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Jason Kitzmiller set for Bristol Motor Speedway debut

By
Official Release
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BRISTOL, Tenn.: Impressive ARCA Menards Series rookie Jason Kitzmiller will have a pair of firsts as he prepares to make his seventh start of the season in Thursday night’s Bush’s Beans 200.

The Petersburg, WV native will compete in his first ARCA short track this week, while also making his debut at the famed Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.

After delivering three top-10 finishes in his first six ARCA starts this season, Kitzmiller will embrace the daunting task of taking on Thunder Valley in one of the most highly anticipated races in the year.

Kitzmiller had hoped to get a jump on Bristol by competing in the ARCA Menards Series East race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway last month, but a practice crash put the team out of commission for the General Tire 125 meaning his first short track appearance would have to wait until ARCA’s 16th race of the season.

“I’m ready. I better be ready,” Kitzmiller said with a laugh. “This is a huge deal for me to transition from these bigger race tracks and to take on Bristol Motor Speedway. I had hoped to get some experience at Dover – but Miles’ the Monster had other plans.

“Realistically, I just have to go into the race this week with a positive attitude and rely on my CR7 Motorsports team for guidance. 200 laps will go by quick on Thursday night and my goal is to finish the race on the lead lap and see if we can’t get us a top-10 finish with our No. 97 A.L.L. Construction Chevrolet.”

Kitzmiller knows he’ll likely face the stiffest competition in ARCA Menards Series competition this week at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile – as the event will host teams from the ARCA Menards Series and the ARCA Menards Series East.

For the rookie driver, the more competitors, the better.

“I’m expecting one of the biggest fields of the season on Thursday and I think that will make the race exciting. I’ve been told it’s hard to hide at Bristol and you have to almost treat every lap like a qualifying lap.

“Even though we actually won’t have qualifying this week – I certainly know how to get into that mind zone. I’m also blessed to have the support of Codie (Rohrbaugh) and Tim (Fedewa, spotter) who will be doing what they can to help make my Bristol debut a memorable one.”

It will be a busy weekend for CR7 Motorsports. In addition to the Bush’s Beans 200, the team will also compete in Thursday night’s NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics with Rohrbaugh aboard the No. 9 Chevrolet Silverado.

Marketing partnership(s) opportunities are available for the No. 97 A.L.L. Construction Chevrolet and No. 9 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet for the 2020 ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series seasons and beyond. Interested inquiries are encouraged to contact at tonya@gcmulch.com or 304.257.8783.

The Bush’s Beans 200 (200 laps | 106.6 miles) is the 16th of 20 races on the 2020 ARCA Menards Series schedule. Group practice begins Thurs., Sept. 17, 2020 with a forty-five-minute practice session from 6:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. The race is set to take the green flag shortly after 9:30 p.m., televised live on FOX Sports 1, while ARCARacing.com will stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire day’s festivities. All times are local (Eastern).

What You Should Know When Owning a Mercedes

By
SM
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When you drive a Mercedes, you know you’ve got one of the best cars ever made. While these beauties may drive like a dream, there are certain things a Mercedes owner should know. 

Having some maintenance and upkeep tips in mind will help you keep your car running as long as possible. This knowledge will also help you avoid a lot of hassle and even save some cash in the long run. Read on for a discussion on these factors and how you can incorporate them for your Mercedes’ upkeep:

Where to Locate Hard to Find Mercedes Parts

You should have some reliable websites on hand just in case it’s hard to find Mercedes parts and you need some auto parts for your Mercedes. Parstgeek is one of them. But it would help if you had some backups in mind in case they run low on stock. In any case, having a genuine vendor for Mercedes parts is critical if you want to get the most out of your car. 

How to Jump-start

Jumpstarting a car is a piece of pretty basic knowledge for any car driver. But it takes some special know-how when you’re working with a Mercedes. Several owners have noticed electrical problems after jump-starting their Mercedes-Benz the wrong way. There’s no need to compromise the function of your expensive vehicle. Therefore, you should follow the manufacturer’s recommended procedures. 

These procedures include keeping the jump box or cables connected for about ten minutes or longer. You can check with an expert for more guidelines. But first, see if you can avoid jumping starting it at all. This practice isn’t good for your Mercedes, so why take a chance? If you have the time and opportunity, go for a trickle charger instead. 

The Right Filter and Oil

The recommended oil interval for most Mercedes-Benz cars is about 10,000 miles. However, this estimation assumes that you’re using the right type of filter and oil in your car. Mobil 1 0W40 is the correct oil for such vehicles. So, don’t try to cut corners on this one. If you do, you’d probably end up paying more for repairs later. 

You should also have a fleece oil filter that can continue for about 10,000 miles. A word of advice here; don’t go for the specials at local auto repair shops. It’s quite unlikely that the right oil or filter would be available there. If you’re not careful about the right equipment, you’d be facing premature wear and harmful sludge buildup in your engine. 

