completes in Saturday’s race, he will donate $10 with a total donation of up to $2,000 as his contribution to participating in Races for Faces.

“I plan to complete all 200 laps in honor of my incredible sister who has triumphed through her own facial differences,” said the driver of the No. 08 Bucked Up Energy Chevrolet Camaro.

“I have pledged $10 per lap completed and I have created a Races for Faces team page where fans, our partners and even others in the industry can show their support with a donation of their choice.

“This is a great event and while I’m bummed that I can’t participate in person, this is the next best thing. Looking forward to a great race on Saturday afternoon at Las Vegas.”

Those wanting to make a gift to the Graf Jr. team can do so by clicking here.

Saturday’s race initiative is Graf Jr.’s latest involvement with myFace.

In 2018, he donated a portion of his ARCA Menards Series championship winnings to the organization and last summer, he hosted several children dealing with craniofacial differences for an ARCA Menards Series race at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway.

If you are interested in learning more about this fantastic organization you can check out myface.org.

For more on Joe Graf Jr. visit JoeGrafJr.com, like him on Facebook (Joe Graf Jr.), follow him on Twitter (@JoeGrafJr) and Instagram (@joegrafjr).

For more on SS GreenLight Racing, please like them on Facebook (SS GreenLight Racing) and follow them on Twitter (@SSGLR0708) and visit their website at SSGreenLight.com.

The Alsco 300 (200 laps | 300 miles) is the 27th of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2020 schedule. The 34-car field will take the green flag shortly after 7:30 p.m. on Sat., Sept. 26, 2020, with live coverage on NBCSN, the Performance Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90). All times are local (Eastern).
About myFace:

myFace is a leading non-profit organization dedicated to changing the faces – and transforming the lives – of children and adults with facial differences.

For nearly 70 years, myFace has worked with patients and families to provide multi-disciplinary, comprehensive care by funding medical, dental, speech, nutrition and psychosocial services.

myFace also provides other important services and resources, such as access to patient and family support groups, workshops, and webinars; travel assistance and housing for out-of-town families; as well as education and public awareness.

GMS Racing Gander Trucks Las Vegas Preview

By
Official Release
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Sheldon Creed, No. 2 Trench Shoring Chevrolet Silverado
Las Vegas Gander Trucks Stats
– Starts: 3, Best start: 2, Best finish: 4, Top 10s: 3

2020 Gander Trucks Stats
– Starts: 17, Wins: 3, Best start: 1, Best finish: 1, Top 5s: 5, Top 10s: 8, Laps led: 204, Stage Wins: 5

Notes:

– Sheldon Creed will carry two special names on his Silverado this week as part of the Nominate A Cancer Hero program organized by the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation and the NASCAR Foundation. Team mechanic Richmond “Fuz” Burgdoff nominated his sister-in-law and SherryStrong will ride along above the driver side door. Cindy Buckner, who is currently battling pancreatic cancer, will ride along above the passenger side door. Buckner’s son, Michael, is the truck chief on the No. 2 team.
– Creed the No. 2 team will compete with chassis No. 324 this week in Las Vegas. Creed has three top-10 finishes in five starts with this chassis in 2020, including a win at Kentucky.
– Creed is currently second in playoff standings, eight points behind the leader and 28 points above the cutoff line for the Round of 8.

Quote:

“I’m ready to get to Vegas, we always have a good run there. My guys have been working hard to get this truck ready and we’ve got the names of some of their family members on board this week, so it would be really cool to get another win on Friday for them.”

Zane Smith, No. 21 Michael Roberts Construction Chevrolet Silverado
Las Vegas Gander Trucks Stats
– Starts: 1, Best finish: 6

2020 Gander Trucks Stats
– Starts: 17, Wins: 2, Best start: 1, Best finish: 1, Top 5s: 4, Top 10s: 9, Laps led: 271, Stage wins: 5

Notes:

– Zane Smith will carry a special name above his door as part of the Nominate a Cancer Hero program organized by the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation and the NASCAR Foundation. Karen Morgan, who passed away for Glioblastoma in May, was nominated by her husband Wayne Morgan.
– Smith and the No. 21 team will compete with chassis No. 331 this week in Las Vegas. This is the same chassis that Smith took to victory lane at Michigan in August.
– Smith is currently third in playoff standings, 11 points behind the leader and 25 points above the cutoff line for the Round of 8.

