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CHEVY NCS AT DOVER: Team Chevy Advance

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Official Release
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TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
DOVER DOUBLEHEADER
DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DOVER, DE
AUGUST 22-23, 2020

DOVER DOUBLE: RACE #24 & 25
With just three races left in the regular season, the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) returns to Dover International Speedway for the third doubleheader race weekend of the 2020 season. The race weekend will consist of six races packed into three days of action, including two NCS events on back-to-back days: the Drydene 311 on Saturday, August 22nd, at 4:00 p.m. ET and the Drydene 311 on Sunday, August 23rd, at 4:00 p.m. ET. The NCS doubleheader around the 1-mile oval known as the “Monster Mile” will mark the 24th and 25th races on the revised NCS schedule.

In addition to the NASCAR Cup Series events, the three-day race weekend kicks off with ARCA Menards Series East Series on Friday, August 21st, at 2:00 p.m. ET, followed by the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race on Friday, August 21st, at 5:00 p.m. ET. Also accompanying the NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will take part in a doubleheader race weekend, with the first event taking place on Saturday, August 22nd, at 12:30 p.m. ET, and will return for the second event on Sunday, August 23rd, at 1:00 p.m. ET. In compliance with the pandemic guidelines, all events during the doubleheader race weekend will be run without spectators.

BOWTIE BULLETS
· Of the 100 appearances made by NASCAR’s premier series at the “Monster Mile”, Chevrolet has made its way to victory lane 41 times, more than any other manufacturer. Other statistics of note include 25 poles, 201 top-five’s, 382 top-10’s and 18,783 laps led.

· Current Chevrolet drivers that have recorded wins at Dover International Speedway include:
Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE, with 11 wins (June 2017, May 2015, June 2014, September 2013, June 2012, September 2010, September 2009, May 2009, September 2005, September 2002, June 2002)
Matt Kenseth, No. 42 Clover Camaro ZL1 1LE, with three wins (June 2006, May 2011, May 2016) Kurt Busch, No. 1 GEARWRENCH Camaro ZL1 1LE, with one win (October 2011)
Chase Elliott, No. 9 Mountain Dew/Team Rubicon Camaro ZL1 1LE, with one win (October 2018)

· 27 different organizations have scored NASCAR Cup Series victories at Dover International Speedway, with Chevrolet team Hendrick Motorsports leading the way with 20 wins among six drivers: Jimmie Johnson (11), Jeff Gordon (five), Geoff Bodine (one), Ken Schrader (one), Ricky Rudd (one) and Chase Elliott (one).

· In his 10 career starts at the 1-mile track, Team Chevy’s Chase Elliott tops the leaderboard in a variety of statistical measures: leads all active drivers in average starting position of 8.875 and average finishing position of 8.6; holds the record for the youngest series Dover pole winner (May 3, 2019 – 23 years, 5 months, 8 days); and his October 2018 trip to victory lane made him the youngest Dover race winner (22 years, 10 months, 0 days).

· Since the start of the electronic scoring system, the record for the closest Margin of Victory in a NCS race at Dover International Speedway was captured during Jimmie Johnson’s September 2005 victory, where he took the checkered flag over Kyle Busch by 0.080 seconds.

DOVER SCORECARD
Chevrolet driver Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE, is no stranger to success at the famed “Monster Mile” and his impressive statistics throughout his NCS career proves just that. Of his 36 starts in NASCAR’s premier series at the track, Johnson leads the series in wins making 11 trips to victory lane. Johnson also leads the series’ active drivers in top-five finishes with 17 and top-10’s with 25. Of the 116 different drivers that have led laps at Dover International Speedway, Johnson tops the leaderboard by leading 3,110 of the 14,165 laps he has completed – a laps led percentage of 22%. Other series-best records he currently holds at the track incudes an average running position of 8.848, fastest laps run with 1,428, and 10,110 laps ran in the top-15 (84.1%).