Taking Care of the Battery

The battery is among the most essential components of any car. On a Mercedes-Benz, however, you also must consider the sensitive electronics and equipment installed in the vehicle. If you bought your battery five years ago or even before that, it’s probably time for a change. 

This update is necessary, as the old battery will probably not be able to hold the charge your car needs. You may feel that your car starts fine. But it might start malfunctioning in the middle of the day. If the battery is too old, you risk compromising the system and the control units in a Mercedes. Some errors might even pop up that are seemingly unrelated to the battery; these include limp mode, the SRS light, or Electronic Consumers Switched off. 

You can save a fair bit of money and worry by getting a replacement battery every five years. They’re easily available online if you don’t want to bear the extra cost from the dealer. 

Knowing Why the Check Engine Light Comes ‘On’

As a Mercedes owner, it’s not wise to ignore the check engine light if it turns on. Even if your car is purring along fine, the check engine light is a warning. 

There’s also no need to panic either; get the hang of troubleshooting to rule out the possible causes. You can start by stopping at a local auto part store and asking the staff to read any fault codes from your Mercedes. They might not be able to erase the code. But knowing about them will help you solve the problem. There are also inexpensive code readers that you can purchase. 

Dealing with the Fluids 

You should know about the kinds of replacement fluids your Mercedes requires. What’s even more important is knowing how and when to check the various fluids that are making your car work smoothly. 

We’ve already talked about the importance of the oil filter and engine oil. Other vital fluids in a Mercedes are the antifreeze, brake fluid, power steering fluid, windshield wiper fluid, and coolant. Knowing the location of these components is essential; you should also be aware of how to check if their levels are low.  

The engine oil also needs regular changing, while the engine itself needs a proper airing now and then. The fuel should also be free of contaminants. The fuel and air filters need regular checking as well. Finally, a Mercedes owner also needs to flush out the radiators on a schedule. 

Keeping up with this maintenance is necessary as the heat from the car and the environment can both degrade the car’s fluids. If you neglect this part of owning and operating a Mercedes, you’ll be risking damage to your braking, sterling, and transmission systems. 

Synchronizing the Window and Sunroof

If your battery dies or you’ve just gotten a new one, your windows and sunroof will probably stop working with the one-touch operation. This is frustrating. But it doesn’t have to be permanent. 

You can try re-synchronizing your sunroof, and windows. Roll up the windows to the very top and continue pressing the switch that operates them. You should hear a clicking sound after about five seconds. Repeat this for the sunroof and you’ll have your smooth, one-touch operation back in no time!

The  Final Takeaway

Owning a Mercedes-Benz might boost your confidence and status. But it’s also a huge responsibility. Basic maintenance is an absolute must when you have such a gorgeous vehicle on your hands. So, don’t fall short on any of the points above. Since these cars have such superb engineering, their longevity is impressive if you know what to do. Look at your Mercedes today and see what you can do to extend its service life!

Gus Dean adds two more ARCA Menards Series races to 2020 schedule

By
Official Release
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STATESVILLE, N.C.: Two-time ARCA Menards Series (AMS) winner Gus Dean (@gusdean) will return to the series for at least two more races this season beginning with Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway on Sept. 17 and Memphis (Tenn.) International Raceway on Sat., Sept. 26 respectively.

Dean will continue to drive for Kevin Cywinski’s Win-Tron Racing aboard the No. 32 Chevrolet SS with industry veteran Jamie Jones leading the team as crew chief.

Bristol will mark Dean’s return to ARCA since competing at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in June.

“I’m looking forward to getting back to the race track,” said Dean who has spent the summer also competing in his Super Late Model.

“Short track racing is what its all about and it doesn’t get any better than Bristol.

“I’ve never been there in an ARCA car – but do have experience there last year in a Truck. Having a limited amount of practice on our hands, I’m hopeful that the extra track time will help and we can get a good finish for Kevin, Jamie and everyone on this Win-Tron Racing team.”

Always a contender in ARCA competition, Dean’s No. 32 Chevrolet will be backed by MASHONIT Apparel Co.

MASHONIT Apparel Co. is a brand for those that live life wide open. The people that look at something normal and think, “That’s not good enough,” “It can go faster” or “Let’s see what this thing can do.”

Those that have the hunger inside that keeps them just south of normal.

That never-ending hunger for speed and adrenaline that allows you to find the thin line between being heroic and insane, giving them a perspective on life that few are lucky enough to find. – That’s MASHONIT.

Following Bristol, Dean and the team will trek to Memphis, where the Bluffton, SC. native is a previous track winner in 2014 while competing in the X-1R Pro Cup Series.

Jones is also a former winner at Memphis in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series in 2005 with driver Brandon Whitt.

Together, Dean and Jones hope to rekindle their separate magic and lead Win-Tron Racing back to Victory Lane.

