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Keselowski on pole position for Bristol Night Race

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

It is a Team Penske front row for the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, as Brad Keselowski will start on the pole while teammate Joey Logano will join him on the front row.

Keselowski, who is coming off a dominating win last weekend at Richmond Raceway and is locked into the second round of this year’s Cup Playoffs, earned the pole position for this weekend based on four stats: current owner points standings, driver’s and team owner’s result from a previous Cup race and the fastest lap recorded from a previous Cup race. This will mark the third time where Keselowski and his No. 2 Team Penske Ford Mustang will lead the field to the start of a Cup race. In addition, Keselowski will attempt to sweep both Cup Bristol races this season after he claimed a thrilling win in May.

Logano, who finished in third place last weekend at Richmond and who is a two-time Bristol Night Race winner, will start on the front row for the seventh time this season. Martin Truex Jr., who finished in second place at Richmond and is pursuing his first elusive win at Bristol, will line in third place alongside Kevin Harvick, who is already guaranteed a spot in the second round of the Playoffs. Austin Dillon will round out the top five in fifth place and will start alongside Chase Elliott followed by Denny Hamlin, the reigning Bristol Night Race winner who earned enough points to be locked into the second round of the Playoffs. Alex Bowman will start in eighth place followed by eight-time Cup Bristol winner Kyle Busch and Aric Almirola.

Clint Bowyer, who holds sole possession of the 12th and final transfer spot to the second round of the Playoffs by three points, will start in 11th place followed by teammate Cole Custer, Kurt Busch, Ryan Blaney, William Byron and Matt DiBenedetto. Byron, Custer, DiBenedetto and Blaney are the four Playoff competitors who are below the top-12 cutline and on the brink of elimination from title contention approaching this weekend’s event at Bristol.

Tyler Reddick will start in 17th place and as the highest-starting non-title contender followed by Christopher Bell, Matt Kenseth and Erik Jones.

Rounding out positions 21-30 are Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Preece, Chris Buescher, Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Michael McDowell, Bubba Wallace, Ty Dillon, Daniel Suarez and Corey LaJoie.

Rounding out positions 31-40 are John Hunter Nemechek, Brennan Poole, Quin Houff, Reed Sorenson, James Davison, Joey Gase, Gray Gaulding, Timmy Hill, Josh Bilicki and Garrett Smithley.

The Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway will occur on Saturday, September 19, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Toyota Racing – Weekly Preview – 09.16.20

By
Official Release
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This Week in Motorsports: September 14-20, 2020

· NCS/NXS/NGROTS/ARCA: Bristol Motor Speedway (Bristol, Tennessee) – Sept. 17-19

· ARCA: Winchester Speedway (Winchester, Indiana) – September 19

PLANO, Texas (September 16, 2020) – NASCAR is back at Thunder Valley to compete in four races this weekend, including the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Round of 16 elimination race and the beginning of the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series (NGROTS) Playoffs. After competing at Bristol on Thursday, the ARCA Menards Series will have a quick turn-around as the series also races at Winchester Speedway on Saturday.

NASCAR National Series – NCS| NXS| NGROTS

Hamlin Clinched… After earning an additional Playoff point on Saturday at his home track, Richmond Raceway, Denny Hamlin has clinched his spot in the Round of 12. Hamlin can breathe easy going into Bristol, where he owns two victories, including a win at this race one year ago.

Nine of 10 for Truex…Richmond runner-up Martin Truex Jr. has scored nine top-five finishes in the past 10 races and holds 38-point advantage over the Playoff cutline heading into Bristol Motor Speedway. The 2017 NCS champion is looking for his first win at Thunder Valley with a track-best finish of second scored in this race in 2011.

Busch Ready for Another Bristol Triumph… When you think Bristol, you have to think Kyle Busch. The two-time Cup Series champion has driven to eight NASCAR Cup Series victories, including one win each of the past three seasons.

Toyota Xfinity Series Drivers are Playoff Clinched… With Riley Herbst clinching his spot in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) Playoffs on Saturday in Richmond, all three Toyota drivers are locked into the Playoff field going into Friday’s event at Bristol Motor Speedway. Veteran Brandon Jones earned a NXS Playoff berth on the strength three victories this season, while rookie Harrison Burton is in the Playoffs for the first time after driving to two wins in his debut NXS season.