PLAYOFF OUTLOOK
With 23 races into the 2020 season and three left in the regular season, the quest continues to make the top-16 in the standings and secure a spot above the Playoff cutline for the chance to compete for the title of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. Heading into the doubleheader Dover race weekend, three Team Chevy drivers have locked themselves into the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs by virtue of victory:

       Chase Elliott, No. 9 Mountain Dew / Team Rubicon Camaro ZL1 1LE – 4th in Standings
                   Victories: 2 (Charlotte Motor Speedway and Daytona Road Course)
                   Stage Wins: 6; Stage Top-Five’s: 18; Stage Top-10’s: 34

       Alex Bowman, No. 88 Acronis Camaro ZL1 1LE – 8th in Standings
                   Victories: 1 (Auto Club Speedway)
                   Stage Wins: 4; Stage Top-Five’s: 13; Stage Top-10’s: 27

       Austin Dillon, No. 3 Dow / Behr Ultra Scuff Defense Camaro ZL1 1LE – 9th in Standings
                   Victories: 1 (Texas Motor Speedway)
                   Stage Top-Five’s: 2; Stage Top-10’s: 11

With 10 drivers having already won a race, there are just six spots up for grabs for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Here is a look where the remaining Team Chevy top-16 currently sit:

       Kurt Busch, No. 1 GEARWRENCH Camaro ZL1 1LE – 12th in Standings
                   Stage Wins: 1; Stage Top-Five’s: 4; Stage Top-10’s: 19

       William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 1LE – 16th in Standings
                   Stage Wins: 2; Stage Top-Five’s 8; Stage Top-10’s: 20

CAMARO ZL1 1LE ON THE POLE
For the remainder of the 2020 NCS season, the race weekend format will consist of no practice or qualifying. The starting lineup for Saturday’s Drydene 311 will be set by a combination of the finishing position from the previous race (weighted 50%), rank in team owner points standings (35%) and the fastest lap from the previous race (15%). Team Chevy’s Chase Elliott will lead the field to the green in Saturday’s Drydene 311 in his No. 9 Mountain Dew/Team Rubicon Camaro ZL1 1LE.

Here are Team Chevy’s top-20 starters:

       1st      Chase Elliott, No. 9 Mountain Dew/Team Rubicon Camaro ZL1 1LE
       6th      Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE
       8th      William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 1LE
       9th      Kurt Busch, No. 1 GEARWRENCH Camaro ZL1 1LE
       11th    Alex Bowman, No. 88 Acronis Camaro ZL1 1LE
       16th    Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Cat App Camaro ZL1 1LE
       19th    Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger Camaro ZL1 1LE

The starting lineup for Sunday’s Drydene 311 will be set by the finishing order of Saturday’s event, with an inversion of the top-20 finishers.

TUNE-IN
NBCSN will telecast the 311-lap, 311-mile Drydene 311 live at 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 22nd. Returning on Sunday, August 23rd, NBCSN will telecast round two of the doubleheader race weekend with the 311-lap, 311-mile Drydene 311 live at 4:00 p.m. Live coverage can also be found on the NBC Sports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

QUOTABLE QUOTES:
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 MOUNTAIN DEW/TEAM RUBICON CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 4th IN STANDINGS
“To me, doubleheaders mean that there are a lot of points on the line in a short matter of time. Thankfully, for our good run at the DAYTONA Road Course and this new qualifying format, we will get to start up front on Saturday at Dover. Having that first pit box is also a huge thing for us this weekend.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 ACRONIS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 8th IN STANDINGS
“I am excited to get to Dover this weekend and I know our team is too. We were really strong in Dover last year and I know that these guys have been working hard on our Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE’s for this weekend. This track is physically demanding not only on the driver, but the car as well. We have to stay up front and I have to keep the car clean and out of trouble.”

KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 GEARWRENCH CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 12th IN STANDINGS
“Dover is a tough, challenging track that changes a lot with the rubber build-up. I expect that the second race (Sunday) will be much more difficult than the first race (Saturday). With all of the other series competing there this weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday; getting the track all rubbered-in and no practice will make it challenging. This track changes the most and the car has to have an adaptive set-up to be ready for all of that; but the second race is definitely going to be way tougher than the first race.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 16th IN STANDINGS
BRYON ON RACING AT DOVER:
“Even though it’s concrete, Dover’s surface changes a lot during the race. It’s really temperamental and holds a lot of rubber. When it does that, it widens the racetrack out. It’s a tough track to get ahold of for that reason. You have to prepare for when the rubber lays down and have your car handling how it needs to once that happens. You have to stay on top of those things. I feel like our guys have done a good job in preparing and we’ll see what we have when we unload.”

BYRON ON RACING WHILE ON THE PLAYOFF BUBBLE:
“This is going to be a tough weekend, for sure. We need to have good runs on both days. I’m hopeful that we can either get the win or create a good buffer in the point standings so we can go to Daytona and have a bit of a less stressful race. That would be the ideal situation. I would rather be in the position we are, though, ahead in points, instead of trying to play catch up in these final races. It puts things in my hands more, and I like that challenge, especially for a doubleheader weekend.”