“I’m stoked about going to Memphis, obviously,” added Dean. “It’s a fun race track and it brings a lot of memories from 2014 – where I beat some of the best of the best in Late Model competition.

“I know Jamie (Jones) is hungry to win there again and I hope we can go out for these next two ARCA Menards Series races and have a good showing and bring home some checkered flags.”

Veteran spotter and close friend Tyler Monn will spot for Dean at Bristol. Monn guided Dean to his second career ARCA victory at Elko Speedway in July 2018.

The 26-year-old Dean will also return to the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series this season with details being announced at a later date.

Since 2016, Dean has 53 ARCA Menards Series starts with two poles, two wins, 14 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes driving for just two teams Mason Mitchell Motorsports and Win-Tron Racing.

For more on Gus Dean, please visit GusDean.com, like him on Facebook (Gus Dean Racing) and follow him on Twitter (@GusDean).

For more on Win-Tron Racing, please visit WinTronRacing.com, like them on Facebook (WinTron Racing) and follow them on Twitter (@WinTronRacing).

For more on MASHONIT Apparel Co., please visit MashOnIt.com, like them on Facebook (MashOnIt Apparel Co.,), follow them on Instagram (MashOnIt_Clothing) and follow them on Twitter (@MashOnIt Apparel Co.).

The Bush’s Beans 200 (200 laps | 106.6 miles) is the 16th of 20 races on the 2020 ARCA Menards Series schedule. Group practice begins Thurs., Sept. 17, 2020 with a forty-five-minute practice session from 6:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. The race is set to take the green flag shortly after 9:30 p.m., televised live on FOX Sports 1, while ARCARacing.com will stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire day’s festivities. All times are local (Eastern).

The Sioux Chief PowerPEX 200 from Memphis (Tenn.) International Raceway is set for Sat., September 26, 2020.

NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Richmond

By
Jeffrey Boswell
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The Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway on September 12, 2020. Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images.

Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Kevin Harvick: Harvick overcame a commitment line penalty to finish seventh at Richmond.

“My win at Darlington already advanced me to the next round,” Harvick said. “So I was racing at Richmond with no pressure. Trust me, it’s not often you can say ‘I was loose all day’ and it means a good thing.”

2. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski won Stage 2 at Richmond and controlled the race thereafter, taking the win in the Federated Auto Parts 400 and a spot in the next round of the playoffs.

“I made it look easy,” Keselowski said. “But looks can be deceiving. Not in this case though, because it was easy.”

3. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin won Stage 1 at Richmond, but was nabbed for speeding on pit road during subsequent pit stops. He scrapped his way back to a 12th place finish.

“Despite that,” Hamlin said, “I still qualified for the next playoff round. That means I can go to Bristol and gun for the win. I can’t wait to get there. But I have to make sure I don’t get ahead of myself. In other words, ‘not so fast.'”

4. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished fifth in the Federated Auto Parts 400, posting his 11th top five of the year.

“Except for competition cautions,” Elliott said, “the entire race was caution-free. My standing in the points is such that I can race at Bristol ‘caution-free.'”

5. Martin Truex, Jr.: Truex battled up front all night at Richmond and came home with the runner-up finish.

“I’ve finished fourth or better in nine of the last 10 races,” Truex said. “That’s a losing streak most, if not all, drivers would love to have.”

6. Joey Logano: Logano finished third at Richmond as Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski secured a dominating win.

“Brad all but predicted a win,” Logano said. “That’s called ‘reverse psychology,’ because he ‘backed it up.'”

7. Ryan Blaney: Blaney finished a disappointing 19th at Richmond, and now likely needs a win at Bristol to advance to Round 2 of the playoffs.

“I had to make an unscheduled pit stop for a loose wheel during Stage 1,” Blaney said. “I’ll tell you what else is ‘not secure’—–the job of one of my tire changers.”

8. Alex Bowman: Bowman finished ninth at Richmond and is eighth in the points standings, 27 points ahead of 13th.

“Jimmie Johnson is headed to Indy Car next year,” Byron said. “Jimmie’s been looking for more speed all year; apparently, he had to leave the sport of NASCAR to find it.”

9. Kyle Busch: Busch finished sixth at Richmond and is in solid position to advance to the Round Of 12.

“I’m happy with the result,” Busch said, “considering we started at the back after failing two inspections. Apparently, as long as the No. 18 car is moving, it earns a passing grade.”

10. Aric Almirola: Almirola finished eighth at Richmond as Stewart-Haas Racing placed three cars in the top 10.

“I’m seven points above the playoff cut-off line,” Almirola said. “That’s an uncomfortable margin, mostly because it’s too close for comfort.”

NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Power Rankings – Richmond

By
Briar Starr
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During the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway on September 10, 2020 in Richmond, Virginia. Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images.

For the first time since 2005, the NASCAR Truck Series returned to Richmond International Raceway for the last race of the regular season, before the playoffs began. 