Regular Season Champion… Austin Hill earned the NGROTS regular season championship after his 14th top-10 finish at Richmond, and the 15 Playoff points that came with it. Hill’s average finish (6.9) is two spots better than any other driver. He has earned a spot in the Playoff field for the second consecutive season and is looking for his first championship.

Rookie in the Field…Rookie of the Year contender Christian Eckes is also in the running for the NGROTS crown. The 19-year-old driver from New York is one of two rookies (Zane Smith) to qualify for the NGROTS Playoffs. He could also be the fifth Toyota driver to earn the Rookie of the Year title after Erik Jones in 2017, and former Toyota drivers Tyler Ankrum (2019), William Bryon (2016) and David Reutimann (2004).

NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA

Two For ARCA… As the ARCA Menards Series continues to adjust its schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the series races twice this weekend starting at Bristol Motor Speedway on Thursday and a return to Winchester Speedway on Saturday. The ARCA Menards Series last raced at Winchester Speedway in 2017 with former Toyota driver Kyle Benjamin scoring the win and Eckes finishing second.

Closing in on the Sioux Chief and East Championships… Bristol Motor Speedway marks the next-to-last race in both the Sioux Chief Showdown and ARCA East championship races. In the Sioux Chief Showdown, Ty Gibbs and Chandler Smith are tied for second-place, just five points out of the lead. Gibbs is also in second in the ARCA East championship race.

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.

7 Changes NASCAR Has Made to Make the Sport Safer

By
SM
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Photo Credit: Stephanie McLaughlin

A National Stock Car Auto Racing Association (NASCAR) car is a beautiful vehicle that challenges the physical limits of automotive engineering. NASCAR has formulated a safety proposal which it hopes would allow racing to restart. Excluding fans, strict social distancing laws, and just necessary staff, the stock car series aim to do so.

At the racetrack, NASCAR drivers regularly reached triple digits. Here’s a short look at what the group did to keep them safe over the years:

Seatbelts

NASCAR also required that all drivers wear seatbelts. That seems to be the simplest of specifications possible, but the use of belts in those days was a matter of some debate 

Around 19 years ago, NASCAR started requiring the use of Hubbard’s Head and Neck Support devices —- HANS — that act to defend drivers today.

“The HANS eliminates the friction forces present on the spine when a driver wearing a helmet is exposed to the (gravitational forces) of a collision,” according to HANS Performance Products’ Facebook page.

Helmets

There are two major NASCAR goals to avoid and cure concussions and to protect drivers from a back injury. Health is a moving target and previous tragedies have helped to keep the governing body of the sport watchful in instituting more change and reforms. It’s probably thanks to the safety modifications introduced due to Dale Earnhardt’s loss that Ryan survived.

The racing helmet required provided nothing more protection than football caskets in leather. The seatbelts were actually wound around the middle portion of a driver and attached to the seat.

The formula 1 helmet or f1 helmet is usually used in NASCAR. Otherwise, the NASCAR helmet is also sometimes provided to the drivers. Some drivers also make f1 custom helmets according to their needs. 

Fire-extinguisher

In 2003, NASCAR in all three major touring series, installed in the cockpit and triggered remotely by heat, needed an additional fire-extinguishing cylinder devoted solely to the fuel cell area. In addition to ordering fire extinguishers, in the early 2000s, NASCAR ordered black boxes. This compact gadget is kept in the buses, about the size of a paperback book.

Roof flaps and Window nets

Advanced window covers and windshield laminates threaten entry into the cockpit by external objects. The HANS brace is a shoulder belt connected to either side of the driver’s helmet with tethers. The seatbelt is installed over the HANS system in order to keep it attached to the body.

And as for the networks, which can also be removed easily once a driver wants to get away a crash, they are there to safeguard drivers from the wreckage and help keep their arms in a high-speed impact.

Racetrack walls have steel foam

According to the race sanctioning body INDYCAR, the barrier has been “one of the most important safety steps adopted in recent years by the racing industry.”