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CAT APP CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 19th IN STANDINGS
“We’re entering this weekend with our No. 8 Cat App Chevrolet with the goal of making up as many points as possible. With just three races left, we need to maximize everything we can. Dover is a tricky place to race, but I do have some success there to lean on. It was the site of my second win in the NASCAR Truck Series, so entering the weekend with that bit of confidence helps. Doubleheader weekends have been tough for us this year, but I know my team is doing everything they can to have us in a really solid spot when we roll off on Saturday and then build on that for Sunday’s race.”

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 24th IN STANDINGS
“I’m excited to head to Dover International Speedway this weekend. I’ve had some really strong runs at Dover in the past, and I feel like the cars I am driving this year are better than cars I’ve had in the past so that gives me a lot of confidence heading into a track that I’ve run well at. I think we can perform better at Dover than ever before, and the doubleheaders only help that. The opportunity to adjust our setups following Saturday’s race can be a real advantage at a track like Dover and we’re looking forward to having two strong runs this weekend in the No. 47 Kroger Chevrolet to set us up for a great shot at getting into the Playoffs at Daytona International Speedway next week.”

MATT KENSETH, NO. 42 CLOVER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 28th IN STANDINGS
“Dover is my favorite track on the circuit. A great race track—really fast, very challenging, but also really hard to pass. We’re back to the normal package with a lot of power and less downforce, so I’m looking forward to this one. Historically, it’s been good track for the 42, and it’s been a decent track for me too. Hopefully we go there, get our cars to run good, and have a couple of good days there. I’m looking forward to a double header again. I felt like at Michigan we made significant gains from race one to race two with drivability and handling, even though our box score didn’t really show it with some of the problems we had, but we did run better.”

RYAN PREECE, NO. 37 SCOTT BRAND CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 30th IN STANDINGS
“We had a rough start this season but August has finally got us heading in the right direction. Dover has been a funny track for me in the past. I’m not entirely sure what to make of it, but keeping your car clean and working on track position is always important. Dover is a really fast racetrack and I’m happy to be able to adjust between Saturday and Sunday races. We have to take it one race at a time. We had a really decent race there in the fall of last year, and I feel like that’s something we can build off of heading into the doubleheader this weekend. The regular season may be coming to an end, but we’ve still got 13 races to finish out the year strong and run well in the No. 37 Scott Brand Chevrolet.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships:
Total (1949-2019): 39
First title for Chevrolet: 1958
Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)

Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

Drivers Championships:
Total (1949-2019): 31
First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)
Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016

Event Victories:
Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)

2020 STATISTICS:
Wins: 4
Poles: 3
Laps Led: 1,312
Top-five finishes: 26
Top-10 finishes: 75

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:
Total Chevrolet race wins: 790 (1949 to date)
Poles won to date: 717
Laps led to date: 235,618
Top-five finishes to date: 4,040
Top-10 finishes to date: 8,357

Total NASCAR Cup wins by corporation, 1949 to date

       General Motors: 1,124
       Chevrolet: 790
       Pontiac: 154
       Oldsmobile: 115
       Buick: 65

       Ford: 799                                                         
       Ford: 699
       Mercury: 96
       Lincoln: 4

       Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467
       Dodge: 217
       Plymouth: 191
       Chrysler: 59

       Toyota: 149

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Lucky Drivers – Is It Possible to Win a Car?

By
SM
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Image by Pexels from Pixabay

A car is often a desired prize to be won, something tangible and valuable in society, and something that removes the doubts about “how should I spend my money” if a lucky person wins a cash prize.

Moreover, many marketing experts often use a car as an image for success, as a method to illustrate the gain, a prize which is comprehensively valuable and which everyone can appreciate. So, little surprise that we can often see cool expensive cars on the podiums in malls. However, is it actually possible to win a car? And if yes, how does one do that? 

Ways To Win a Car 

If we talk winnings, it means the one who wants to do that has to accept an element of risk, be it a risk to lose a bid, a bet, or simply the risk to gain nothing. This element of chance is similar to games of chance – if it was absent, people could win expensive luxurious cars every day, but this does not happen. 

To be able to increase the chances of winning a cool car, check out three the most popular methods described below. 