Grant Enfinger was once again back on top with the checkered flag passing teammate Matt Crafton after Crafton dominated late in the race. By earning the victory, the Alabaman gained five playoff points headed to the first race for the Round of 10 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Thursday. 

However, there were also a few notables that happened throughout the Toyota Care 250 at Richmond, and we’ll take a look at them with this week’s Power Rankings. 

  1. Ben Rhodes – While it wasn’t another win as he had hoped, Ben Rhodes had a solid outing at Richmond, but one he might look back on as the playoffs start to get down to the wire. The Kentucky native started second, led 25 laps, and won Stage 2 before coming home to a third-place finish. The top five finish marked Rhodes’s seventh of the season and placed him sixth on the playoff grid, 12 points back from first.

    Previous Week Ranking – First
  2. Austin Hill – An atta boy effort in Hill’s camp as they clinched the regular-season title after Hill’s Stage 2 efforts and gained an additional 15 points for the playoffs. Before clinching the title, Hill led early on and seemingly had the truck to beat. Though as the night wore on, his truck somewhat fell off the pace and never could contend for the win after being strong through the first 65 laps. Despite the uncharacteristic-like finish, Hill finished third in both stages and continued his streak of top 10 finishes.

    Previous Week Ranking – Fourth
  3. Grant Enfinger – Right place, right time for Enfinger when his teammate and then race leader Crafton caught lap traffic at the wrong time with five laps to go. Enfinger made the pass for the eventual win and took home his third checkered flag of the season. Enfinger led three times for 18 laps and finished second in both stages respectively.

    Previous Week Ranking – Not Ranked
  4. Brett Moffitt – Moffitt led 32 laps before coming home in the fourth position. Had he not been passed by Crafton for the lead late, there’s no telling if the Iowan would have held on for the win in what would have been his first victory of the year. With the top-five finish, Moffitt is fifth on the playoff grid, 11 points back from first. Though I’m sure Moffitt wishes he could have the race back in terms of a victory.

    Previous Week Ranking – Third
  5. Todd Gilliland – After the unfortunate circumstance the week prior at Gateway after contact with Sheldon Creed that took him out of the win, Gilliland bounced back for a 17th place finish and locked himself into the playoffs for his efforts. The Front Row Motorsports driver is ninth on the grid, 23 points back from first.

    Previous Week Ranking – Fifth 

Fell Out 
Sheldon Creed – It was somewhat of a disappointing outing for Creed who never really contended for the victory and came home in the 13th position, one lap down, and could only salvage a Stage 2 finish of eighth. However, Creed will start the playoffs as the points leader with 2,026 points. It will be interesting to see if Creed can carry his mid-season momentum throughout the playoffs and if he makes the Championship 4 at Phoenix.

Previous Week Ranking – Second

Toyota Racing – NGROTS Playoffs Media Day Quotes – Christian Eckes

By
Official Release
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Toyota Racing – Christian Eckes
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Series Quotes

CHARLOTTE (September 14, 2020) – Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Christian Eckes was made available to media via videoconference during the NASCAR Playoffs Media Day:

CHRISTIAN ECKES, No. 18 Safelite Auto Glass Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports

Former KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports) driver Erik Jones won the championship as a rookie. What makes you think you can do the same?
“Probably the same reason he did, the team. Rudy (Fugle, crew chief) has been extremely good at winning championships pretty much the last 10 years. I have some experience as well fighting for an owner’s championship with him last year. It’s been a blast to work with him so far, and we have been close and have been running well at time. We just have to put it together for the next seven and be perfect.”

You have been so close to getting the first win. Do you feel like in the Playoffs it is going to take wins to advance through these rounds?
“Obviously, wins will make it easy. There are a couple race tracks in both rounds that I feel really good about, really the next round I feel good about all of them. Bristol and Vegas in this one. You can’t really feel good about Talladega. I feel good about our chances to go and win. Three of them I’ve ran second to Kyle at and one of them I wrecked. I feel good about it. Obviously, we haven’t won yet, but the Playoffs and the energy that provides might help us push across that line. We will see what happens, but I feel pretty good about it.”

How do you describe the benefit of working with Rudy Fugle?

“Just the experience. Working with William (Bryon) and Erik (Jones) and all of these young drivers. He’s gone through what I’m going through with the lack of experience multiple times. He’s keeping me up to speed on what to expect. That’s been pretty crucial and he’s a really smart guy. He’s hard working, like I’d consider myself. We’ve been working alongside of each other and getting as good as we can for the Playoffs. Like I said, he’s won a lot of championships and hopefully we can do that again this year.”

What do you think your biggest weakness is?

“I think I would just say defining everything. Everything needs to be better. There’s not necessarily really one group that needs to be better, just everything needs to be better. I feel like the Playoffs, and the energy of needing to be focused and needing to do all this stuff and working harder for the Playoffs will kind of help bring us into that area that we need to be in, so I’m just looking forward to getting to Bristol.”