Quote:

“I’m excited to get out to Las Vegas. It’s one of the few tracks I’m seeing in a truck for the second time, so I know more of what to expect. Looking forward to going out and competing for a win this week.”

Brett Moffitt, No. 23 GMS Fabrication Chevrolet Silverado
Las Vegas Gander Trucks Stats
– Starts: 5, Best start: 2, Best finish: 2, Top 5s: 2, Top 10s: 3, Laps led: 57

2020 Gander Trucks Stats
– Starts: 17, Best start: 1, Best finish: 2, Top 5s: 8, Top 10s: 12, Laps led: 362, Stage Wins: 6

Notes:

– Brett Moffitt will carry H. Ray Mills, Jr. above his door in Las Vegas this week as part of the Nominate a Cancer Hero program organized by the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation and the NASCAR Foundation. Mills, nominated by his brother-in-law Bobby Patterson, “fought his cancer hard and bravely and was a shining example of grace during his fight.” Mills’ nephew is jackman for the No. 23 team.
– Moffitt and the No. 23 team will compete with chassis No. 321 this week in Las Vegas. Moffitt raced this chassis at Las Vegas in February and at Michigan in August, where he finished sixth.
– Moffitt currently leads the playoff standings by eight points over second place. Moffitt is 36 points above the cutoff line for the Round of 8.

Quote:

“Las Vegas is a track I enjoy. We were a little off the mark in February, but I’m confident in our team heading into this weekend. The plan is to just keep our heads down and keep running up front and hopefully we’ll end Friday night in victory lane.”

Chase Purdy, No. 24 Bama Buggies Chevrolet Silverado
Las Vegas Gander Trucks Stats
– No prior Gander Trucks starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

2020 Gander Trucks Stats
– Starts: 4, Best start: 1, Best finish: 10

Notes:

– Chase Purdy returns to the No. 24 team this week for his first Gander Trucks race since the Kansas double header where he earned his career best finish with a 10th-place finish in the second race.
– Purdy and the No. 24 team will compete with chassis No. 320 this week in Las Vegas. The team has four top-10 finishes in six starts with this chassis in 2020, including a win with Chase Elliott at Charlotte in May.

Quote:

“I’m excited about racing in Vegas! I’ve never been there before, so I’ve been relying on my teammates and some film study to help me get as prepared as possible. I think that we can be fast and be competitive this weekend.”

Tyler Ankrum, No. 26 LiUNA! Chevrolet Silverado
Las Vegas Gander Trucks Stats
– Starts: 2, Best start: 7, Best finish: 11

2020 Gander Trucks Stats
– Starts: 17, Best start: 2, Best finish: 2, Top 5s: 3, Top 10s: 8, Laps led: 54

Notes:

– Tyler Ankrum will carry a special name above his driver side door this week in Las Vegas as part of the Nominate A Cancer Hero program organized by the Martin Truex Jr Foundation and the NASCAR Foundation. Dr. Jean Belasco of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is a medical provider nominated by Roger Dudik who praised Dr. Belasco’s attentiveness and perseverance with Dudik’s son, Blair’s, care by writing “Dr. Belasco is dedicated to the children at CHOP’s pediatric oncology unit. She and her team are deserving of unreserved recognition and appreciation for the selfless work they do caring for children with cancer and for the families of those children.”
– Ankrum and the No. 26 will utilize chassis No. 326 this week in Las Vegas. Ankrum has two earned two top-10 finishes with this chassis at Pocono and Texas earlier this year.
– Ankrum enters Las Vegas fifth in the playoff standings, 19 points above the cutoff line for the Round of 8.

Quote:

“I’m confident heading into Las Vegas this weekend. My guys have been putting in a lot of hard work to bring fast Silverados to the track every week. We had a strong run last week, but had one mistake that cost us the win. We’re looking for no mistakes this weekend to get that first win of the season and lock in to the next round of the playoffs.”