After the Gordon accident at Atlanta Motor Speedway and another in Daytona International Speedway that left Kyle Busch with several injuries after he struck a concrete wall, NASCAR started extending these barriers around tracks in 2015. 

A competent and skilled pit crew is also dramatically more critical than you would know. If there is an issue with his vehicle, a driver needs a pit stop: he might need petrol, change his tires, patch his racing suit, or correct some other glitch.

Mystik Lubricants Returns to Power John Hunter Nemechek at Bristol

By
Official Release
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Nemechek on Bristol:

“I really like going to Bristol. I feel like it suits my driving style a lot. If I could run at Bristol every week, I would. It’s tough, it’s fast, you have to be mentally focused for the entire race. It’s always a great show for the fans, and I’m glad that we’re able to have them back in the stands with us this weekend.

“We have Mystik Lubricants back on our No. 38 Ford Mustang at Bristol. We didn’t have the results we wanted to give them earlier this year at Michigan, so I’m looking forward to having another chance at a strong run. We’ve been to Bristol already this year, so we have a better idea of what works and doesn’t work. We want to run every lap, make adjustments and set ourselves up for a great finish at the end.”

JR Motorsports — NXS Bristol II Preview

By
Official Release
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JR MOTORSPORTS TEAM PREVIEW:
TRACK: Bristol Motor Speedway
RACE: Food City 300 (300 laps / 159.9 miles)
DATE: Friday, Sept. 18, 2020
Broadcast Information – TV: 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN / Radio: 6:30 p.m. ET on PRN and Sirius XM Ch. 90

Michael Annett
No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet
• Michael Annett hits Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend with three top-five and 13 top-10 finishes in his last 14 races. His average finish over that span is 7.9.
• National Truck Driver Appreciation Week began on Sunday, and Annett’s No. 1 machine will pay homage to the road warriors who make our country work. The TV panel carries a “Thank You Truck Drivers” message as it did this past week at Richmond.
• Annett’s best NXS finish in 16 starts on Bristol’s high banks is sixth, in 2011.
• BMS is also the home track of Pilot Flying J, based in nearby Knoxville, Tenn.

Jeb Burton
No. 8 LS Tractor Chevrolet
• Coming off a career-best finish of second at Richmond last weekend, Jeb Burton will make his fifth NXS start at Bristol on Friday evening.
• The Halifax, Va. native has a best start of seventh and a best finish of 12th in four previous starts in the NXS at Bristol.
• Overall, Burton has made a combined seven starts across the NASCAR Cup Series, the NXS and the NGROTS at the famed .533-mile short track.
• LS Tractor, one of the fastest growing tractor companies in North America, will be on board the No. 8 Chevrolet for the fifth time this season.

Noah Gragson
No. 9 Bass Pro Shops / TrueTimber / Black Rifle Coffee Chevrolet
• Noah Gragson returns to Bristol as the defending race winner after going to Victory Lane in the most recent event at “The Last Great Colosseum” in June.
• Overall, Gragson has three previous NXS starts at the .533- mile with an average finish of 9.0 and has paced the field for 60 circuits.
• After 25 races in the 2020 season, Gragson sits fourth in the championship standings with two wins, 11 top fives, 18 top 10s and has led 524 laps.
• At tracks that are less than a mile in length, Gragson has one win, four top fives, eight top 10s and holds an average finish of 8.1.

Justin Allgaier
No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet
• Justin Allgaier is coming off of a weekend sweep at Richmond heading into this Friday’s event at Bristol.
• In 19 NXS starts at the Tennessee short track, Allgaier has one win (2010), eight top fives and 11 top 10s.
• The Illinois native has led a staggering 638 laps at Bristol, more than any other track on the circuit. Of those laps, 425 have been tallied in the last three events at the track.
• Allgaier’s two wins in Richmond catapulted him to third in the projected playoffs standings with just one race left in the regular season. To date in 2020, the veteran driver has collected 25 playoff points from his three victories and 10 stage wins.