Do you put the pressure to win on yourself more than you should?

“Not necessarily. Obviously, there is pressure. Honestly, pressure is a privilege when it comes to running for a championship, so we will just take the pressure how it is and hopefully we can go win a couple and win the big one in the end.”

How much pressure do you feel, or do you feel like I’m a young driver and this is as much about gaining experience on how to run for a title?
“There’s a lot of pressure just in running in the Truck Series, and trying to move on to next year. It’s always a challenge trying to find the next thing, and I don’t have anything yet – it’s in the works, but I think a championship will kind of define that a little bit more. I’m out here fighting for my life; I’ve just got to be a little bit better. Hopefully, we can go win some races and contend for the championship.”

If you had to pick one driver, who is the biggest threat?

“I’d probably say Sheldon (Creed), just because of the speed that they have had. They’ve been running really well. Him and his crew chief, (Jeff Stankiewicz), have ran really well. They’ve won a championship together in the past. If they can put it together, they are going to be really strong. I’d probably rank him as the biggest threat.”

Kyle Busch Motorsports did not make the Playoffs last year. What have been the differences from this year to last year?

“We are just doing a better job at getting points. Obviously, we have not won yet. We’ve been close a few times. Working with Rudy (Fugle, crew chief) year to year has definitely improved myself. I’d probably just say that. We’re trying to be better. I don’t think we are quite where we need to be just yet. We are really close, but to be better than the other teams we are just lacking a little bit. Hopefully, the next seven are really good for us. I feel like pretty much all seven we can go and win at. We will do the best we can and see what happens.”

I’ve been talking with most of the drivers today, and they have been saying that their biggest underdog is Todd Gilliland. Do you agree?
“Honestly, I would consider myself as the underdog in this deal. We are the eighth seed. We have been close to winning multiple times, and probably should have won a few of those. I feel like we are kind of undervalued at this point. At the same time, we have seven races to go and prove that. Todd’s also really good and has shown speed at times. He has run good at Bristol as well. I’d probably rank me and him at the top of that list.”

It’s been a few years since we have seen a rookie win a championship. Do you think that you are in that similar situation that there is pressure on you to possibly win the title?
“No, I wouldn’t say it’s pressure per say. Obviously, there is pressure to succeed, but at the same time, we just push that aside and focus on what we need to do and that’s execute on a weekly basis and provide the best result for this no. 18 Safelite Toyota Tundra. That’s pretty much it. We’ve just got to go execute and do the best we can.”

Did you feel like a rookie coming into this?

“Yeah, I would definitely say I had a leg up. I think I had twelve starts before I came in, so half a season. Obviously, we didn’t have the entirety of the season to kind of build momentum and stuff like that, but the experience last year definitely helped coming into this year, working with Rudy (Fugle, crew chief) and running those eight races at mile-and-a-halves and a bunch of other race tracks. Yeah, definitely didn’t feel like a rookie this year. Hopefully if I’m back in the series next year, it will feel even better, but we’ve done a pretty good job so far.”

It’s down to you and Zane Smith for Rookie of the Year. How much of an emphasis are you putting winning that?

“I’m not really focused on that, per say. Obviously, it’s a really cool award and we want to win, but the championship is at the top of the list. If we can get it, great, but we are trying to go for a championship and that’s the main focus.”

# # #

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.

Toyota Racing – NGROTS Playoff Media Day Quotes – Austin Hill

By
Official Release
-

Toyota Racing – Austin Hill
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Series Quotes

CHARLOTTE (September 14, 2020) – Hattori Racing Enterprises driver Austin Hill was made available to media via videoconference during the NASCAR Playoffs Media Day:

AUSTIN HILL, No. 16 United Rentals Toyota Tundra, Hattori Racing Enterprises

You have more top-10’s than anyone in the Playoffs. How important is it to maintain that consistency?

“It’s definitely really tough. You are going into these race tracks where anything can happen. Bristol is one of those race tracks, if you put yourself in a predicament, you can end up in a wreck very easily. Then you look at a place like Talladega or Martinsville, and it’s one of those race tracks – especially Talladega – where you can be doing everything right, leading the race and end up in a wreck somehow. We just have to do our thing – what we’ve been doing all season, which is be aggressive on restarts, be aggressive throughout the race to try to get stage points and try to keep that clean air. That’s been the biggest success for us, just being up front, each and every week and not losing spots during the race and on restarts, trying to stay consistent with all of that. Just keep doing our thing. Scott (Zipadelli, crew chief) and everybody at HRE (Hattori Racing Enterprises) has been doing a good job at being really consistent on where the truck is when we unload, when we get to these race tracks. The setups and everything have been really close. We’ve had to work on it a few times throughout the season to make it a little bit better, but it’s been good. We’ve been strong all season, and we just have to keep it up.”

Who do you think could be a dark horse going into this?