Online Casinos 

Many online casinos offer not only cash gains, but also valuable prizes like journeys, cruises, or expensive cars. Obviously, only trusted online casinos should be regarded for such an enterprise. Web casinos that are trustworthy are actually good for winning things, because they are checked by the relevant authorities, and have to fulfil the obligations. But one should definitely make sure that the gambling site is reliable and reputable, otherwise, they will waste their bets, and their time, in vain. 

The good news, however, is that such prizes as cars are offered only to players with high level accounts. What it means in practice is that, the more you gamble for real money, the more chances you actually have to be in the pool for winning the car. 

National Lotteries 

Cars, even not so luxurious and expensive, are often featured as the main prize in national or local lotteries, both online and offline. If this is the case, then all people who buy the lottery ticket have the chance of winning the car. Moreover, the more tickets you purchase per lottery round, the more chances you have to become the winner. 

Ebay 

The main difference of Ebay from the previous two methods is that here, you will actually have to pay for the car. However, the element of winning is important, because, if you place the bid and it wins, you may get a really cool car, the one you want, but for smaller money. 

Hidden Pitfalls 

While winning an automobile seems an attractive event many people dream of, there are some hidden drawbacks that can spoil the moment of triumph. The main sticking point is taxes; yes, in 99,9% of cases, the winner has to pay the taxes for their win, and the sum is likely to be impressive. The sum of the taxes is calculated based on local tax laws, on the cost of the prize, and perhaps additional individual rules (like particular lottery rules). 

Final Thoughts 

Before you start looking for ways of winning a car, consider all the risks, efforts, and hidden drawbacks of this event. Also, it makes sense to decide what type of car is good enough for you to take risks, because honestly, not any car is worthy of the efforts. However, the ways to win an automobile do exist, and with proper insistence, you are likely to succeed in one way, or another.

Ty Dillon to surpass 150 Cup starts at Dover

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images.

A unique milestone is in the making for Ty Dillon entering this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader races at Dover International Speedway on August 22 and 23. By the time Dillon completes both Cup races at Dover, he will reach and surpass 150 starts in NASCAR’s premier series.

A native of Lewisville, North Carolina, the grandson of championship team owner Richard Childress and the younger brother of the 2018 Daytona 500 champion Austin Dillon, Ty Dillon was already a rising star in NASCAR, having won the 2011 ARCA championship, three Truck Series career races, the 2012 Truck Rookie-of-the-Year title and his first Xfinity Series career victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway when he made his Cup debut at Atlanta Motor Speedway in August 2014. Driving the No. 33 Realtree/Rheem Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing and led by the late Nick Harrison, Dillon started 29th and finished 25th in his series debut. He competed in one additional Cup race at Phoenix in November, where he finished 27th, before he went on to conclude his first full-time stint in the Xfinity Series in fifth place in the final standings.

The following season, Dillon qualified for his first Daytona 500 start in February after finishing 16th in the first Duel qualifying race at Daytona and earning a final transfer spot to the main event. Starting 31st, Dillon finished 28th in his first 500 attempt. He competed in four additional Cup races throughout the 2015 season while he competed on a full-time basis in the Xfinity Series for RCR. His best result during his four-race Cup span was a 14th-place result at Michigan International Speedway in June. He went on to conclude the 2015 Xfinity Series season in a career-best third place in the final standings.

In 2016, Dillon returned as a full-time Xfinity Series for RCR and a part-time Cup Series competitor for two organizations. His first start of the season was the Daytona 500, where he finished 25th while driving the No. 95 Cheerios/Kroger Chevrolet for Leavine Family Racing. The following race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Dillon served as an interim competitor for three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart, who was recovering from injuries from a dune buggy accident in January and was able to compete in the opening races of the 2016 season. Driving the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing in three races, Dillon recorded finishes of 17th, 15th and 25th at Atlanta, Phoenix and at Bristol. He also relieved for Stewart for the remainder of the Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway in May, where he finished sixth despite the points being awarded to Stewart since Stewart started the race. He also made six additional starts in Leavine Family Racing’s No. 95 Chevrolet. His best results were 20th-place at Texas in April and 21st at Pocono in June.

Following three full-time seasons in the Xfinity Series, Dillon was promoted to the Cup Series in 2017 and as driver of the No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet for Germain Racing led by crew chief Robert “Bootie” Barker. In Dillon’s first full-time season in the Cup Series as a rookie candidate, he recorded eight top-15 results, 40 laps led and an average result of 20.7 as he concluded the season in 24th place in the final standings, third place in the rookie standings behind Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez. His best results throughout the season were a pair of 11th-place results at Talladega in October and at Phoenix in November.