Driver Quotes

“Our No. 1 Pilot Flying J team is performing well. We had two good runs at Richmond, clinching a playoff spot on Friday night. We’ve worked hard all season for the chance to race for a championship, and we can race for wins instead of chasing points. We had a really good car earlier this season at Bristol, but got caught in someone else’s mess. We are looking forward to a good run to thank all the truck drivers who keep our country moving as part of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week.” – Michael Annett

“I feel like our No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture team is hitting its stride at just the right time. Last weekend at Richmond was incredible and gives us some great momentum heading to one of my favorite tracks on the circuit. Bristol is a place that really suits my driving style and the past few races I feel like we’ve had the car to beat, but circumstances just didn’t work in our favor. Hopefully we can get it done this weekend and end the regular season on a high note as we look ahead to the playoffs.” – Justin Allgaier

“I can’t wait to see what we can do on Friday night with this LS Tractor Chevrolet. Taylor (Moyer, crew chief) and all the guys on this JR Motorsports team gave me a great car both races last weekend on the short track in Richmond and I feel really confident that we will unload with that same speed this weekend at the short track in Bristol. This is definitely a place that I have always enjoyed coming to and hopefully we can keep this momentum from our second-place finish last Saturday going and fight for the win come Friday night.” – Jeb Burton

“The last time we were at Bristol we came away with the win but it came at a cost. It’ll be nice to go back and get the Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee Camaro into Victory Lane to get a few more playoff points before the playoffs begin next week. I know the guys are working hard at the shop and I don’t doubt them a bit that we will unload with a lot of speed on Friday night.” – Noah Gragson

JRM Team Updates

• JRM in Thunder Valley: In 76 NXS starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, JR Motorsports has scored two wins, 20 top-five and 46 top-10 finishes. Brad Keselowski earned the organization’s first victory at “The Last Great Colosseum” in August of 2008 after starting 37th and leading the final 24 laps. The 37th-place starting position is the deepest in the field a winner has ever started for JRM. Noah Gragson scored the organization’s most recent victory at the famed short track in June of this year.
• JRM on Short Tracks: In 232 starts on short tracks in the NXS, JRM has recorded 11 wins, 66 top fives and 141 top 10s. Brad Keselowski earned the organization’s first victory on a short track at Bristol Motor Speedway in August 2008. Justin Allgaier scored the most recent victories on a short track after sweeping last weekend’s events at Richmond Raceway.
• National Truck Driver Appreciation Week: Michael Annett’s No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet celebrates National Truck Driver Appreciation Week with an homage to the drivers who make America go. National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is an important time for America to pay respect and thank all the professional truck drivers for their hard work and commitment in undertaking one of our economy’s most demanding and important jobs. These 3.5 million professional men and women not only deliver our goods safely, securely, and on time, they also keep our highways safe. This year it takes on a special significance considering the crucial role truck drivers have played during the COVID-19 pandemic

NASCAR Xfinity Series Power Rankings – Richmond I and II

By
Briar Starr
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Brandon Jones and Tommy Joe Martins lead the field to start the NASCAR Xfinity Series Virginia is for Racing Lovers 250 at Richmond Raceway on September 12, 2020. Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images.

With just two races left prior to the 2020 Xfinity Series playoffs, many drivers who are currently in the playoffs by virtue of points were still seeking their first win of the season while some needed a good points day. 

To no one’s surprise, Justin Allgaier had a dominating race car for the two Richmond races and swept the weekend. The Illinois native seems to be peaking at the right time as he has been on a tear for the last few races by not only sweeping Richmond, but also winning race one of Dover and finishing seventh in the second race. Should Allgaier keep this momentum going throughout the next 13 races, he easily could be a favorite for the Xfinity Series championship. 

While Allgaier enjoyed success this past weekend at Richmond, Chase Briscoe, who has won six times this year, struggled to earn a top 10 finish. In fact, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver did not score a top 10 at all in either race which is quite uncharacteristic of the No. 98 team who seems to have the car to beat this year and has been dominant throughout the 2020 season.

There were multiple drivers who had up and down days in the final Xfinity Series doubleheader of the year at Richmond. 

Here are this week’s Power Rankings. 

  1. Justin Haley – Haley earned a runner-up finish in Friday’s race and a sixth-place finish in Saturday’s event. Haley most likely could have won Friday’s race after leading 51 laps but had to settle for a second-place finish. In Friday’s event, Haley placed a respectable fourth and third in both stages. Meanwhile, in Saturday’s race, he didn’t lead any laps but finished third in Stage 1 and second in the final stage. In the end, Haley gained his eighth top-five and 16th top 10 finishes of the year.

    Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
  2. Justin Allgaier – Allgaier swept both Richmond races and led a combined 213 out of 500 laps; that’s a combined 42.6% total, nearly 50% of the laps. He finished fifth in Stage 1 and won Stage 2 in Friday’s outing, while he won Stage 1 and placed eighth in Stage 2 for Saturday. In the end, the Stage 2 finish was somewhat irrelevant as Allgaier took the lead on Lap 172 and led for the final 79 laps.

    Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
  3. Ross Chastain – Overall, it was a solid weekend for Chastain and the No. 10 Kaulig Racing team, with finishes of fifth and third, respectively in both races. In addition to the finishes, Chastain led 39 laps in Friday’s race and 58 laps in Saturday’s outing. Despite missing out on two checkered flags, the Floridan clinched a spot in the playoffs based on his points in the standings and his finishes throughout the year.

    Previous Week Ranking – Fifth
  4. Austin Cindric – It was a mix of two different races for Cindric, who finished fourth and 10th on the doubleheader weekend. Looking back, Cindric will probably want at least the Friday race back and another chance at a victory, after he led 64 laps and won Stage 1. Saturday’s race was a different story as Cindric could only manage a Stage 2 finish of sixth before earning his 20th top 10 of the year.

    Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
  5. Harrison Burton – Despite finishing 16th, one lap down in Friday’s race, Saturday’s performance where he finished fourth and fifth in both stages was enough to keep Burton in the Power Rankings this week. Though the inconsistency of finishes will be something the No. 20 team needs to work on as the season winds down with Burton finishing both outside the top 10 or inside the top 10 every other week.

    Previous Week Ranking –  Third 

Fell Out

  1. Ryan Sieg – What a difference a week made for Sieg after having a great run at Darlington the week before. While he did have a respectable finish of 11th in Friday’s race, Sieg finished 15th, the first car one lap down, in Saturday’s outing. The Georgian never placed in either stage in Friday’s race and only finished ninth in Stage 1 on Saturday.

    Previous Week Ranking – First
  2. Chase Briscoe – Richmond was definitely a forgettable race weekend in the No. 98 camp. The Indiana native did not manage a top 10 finish in either race, despite leading a combined 20 laps. However, with how strong the team can be on certain race weekends, it would not be shocking to find them back in victory lane at some point in the playoffs.

    Previous Week Ranking – Second
  3. Brandon Jones – With no stage finishes inside the top 10 in both races and only one finish inside the top 10 of eighth in Saturday’s race, it was not the weekend Jones was looking for.

    Previous Week Ranking – Fourth 

Menards/Dutch Boy Team Heads to Bristol with Playoff Berth on the Line

By
Official Release
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After weeks of focusing on the points standings, first as they worked to make the Cup Series Playoffs and then to advance to the Round of 12, Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Dutch Boy team can pretty much forget about points, at least for one night.

DiBenedetto’s only real hope to advance to the second round of the Playoffs is to win Saturday night’s Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the final race of the first round of the Playoffs.

In DiBenedetto’s favor is that Bristol is his best track. Driving for another team last fall, he finished second to Denny Hamlin after leading 93 laps late in the race. And he won the All-Star Open there in July aboard the Wood Brothers’ No. 21 Mustang.

“If there is one track to be in a must-win situation that I would choose it would definitely be Bristol,” DiBenedetto said. “I think we have a good shot at it. It is one that I am excited about and have circled off in this round…

“And I have some unfinished business, I guess, after last year as well.”

DiBenedetto said his Menards/Dutch Boy team has given him the cars he needed to make his first Playoff appearance and his team’s second, and he believes the same effort will go into the Mustang he’ll drive in Saturday night’s 500-lapper.

“All these guys on the Wood Brothers Racing team, I’m proud of them,” he said. “They’ve been working really hard… Menards, Motorcraft, everybody at Ford has been putting a lot of effort into this thing.

“Going to Bristol is obviously an exciting race and one that we feel good about and have a lot to build on.

“I think we can go there and perform.”