“It’s hard to say honestly. All 10 of us – once you get into the Playoffs you just get into a different mode. Your guys get into a different mode, and everybody in the shop seems like they just dig a little harder when Playoffs get here. I’m not going to count anybody out for this Final Four. I think that Todd (Gilliland) has been doing really well these past few races. They’ve been really fast. I think that he can, could potentially be a dark horse. He’s shown some really good speed, especially at these short tracks. They are starting to hit on all cylinders a bit. There’s still some things that they have to work on and get a little bit better at, but I think they could be a dark horse, but you can’t count anybody out. Once the Playoffs start, all it takes is one bad race, and you can be out very easily. So, it’s all about consistency, staying out of wrecks and doing your own thing.”

If we look back to last year, Martinsville and Phoenix weren’t the best outings for your team, so what have you or the team worked on specifically for these races?

“With no practice or qualifying, it’s been tough for us because we’ve definitely needed to work on our short track program from last season. Actually, Gateway was the first short track that we went to that we brought a whole new package. It was something that they have never ran before at HRE (Hattori Racing Enterprises) and Scott (Zipadelli, crew chief) and all of the guys, they have never run the setup before. Going into Gateway, we knew that we were going to have to figure it out. We started out in left field and we had to work on it, we had to make it better. By the end of the race, we were top-three and we finished third. It just shows how hard these guys fight. Same thing at Richmond. We kind of brought that same package from Gateway and tuned on it a little bit and we were really good at Richmond and tires kind of beat us at the end. I thought we had a shot at winning, and we thought a caution might come out late in the race and it didn’t. It’s going to be the same thing at all of these other short tracks that we go to. Bristol’s going to be a brand-new setup that they have never ran there. We just have to work on it throughout the race. There’s going to be things that we’ve learned these last two short track races that I think are going to help us. Martinsville, last year, we actually – I felt like we were fairly decent. I think we were running somewhere around sixth or seventh all day. We were going to have a good points day, and it was just one of those deals. A few guys in front of us got a little antsy and wanted to go three-wide and next thing you know, we kind of ended up in somebody else’s mess. Phoenix was one of those races though where we just missed it. Phoenix was one of those races that we thought we were good in practice. We qualified on the pole, and the green flag dropped, and we just dropped like a rock and we just could not get it better throughout the day. It was just one of those race tracks where we just struggled a little bit. I think that’s one of those race tracks that we definitely have to work on, and I think the things that we have learned at Gateway, and Richmond, and so on and so forth, will help us going into Phoenix. I think that it’s going to help us out a lot. We are going to be a lot better, and there’s no telling. If we make it to Phoenix, it’s going to be interesting.

How different of a driver are you this year knowing what to expect after having success last year?

“The biggest thing that I’ve done this season that I felt like I didn’t do a great job at last season was just be a lot more aggressive on restarts. If you look back at all of the races this season, there’s been numerous times that I’ve went three-wide on restarts and just trying to make anything happen that I can make happen. I try to be patiently aggressive, but at the same time you’ve got to be aggressive on these restarts because I feel like clean air is huge in the Truck Series. That’s something I’ve learned from last season to apply to this season is you can get inside the top five and your truck starts driving a lot different and then once you get in the top three your truck starts driving even a little bit better. And, if you’re leading the race then the truck normally drives really well. That’s been the biggest key for me that I’ve worked on all season long is just being really aggressive. You’re going to see that in the Playoffs. I’m not going to let up just because the Playoffs starts, I’m not going to do anything different. I’m not going to approach it to where I do a little more give and take and stuff, it’s going to be as much take as I can get. I think that’s the way you’ve got to approach it. You have to be aggressive because every position matters and every stage point matters. That’s one thing this season that I’ve really focused on is just trying to be a lot more aggressive.”

Who do you think is the biggest threat in your eyes in the Playoffs this year?

“I’m going to probably say Sheldon (Creed) right now. Sheldon has been really good all season long. He’s been really fast. It seems like from last year to this year he’s taken what he learned last year on being fast and making it throughout the whole race and finishing races. I think that he’s going to be really good. You really can’t count out any of the GMS trucks. I feel like they’ve been really good all season long. Even though Brett (Moffitt) hasn’t won a race I think that he’s going to be hard to beat. He won the championship in 2018 so he’s been there before, and he’s done it. He knows how to get it done and he made the Final Four last season. I think he has a shot of making it there again. There again it goes back to, all of these races coming up you have to be perfect. You can’t have any bad days. You’ve got to get all you can get and the only way you’re going to make it to the next round is to be consistent or win a race. Being consistent is a little bit easier than winning races because winning races is tough. I felt like we should’ve won more races than we’ve won this year. It just hasn’t fallen our way. I’m sure that a lot of other guys feel the same way. Once the Playoffs start, it’s going to be tough, but I think the GMS trucks are going to be tough to beat.”

How much does your experience being in the Playoffs last year matter for this season?