In 2018, Dillon remained with Germain Racing and was paired with veteran crew chief Matt Borland. In July at Daytona International Speedway, Dillon achieved his first top-10 career result in the Cup Series after finishing in sixth place. Throughout his sophomore season in the Cup circuit, Dillon recorded four additional top-15 results. When the season concluded, his average result was 24.1 and he concluded the season in 27th place in the final standings.

Dillon started the 2019 Cup season by finishing in sixth place in the Daytona 500 in February. After finishing no higher than 15th over the next six races, he finished 15th at Bristol in April after winning the first stage in a photo finish over Clint Bowyer. Two races later, at Talladega in April 2019, Dillon made his 100th Cup career start. During the main event, he won the first stage and finished in 17th place. In July at Daytona International Speedway, he achieved his first top-five career finish (fourth place) in a rain-shortened event. For the remainder of the season, Dillon achieved one additional top-10 result and four additional top-15 results before he concluded the season in 24th place in the final standings. He earned an average result of 20.6 and led 14 laps throughout his junior season in the Cup Series.

This season, through the first 23 Cup races, Dillon has achieved one top-10 result, five top-15 results and an average result of 22.3. He is in 27th place in the regular-season standings and is 235 points below the top-16 cutline to make this year’s Cup Playoffs with three regular-season races remaining.

Catch Dillon’s milestone start at Dover International Speedway on August 22 at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Early assessment of the 2020 Formula One season

By
Andrew Kim
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The 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship season is currently in its second one-week break from racing amid a bizarre start to the sport’s 70th anniversary of F1 racing.

In a season that was scheduled to start in March but was delayed until July amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the final schedule itself remains incomplete, with many races across multiple nations being cancelled until next season or being postponed to an unknown date. Amid the adjustments towards the sporting, technical and regulatory aspects prior to and during a race weekend, the competitiveness amongst the 20 drivers (10 teams) have not changed through the first six races of this season with all pursuing the same goal: win the championship in F1’s 70th season.

For nearly the entire early portion of this year’s Formula One season, it has been dominated by Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic and the delay of this year’s racing season, the dynamic pairing of Hamilton, Bottas and Mercedes continue to be unstoppable on the track, thus leaving other competitors and teams to grind their gears. 

It all started during the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix at Spielberg’s Red Bull Ring on July 5, where Bottas won and achieved his eighth career victory. Afterwards, Hamilton, the reigning six-time champion, went on to win the next four out of five races, including last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. One of Hamilton’s heroic performances of this season was when he suffered a left-front tyre puncture on the final lap, but he had a huge advantage over the field and enough power to limp home and win the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on August 2. Following his victory last weekend in Spain, Hamilton recorded his record-breaking 156th podium result in Formula One after previously tying Michael Schumacher for the most (155). He has now won a total of 88 Formula One career races, leaving him three shy of tying Schumacher for the most (91), and has won a record 92 poles (his recent one coming last weekend in Spain).

Through the first six races of this season, Hamilton, who has finished in the podium in all but one race and who awaits his racing plans for next season, leads the drivers’ championship standings by 37 points over Dutch’s Max Verstappen while Bottas, who has finished on the podium in all but one race and is set to remain with Mercedes for next season, is ranked in third place in the standings and trails teammate Hamilton by 43 points. In addition, Mercedes leads the constructors’ standings by 86 points over Red Bull Racing and strives to achieve its unprecedented seventh consecutive constructors’ title. Despite the season being far from over, the momentum Mercedes continues to exemplify on the track could very well result with the team etching more milestones on the track and in the record books.

The competitor who emerges as a possible championship threat to Hamilton and Mercedes this year is Max Verstappen. Verstappen, who is currently in his sixth season driving for the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing team, is the only non-Mercedes F1 competitor to win this season after he won the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix on August 9 for his ninth career win. Verstappen’s season started off on a low note, where he finished in last place of the 20-car field due to early electrical issues. Since then, Verstappen has recorded podium results through the Spanish Grand Prix (including his win at Silverstone). One of his best performances this season was during the Hungarian Grand Prix, where he rallied from wrecking his car while making his way to the grid to record a second-place finish. Even during last weekend’s race in Spain, where he recorded his third runner-up finish of the season, Verstappen was heard over the radio venting his frustration towards his crew and in failing to keep pace with Hamilton for the win. Despite the early frustrations, he is 37 points behind Hamilton and he has split the two Mercedes competitors atop the drivers’ standings. Both factors are crucial in giving the Dutch competitor and Red Bull Racing time this season to continue to intimidate Mercedes for this year’s F1 crown and pursue more Grand Prix wins. 