Eddie Wood said he’s optimistic as well going into Bristol, but he’s also looking at the big picture of his team’s season.

“We’re in a spot where we have to win to advance, but it’s pretty much been that way since the Playoffs started,” he said. “No matter how it goes Saturday night, I’m still very proud to have made the Playoffs.”

There will be no qualifying or practice prior to the start of the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race, which is set for just after 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time with TV coverage on NBCSN.

Menards

A family owned company started in 1958, Menards is headquartered in Eau Claire, WI. Menards has more than 300 retail stores located throughout the Midwest in the states of IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI and WY. Menards is known throughout the home improvement industry as the low price leader. It’s famous slogan “Save Big Money at Menards” is widely known and easy to remember. For more information, visit Menards.com, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest.

Wood Brothers Racing

Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glen Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glen’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Matt DiBenedetto in the famous No. 21 racer.

GMS Racing Gander Trucks Bristol Preview

By
Official Release
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Sheldon Creed, No. 2 Chevy Accessories Chevrolet Silverado
Bristol Gander Trucks Stats
– Starts: 1, Best finish: 6

2020 Gander Trucks Stats
– Starts: 16, Wins: 3, Best start: 1, Best finish: 1, Top 5s: 5, Top 10s: 8, Laps led: 204, Stage Wins: 5

Notes:

– Sheldon Creed has qualified for the Gander Trucks Playoffs for the first time in his career and enters Bristol first in the playoff standings with 26 playoff points.
– Creed the No. 2 team will compete with chassis No. 310 this week in Bristol. Creed earned two top-10 finishes in five starts with this chassis in 2019 including a sixth-place finish at Bristol.
– Creed has led laps in nine of the last 11 Gander Trucks races this season.
– In addition to his 2019 Gander Trucks start at Bristol Motor Speedway, Creed has one ARCA East start at the track in 2017 where he qualified second and finished 11th.

Quote:

“Bristol is fun, we had to work our way through the field lat year, but ended up with a solid finish. We’re sitting in a pretty good spot heading into the playoffs, but the best way to make it to Phoenix is to just keep winning. That’s the goal, to get a win early and lock in to the Round of 8.”

Zane Smith, No. 21 Atari Hotels Chevrolet Silverado
Bristol Gander Trucks Stats
– No prior Gander Trucks starts at Bristol Motor Speedway.

2020 Gander Trucks Stats
– Starts: 16, Wins: 2, Best start: 1, Best finish: 1, Top 5s: 4, Top 10s: 9, Laps led: 271, Stage wins: 5

Notes:

– Zane Smith enters Bristol second in the playoff standings with 22 playoff points, four points behind the leader.
– Smith has one NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Bristol in 2019 where he finished 11th and one ARCA East start in 2017 where he finished ninth.
– Smith and the No. 21 team will compete with chassis No. 330 at Bristol. Smith has led 83 laps with this chassis in three previous starts in 2020. This is the same chassis that Smith took to victory lane at Dover.

Quote:

“I like Bristol, it’s a challenging track. I ran here in an Xfinity car last year and ran in the East series a few years ago, so I’m not going in completely new like the last few truck races we’ve had. We’ve built some speed and momentum up the last couple weeks and I hope we can carry that over into the playoff and get wins as early as we can to make our way to the final four.”

Brett Moffitt, No. 23 GMS Racing Chevrolet Silverado
Bristol Gander Trucks Stats
– Starts: 3, Wins: 1, Best start: 1, Best finish: 1, Laps led: 65

2020 Gander Trucks Stats
– Starts: 16, Best start: 1, Best finish: 2, Top 5s: 7, Top 10s: 11, Laps led: 245, Stage Wins: 5

Notes:

– Brett Moffitt is the defending Gander Trucks race winner at Bristol Motor Speedway and looks to repeat last year’s success this Thursday in the first round of the 2020 Playoffs.
– Moffitt and the No. 23 team will utilize chassis No. 304 this week in Bristol. This is the same chassis that Moffitt took to victory lane at Bristol and Chicagoland in 2019. Moffitt has one top-five finish in two starts with this chassis so far in 2020.
– This is Moffitt’s third consecutive year in the Gander Trucks Playoffs and enters Bristol fifth in the playoff standings with 15 playoff points, 11 points behind the leader.