“I think it matters some for sure. Just because you’ve been there, and it seems like when you get to the race track everything is a little bit more hyped up especially around you and all of the Playoff guys. You have to get in a different mode almost and you have to really just focus in on racing and not listening to the outside noise or anything else. Just focus on what you’ve been doing all season that got you here and trying not to change anything that you’ve done. Which is hard to do. You get into the Playoffs and you know that you’re racing a lot more points wise and more so that than just trying to win races. You’ve got to focus on stage points, and you’ve got to focus on everything else. It’s very easy to kind of change what you’ve been doing all season that’s worked for you, but that’s something I feel like we’re going to be really good at this Playoffs is just keep doing what we’re doing, don’t change anything. Like I said, we’ve changed some setup stuff throughout the season that I think is going to help us on the short tracks. I think if we’re good at Bristol, I think it’s almost one of those things that if we’re good at Bristol we should make Phoenix unless something crazy happens. Say we wreck at Talladega and we’re close in points or something. Or we go to Martinsville and we get in a wreck or something crazy. I think something crazy has to happen for us not to make the Final Four because of how good we’ve been all season long. I feel like we’ve been one of the best teams and it shows in being the regular season champion. It just shows that our consistency has been there all season long, and like you said we’ve only been outside of the top-10 twice and that’s because of having an engine issue one race and the other race we were going for the win and got wrecked. That’s the only reason we’ve finished outside the top-10 this season and other than that we’ve finished inside the top-10 and got a lot of top five’s and wins. I just think that we’re going to be the guy to beat this year.”

# # #

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.

Four Takeaways from the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Race at Richmond

By
Briar Starr
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Austin Hill and Christian Eckes lead the field to start the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway on September 10, 2020. Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images.

The NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series visited Richmond International Raceway this past Thursday night for the first time in 15 years. 

Race No. 16 of the season was the last race before the playoffs start this week at Bristol. While Grant Enfinger zipped on by teammate Matt Crafton for the race victory, there were some stories that you may have missed and we’d like to recall from the Toyota Care 250. 

Here are this week’s Four Takeaways from the Truck Series race at Richmond. 

  1. ThorSport Scores 1-2-3 Finish – It’s the first time ever in Truck Series history that ThorSport Racing swept the top three spots with Enfinger, Crafton and Rhodes collecting the spots. Unfortunately for Sauter, his 2020 season struggles continued with an ill-handling truck and he was credited with a 27th place finish for his efforts, missing the playoffs for the first time in his career. Despite the Sauter outing, it was still a special night by claiming the top three spots.
  2. Rohrbaugh Gets Best Finish Since Daytona – The 2020 season has been up and down for Codie Rohrbaugh and his No. 9 team, who took the last couple of weeks off to regroup and look forward to Richmond. When Richmond rolled back around, the team came back fresh with a sixth-place finish, Rohrbaugh’s third top 10 finish of his Truck Series career.
  3. David Ragan Scores Eighth Place Finish – Even though David Ragan last competed at Richmond in the Cup Series in 2019, it was 15-years since he last competed in a Truck Series at Richmond. But Thursday night Ragan had a respectable finish of fourth in Stage 2, before capturing a seventh-place finish, his first top 10 in the Truck Series since ‘06 at Texas when driving for Jack Roush.
  4. Jimmy Hensley Back In Victory Lane – While Grant Enfinger was back in victory lane, his crew chief Jimmy Hensley, was also in the winner’s circle again as well. When the Truck Series last visited Richmond, Hensley was celebrating in victory lane in 2005 with former Truck Series driver Mike Skinner who took home the checkered flag that night, which was also on a Thursday night. 

Keselowski Wins & Secures a Spot in the Round of 12

By
Official Release
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RICHMOND, VA – September 14, 2020 – Brad Keselowski called it when he predicted the No. 2 Ford Mustang would run well at Richmond and be in victory lane. And that is exactly what happened. Keselowski led a race high 192 laps out of the 400-lap race on his way to collecting the NASCAR Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400 trophy at Richmond Raceway, Saturday night. In addition, securing the second spot in the Round of 12 for Ford Performance.

“Congratulations to Brad, Jeremy, and the No. 2 crew,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Brad and the No. 2 team executed all night, on the track and in the pits. It was all about executing their plan and the team did an outstanding job. We are proud to celebrate our 100th NASCAR win with Team Penske and to have two Ford Mustangs secured in the next round of the Playoffs.”

After battling Team Penske teammate Joey Logano for the better half of Stage 2, Keselowski was able to make a late stage pass to take the Stage 2 win and put his team in a good position for the final stage of the race. The No. 2 team split the final stage up into a two-pit strategy. The team executed on pit road and Keselowski passed for the lead on lap 48 for the final time. The No. 2 finished with an impressive 2.568-second margin of victory over Martin Truex Jr. for the win.