ABOUT GMS RACING

GMS Racing competes full-time in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series with drivers Brett Moffitt, Sheldon Creed, Tyler Ankrum and Zane Smith as well as part-time with David Gravel and Chase Purdy. The team also competes in the ARCA Racing Series with Sam Mayer. Since the team began in 2014, GMS Racing won the 2016 Gander Trucks Championship, the 2019 ARCA East championship and has grown to occupy several buildings located in Statesville, N.C. The campus also includes operations for GMS Fabrication. More information can be found at https://gmsracing.net/.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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

Toyota Racing – NXS Playoff Media Day Quotes – Riley Herbst

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Official Release
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Toyota Racing – Riley Herbst

NASCAR Xfinity Series Quotes

CHARLOTTE (September 22, 2020) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Riley Herbst was made available to media via videoconference during the NASCAR Playoffs Media Day:

RILEY HERBST, No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

How would you summarize your rookie season?

“I’ve had that question a few times today and it’s a difficult questions to answer to be honest with you because when we set our plans and objectives in January where we wanted to be in June and entering the Playoffs and things like that, we counted on all four test sessions that a rookie gets and all of the practice that I should have got. That kind of threw a wrench in our plans a little bit, but I thought we would have had a win by now in this part of the season. I don’t know. We’ve had some highs and lows as part of the season. I’m looking forward to it. I think that I have the confidence and the car to go win in the Playoffs.”

What did the ARCA win do for your confidence driving these Xfinity cars?

“I don’t know if it correlates too much. It’s always good to win in anything whether that be some lawnmower racing or in an ARCA car. It was good to win, but the Xfinity Series is so different, so much more competition than in the ARCA series right now. It was cool to win and add another win underneath my belt per say, but the Xfinity Series is a totally different animal and I’m still looking forward to that first Xfinity win.”

What does it feel like to come home to Las Vegas this weekend and what did you think about the Raiders win last night?

“Well, I haven’t seen my parents since quarantine, so it’s going to be good to go home and see them. I’m really looking forward to that. Like I said, I haven’t seen them in a while. I’ll kind of clear my head with them and just enjoy some family time and then head to the race track and go back to Playoff mode and try to perform to the best that we can. Regarding the Raiders, back home the town is so excited to have a professional NFL team. We’ve been wanting one for so long, so we’ve truly embraced them as our own and we are 2-0. We just beat a really good Saints team, and we are excited about it.”

Did you feel like you had a point to prove this season?

“A little bit. Every driver kind of looks at it differently. Like I’ve said before, me, my crew chief Dave Rogers, and who I’ve leaned on a bunch is Drew Herring. Us three have kind of had horse blinders on all season, to be quite honest with you. I don’t really care what people say. We have no time for that. We are just trying to improve week in and week out. Trying to be better than we were last week, and I think that’s shown throughout these seven months and hopefully into these Playoffs and we can go out and get a win.”

That’s a name I haven’t heard you mention this year. What have you leaned on Drew (Herring) for?

“Yeah, Drew has been awesome. He’s helped me tremendously. Just going to these race tracks that I’ve never been to before and having to fire off and go race there. Drew has been to most of these places and he’s a really fast race car driver. He teaches me what to expect at these race tracks, what I’m supposed to be feeling, who to pay attention to, who not to pay attention to. Keeping my mindset right. He’s been working with me for a while now and it’s helped me tremendously.”

What would you consider a successful Playoff run for you?

“I don’t know. I’m kind of bummed about our starting position now, nine points out. We are going to chip away at Las Vegas, Talladega and Charlotte and hopefully, when the cards are down, we will be able to move on to the next round. I would really be disappointed if we didn’t get out of the first round. I think that I have the crew chief (Dave Rogers), the car and the team to do it. JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) has given me the tools to preform and now it’s kind of on my shoulders and I have to go do it.”

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.