Quote:

“Bristol is a track I’ve had success at in the past and hopefully we can repeat that success on Thursday night. We’ve been hitting our stride these last few weeks, but it’s been frustrating continuing to come up short. Bristol would be a perfect time to turn things around and get that first win and lock ourselves into the next round.”

Sam Mayer, No. 24 All Weather Armour Chevrolet Silverado
Bristol Gander Trucks Stats
– Starts: 1

2020 Gander Trucks Stats
– Starts: 3, Best finish: 4, Laps led: 24

Notes:

– In addition to his 2019 Gander Trucks start at Bristol, Sam Mayer went two-for-two in 2019 in the ARCA East Series at Bristol. Mayer won the spring event in April 2019 from the pole and led every lap and led 13 laps in August en route to victory lane.
– Mayer and the No. 24 team will compete with chassis No. 309 this weekend in Bristol. This chassis has raced five times in 2020 with a best finish of fourth at Gateway with Mayer. This is the same chassis that won at Iowa for GMS in 2019.
– Mayer will pull double duty on Thursday competing in the ARCA Menards Series / ARCA East race after the conclusion of the Gander Trucks race. Mayer currently leads the ARCA East standings and the Sioux Chief Showdown standings in ARCA.

Quote:

“Going back to a track that I’ve been to in the truck is really exciting. The fact that I ran so well there last year in my first race means that I’ll be even better this year, and we’ve proven we can contend for wins. I’m really excited because I know the GMS Chevys are really good at Bristol and we will be fast.”

Tyler Ankrum, No. 26 LiUNA! Chevrolet Silverado
Bristol Gander Trucks Stats
– Starts: 1, Best start: 5, Best finish: 20

2020 Gander Trucks Stats
– Starts: 16, Best start: 2, Best finish: 2, Top 5s: 3, Top 10s: 7, Laps led: 1

Notes:

– Tyler Ankrum has qualified for the Gander Trucks Playoffs for the second consecutive year. Ankrum enters Bristol 10th in the playoff standings with two playoff points, 24 points behind the leader.
– Ankrum and the No. 26 will utilize chassis No. 305 Thursday night in Bristol. This chassis two top-three finishes in three starts for GMS in 2019.
– In addition to his 2019 Gander Trucks start at Bristol, Ankrum has one ARCA East start at the track in 2018 where he led 32 laps and finished fourth.

Quote:

“Obviously, we want to be as consistent as possible and build on the momentum we’ve had the last few weeks, but our main goal for Bristol is to win. That’s the best way to secure our spot in the next round.”

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.

DGR Crosley – ARCA Menards Series Advance: Bristol Motor Speedway

By
Official Release
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Track: Bristol Motor Speedway, 0.533-mile oval
Race: 16 of 20
Event: Bush’s Beans 200 (106.6 miles, 200 laps)

Schedule:
Thursday, Sept. 17
6:00 p.m………..Practice
9:30 p.m……….Race (FS1)
(all times ET)

Hailie Deegan, No. 4 Monster Energy Ford Fusion

Hailie Deegan is looking forward to racing her No. 4 Monster Energy Ford Fusion in Thursday’s Bush’s Beans 200 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. She always enjoys racing at short tracks, and this high-banked concrete oval especially suits her driving style. The laps click off quickly, things happen fast and there is little time to figure out how to make the car handle well.

Deegan has three prior starts at Bristol in the former K&N Series East (now ARCA East). Her best finish came last fall driving for DGR-Crosley when she completed all the laps and finished ninth.

So far this year in 15 ARCA Menards Series starts, Deegan has earned three top-five, 13 top-10 finishes and led 85 laps. With five races to go in the season, she is still looking for her first win and is currently third in the driver point standings, 49 points out of first place and 47 points out of second.

The ARCA Menards Series Bush’s Beans 200 from Bristol Motor Speedway will be run on Thursday, Sept. 17 at 9:30 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcast live on FS1. The 200-lap race will have two race breaks on, or near laps 75 and 150.