When asked how awesome his Ford was, Keselowski commented, “It was really good. Our Mustang was really hauling. This car was really strong, and I really got a great rhythm out on the racetrack. You’ve got to get a really precise rhythm for how you get around here and I was able to find that very early on, put a lot of thought into what I was gonna do and it paid off.”

Five Ford Mustangs finished in the top-10. Following Keselowski was Team Penske teammate Joey Logano in P3 and Stewart-Haas teammates Kevin Harvick P7, Aric Almirola P8, and Clint Bowyer P10.

With one race left in the Round of 16, five Ford drivers find themselves above the cut line. Harvick is on top of the leader board in P1, Keselowski P2, Logano P4, Almirola P10, and Bowyer P12. Cole Custer, Matt DiBenedetto, and Ryan Blaney will be putting it all on the line to make it into the Round of 12.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series held their last double-header of the season in Richmond. The Ford Performance drivers Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe competed well, but finished P4 and P11 respectively in Friday night’s Go Bowling 250. At the completion of the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 250 on Saturday, Cindric finished P10 and Briscoe P16.

At the conclusion of Saturday’s race, Cindric with five wins, 16 top-5s and 20 top-10s on the year, was awarded the Xfinity Series Regular Season Championship. The No. 22 driver collects 15 bonus points for the playoffs and will be the No. 1 seed going into the Xfinity Playoffs at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in two weeks.

“We sat down as a team at the beginning of the year and we all wrote down our top-three goals.” Cindric commented. “I am not a big proponent of setting goals, but we put something on paper and my number one was the regular-season championship. From the outside looking in that was maybe a lofty goal, but we have a lot of speed and a lot of fight and I am really proud of that effort.”

The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs head to Bristol for the final race before the Round of 12 cutoff. In addition, the Xfinity Series wraps up their regular season at Bristol and looks forward to starting the Xfinity Playoffs at Las Vegas.

27 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 406 WINS – 363 POLES!

*Photos courtesy of NASCAR Media & Getty Images

About Roush Yates Engines
Roush Yates Engines is a leading-edge engine development company based in Mooresville, NC consisting of two state-of-the-art facilities – Roush Yates Engines and Roush Yates Manufacturing Solutions, a world class ISO 9001 / AS9100 certified CNC manufacturing facility. The company’s core business includes designing, building and testing purpose-built race engines.

Ford Performance in partnership with Roush Yates Engines is the exclusive engine builder of the NASCAR FR9 Ford V8 engine and Ford Mustang 5.2L V8 engine, used in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series.

With an unparalleled culture of winning and steeped in rich racing history, Roush Yates Engines continues to follow the company’s vision to lead performance engine innovation and staying true to the company’s mission, provide race winning engines through demonstrated power and performance.

3 Series – 22 Teams – 81 Races

8 Fun Facts About Personalized Number Plates

By
SM
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Personalized plates have grown massively in popularity over the years, with the sale of plates raising billions of pounds since they first went on sale through the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in the late 1980s. 

Considering buying a set of personalized plates for your vehicle? We’ve shared eight fun facts and tips below to help you understand your options and get the best possible deal on a set of private number plates for your car.

UK Plates Come in Several Different Formats

UK number plates are available in a variety of formats, from classic plates to modern dateless number plates. This variety of formats gives you plenty of options to choose from when you’re looking for a plate that matches your nickname, initials, or birth year.

You Can Buy Personalized Plates for £100 or Less

Contrary to popular belief, personalized plates aren’t always expensive. There are lots of great personalized number plates available for under £100, although you’ll need to pay slightly more to register the plates for legal road use on your vehicle. 

Initial Number Plates Usually Offer the Best Value

When it comes to value for money, you’ll usually find that initial plates — personalized number plates that spell out your initials — offer the best value for money, as there are numerous letters and number combinations available. 

Highly Valuable Plates Can Be Worth £100,000 or More

As you may have read in the newspaper or seen on TV, some number plates are worth serious amounts of money. The UK’s most valuable personalized number plates have traded hands for hundreds of thousands of pounds, with new plates often setting valuation records.

If You Want to, You Can Keep Your Old Registration Number

Buying a set of personalized number plates doesn’t always mean giving up your old registration number. If you’d like to, you can pay an extra fee to keep your old registration number, allowing you to revert back to it if you change your mind in the future. 

You Can Transfer Your Plates to Another Car, Albeit for a Fee

It’s normal to change vehicles every now and then. If you buy a new car, it’s absolutely possible to transfer your personalized number plates to the new vehicle, although you’ll need to follow a specific legal process to pass the registration to the new car. 

The DVLA Bans Some Plates for Being Rude or Suggestive

Although funny number plates are no problem, the DVLA sets the limit at plates that could hurt or offend people. This means that common swear words and other potentially offensive number plates aren’t made available to the public.

If You Get Sick of Your Plates, You Can Sell Them

It’s perfectly legal and quite common to sell personalized number plates. If you get a great offer for your plates, or if you simply want to get rid of them, there are various services that you can use to put the number plates up for sale.

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