Chris Buescher – Las Vegas II Advance

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Official Release
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Team: No. 17 SunnyD Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Luke Lambert
Twitter: @17RoushTeam, @RoushFenway and @Chris_Buescher
Race Format: 400.5 miles, 267 laps, Stage Lengths: 80-80-107
South Point 400 – Sunday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Vegas Next Stop for NASCAR Playoffs

· For the first time since the return to racing, NASCAR heads west as Las Vegas Motor Speedway plays host to the fourth race of the NASCAR Playoffs, and first in the Round of 12. All three National series will be at the 1.5-mile track this weekend as part of their respective playoff schedules.
· Following action in Vegas, the series heads to the high banks of Talladega Superspeedway (Oct. 4) followed by the ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway (Oct. 11) to cap the Round of 12.
· The starting lineup will once again be set by three competition-based performance metrics, rewarding both season-long and single-race performance. The lineup will be announced later this week prior to Saturday night’s event.
· Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the COVID-19 hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed before the schedule later picked back up in mid-May.

Buescher Historically at Las Vegas

· Buescher makes his eighth Cup start at Las Vegas on Sunday, where he carries an average finish of 18.4. Most recently, Buescher ran 14th in the second race of the 2020 season, his best career result at the 1.5-mile track.
· Outside of the 14th-place run, Buescher had a pair of 15th-place runs in the 2018 season.
· Buescher had two Xfinity starts at Vegas with a best finish of ninth in 2014 under Scott Graves. A year later the duo went on to finish 14th in the 2015 race.

Luke Lambert Historically at Las Vegas

· Lambert will call his 11th Cup race from Las Vegas this weekend. In 10 prior starts, he has a best finish of third with Newman in 2015.
· Lambert has an average finish of 14th with two additional top-10s – seventh in 2014 and ninth in the 2018 fall race.
· He and Daniel Hemric posted two top-10 qualifying efforts in the 2019 races, lining up fifth last spring and sixth in the fall.
· Lambert called one Xfinity Series race for Elliott Sadler at Vegas back in 2012, finishing third after starting on the pole.

QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on racing at Vegas:
“I’m excited to get back to Vegas, where in the spring we had a solid top-15 run. We’re coming off a strong top-10 a week ago in Bristol, so looking to string together a satisfactory ending to our season. Excited to have SunnyD back on the car, and look forward to putting on a good show in the #SunnyDouble this weekend and next.

Last Time Out
Buescher surged late in Saturday night’s race from Bristol to finish eighth, his seventh top-10 of the season.

Where They Rank
Buescher is 20th in driver standings through 29 events.

On the Car
Iconic brand and thirst-quenching favorite SunnyD returns to the No. 17 machine this weekend at Las Vegas. The #SUNNYDouble race weekends mark the third time in NASCAR Cup Series history that the No. 17 SUNNYD Ford will hit the track in back-to-back races. Roush Fenway Racing and SUNNYD will partner to give fans an exclusive content shared across the Roush Fenway and SUNNYD Racing Facebook, Twitter and Instagram platform for two weeks of SUNNYDynamic action.

During #SUNNYDouble race week, fans will have the opportunity to win a personalized, virtual signed hero card, a virtual photo with Buescher and their very own personalized SUNNYD bottle. Fans will also have the chance to win spectacular SUNNYD giveaways like lanyards, t-shirts, hats, laptop stickers and more.

Supporting Childhood and Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
September is childhood and ovarian cancer awareness month. In an effort to create awareness, the Martin Truex Jr., Foundation has partnered with the NASCAR Foundation to launch the Nominate a Cancer Hero program for this weekend’s race. Proceeds from the program will support the children’s emergency department in Huntersville, N.C., as well as therapies for women and children undergoing cancer treatments and child life services across the racing communities.

The name of a Cancer Hero will ride along the name rail on the cars of drivers who participated in the campaign. Beatrice Anderson, nominated by Tyler Anderson, will ride along with Buescher on the SunnyD Ford.

About SunnyD
The iconic SunnyD® brand is owned by Harvest Hill Holdings, a Brynwood Partners owned beverage company. The 54-year-old SunnyD® brand is a leading chilled juice drink in the U.S. In addition to the SunnyD® brand, the company markets the Juicy Juice®, Little HUG®, and Daily’s® beverage brands. Harvest Hill’s products are widely distributed through leading retailers in the U.S. and Canada.

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