Deegan on Bristol: “Right now my goal is to win a race by the end of the season. My DGR-Crosley team has come a long way, especially on our short-track program. I have more experience on short tracks and I know what I need out of my car. One thing I have had to adjust to is that sometimes you need to go slower to be faster. When I was racing off-road trucks, to go faster you drove harder. Now my spotter (Eric Holmes) is always reminding me to back up my corners and not drive so hard in to get better laps times.

“Bristol is a track which awards aggressive drivers, which is why I run well there. It favors my driving style. It’s easy to get totally lost on the corners because the laps go so fast. I always have to remind myself the wall is closer off one corner than the other end, which changes things up a little.”

Taylor Gray, No. 17 Ford Performance Fusion

Taylor Gray will be making his first career start in any series at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway on Thursday night in the No. 17 Ford Performance Fusion. Known as the “Last Great Coliseum,” even walking down the steep concrete banking can be intimidating for drivers who have raced there many times. For a rookie it can be especially daunting, but 15-year-old Gray is up for the challenge.

In 12 ARCA Menards Series starts this season (including East and West starts), he has achieved seven top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. In the two races where he was not in the top 10, he finished 11th. Gray earned another top-five finish last Saturday at Toledo (Ohio) Speedway after finishing fifth in his fourth start there this year.

This race is twice as important for Gray since it not only counts for ARCA Menards Series points, but ARCA East as well. The East race at Bristol was originally scheduled in April, but due to the revised Covid-19 schedule, it is now part of the originally scheduled ARCA race. Gray is 11th in ARCA points, despite only competing in eight of 15 races. He jumped three spots to eighth in the East standings after his top five at Toledo. He has started three of the four races in that series.

The ARCA Menards Series Bush’s Beans 200 from Bristol Motor Speedway will be run on Thursday, Sept. 17 at 9:30 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcast live on FS1. The 200-lap race will have two race breaks on, or near laps 75 and 150.

Gray on Bristol: “Bristol is kind of like Dover’s little brother. It’s just a really short Dover. It looks like a pretty cool place and I’m pretty excited to race there for the first time on Thursday. My driver coach, Brandon McReynolds, told me one thing to remember at Bristol is do not rush the gas off of turn four. These concrete tracks are also really hard on restarts. I was a perfect example of that in Dover. I completely screwed up in Dover and lit up the tires on the last restart there, which messed up my race. You really have to be on your game on the restarts.”

AmericanMuscle Customer Build Video | 2012 GT

By
Official Release
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New Series Helps Mustang Owners Visualize the Possibilities

PAOLI, Pa. (September 14th, 2020) – AmericanMuscle (AM) inspires Mustang enthusiasts with its new customer spotlight video series launching with a 2012 Lava Red GT owned by Carl Binder from Florida. AM’s Justin Dugan hosts a virtual interview for an insider look at Carl’s Mustang mod journey, the AM parts he used to make it happen, and more. A full breakdown of Carl’s modification list and images can be found on AM’s customer builds page.

Justin begins by highlighting the rare Lava Red exterior which Carl initially thought was black. They chat about some of his early modifications like the GT rims and wider tires, before moving on to the parts he thoughtfully chose to put under the hood. Carl worked from the ground up, installing new brakes and rotors, stiffening up the suspension, and adding the GT 500 exhaust system. Viewers will learn why Carl’s GT was originally called “The Thing,” and what’s on his wish list for the future. Justin ends the interview by directing viewers to Carl’s build profile page where they will find a complete list of parts he used, including those not covered in the video.

AM’s customer builds video series is for Mustang enthusiasts who like to modify and drive, build and race late-model Mustangs. Beginning with a well-rounded street car like Carl’s 2012 GT opens up the possibilities for customizing the appearance, performance, braking, and interior. A welcome addition to AM’s Mustang profiles, the online auto-parts retailer plans to continue the video series with more interviews soon to be released.

View it here:

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About AmericanMuscle

Starting out in 2003, AmericanMuscle quickly rose to be one of the leading aftermarket Mustang parts providers in the business. With the addition of Challenger in 2018, AmericanMuscle provides the most sought-after parts, accessories, and fast shipping. Located just outside of Philadelphia, AmericanMuscle is dedicated to offering the Mustang and Challenger communities with the highest level of customer service.

Please visit http://www.AmericanMuscle.com for more information.

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