Verstappen’s teammate, Alexander Albon, is currently situated in a tie for fifth place in the drivers’ standings with Canadian Lance Stroll with 40 points. Albon’s first full season driving for Red Bull Racing and since transitioning to the organization late last season started off on a disappointing note in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix, where he spun following late contact with Lewis Hamilton while battling for a podium result late in the race and settled in 13th place. This marked the second time since last year’s Brazilian Grand Prix where Albon and Hamilton made contact and resulted with the Thai competitor missing an opportunity in recording his first F1 podium result. For the next five races, he has recorded top-10 results with a best result of fourth place in the Styrian Grand Prix in July. Though Albon has yet to establish his racing plans for next season and beyond, he continues to put his best foot forward on the track while aiming for his first victory and podium result in F1.

With Mercedes and Red Bull Racing off to a fast start this season, BWT Racing Point F1 Team occupies third place in the constructors’ standings following a strong start. Through the first six Formula One races of this season, at least one car from Racing Point has finished in the top 10. Lance Stroll rallied from retiring during the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix to finish in the top 10 the following five races as he is tied with Albon for fifth place in the standings. Stroll’s teammate, Sergio “Checo” Perez, has also had a productive start to this season, though he missed two races after being diagnosed with COVID-19 symptoms. In his other four races, Perez achieved top-10 results with a best result of fifth place last weekend in Spain. He is situated in eighth place in the standings. During his two-race absence, Nico Hülkenberg, who was left out of a full-time ride for this season after being released by Renault, filled in with hopes of returning to the sport next season. Hülkenberg competed in both Silverstone races, where he did not make the starting grid for the British Grand Prix due to an engine failure before he rallied during the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix after qualifying an impressive fourth place and finishing in seventh place. 

Despite the on-track success between its two-car lineup, Racing Point was deducted 15 points following a protest launched at them from Renault following the Styrian Grand Prix, which alleged that Racing Point copied and utilized brake ducts from the Mercedes F1 W10 car used last season. Following similar protests launched against them in Hungary and at Silverstone, FIA stewards ruled that Racing Point illegally copied the brake ducts from the former Mercedes F1 car and the team was docked 15 constructors’ points and fined €400,000. Racing Point, nonetheless, continues to be situated in third place in the constructors’ standings by a slim margin with 63 total points and a long season ahead.

Trailing right behind as the fourth best team in the competition is the McLaren F1 Team with 62 points accomplished between its youthful lineup of Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris. Having achieved 12 drivers’ championships and eight constructors’ titles, the McLaren team is coming off a productive 2019 season, but continues to strive in returning back to competitive form and reigniting its past success on the circuit this season. 

Thus far, the team got off to a fast start during the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix, when Norris, currently in his second full-time F1 season, notched his first podium finish and was awarded third place as a result of Hamilton given a five-second time penalty following late contact with Albon. The late turnaround made Norris the third youngest F1 competitor to stand on the podium. In addition to his podium result in Austria, Norris has recorded top-10 results in five of the first six F1 races this season and is situated in seventh place in the drivers’ standings while hungry for more. Sainz, on the other hand, is looking for momentum and a strong conclusion following an up-and-down start to his second and final season racing for McLaren before joining Scuderia Ferrari for the 2021 season alongside Charles Leclerc. Last season, it took him until the first four races of the season for him to claim his first top-10 result. This season, Sainz recorded a strong fifth-place result in the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix before he backed it up with back-to-back ninth-place results. He then struggled in both races at Silverstone, where he finished in 13th place in both races, before he rebounded with a sixth-place result at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, his home track. Currently situated in ninth place in the drivers’ standings, Sainz strives to achieve his first podium result since last season in Brazil, along with his first career win, and push for more on the track in his sixth season in F1. 

Coincidentally, the Scuderia Ferrari team is situated in fifth place in the constructors’ standings with 61 points. Compared to previous seasons, this season has been a struggle for an organization that has achieved 15 drivers’ championships and 16 constructors’ titles. Thus far, Charles Leclerc, who is in second season driving for Ferrari, has achieved two podium results, including a runner-up result in the Austrian Grand Prix. Though he sustained two retirements, including last weekend in Spain, he is fourth in the drivers’ standings while trailing Hamilton by 87 points. Sebastian Vettel, on the other hand, has yet to record a podium result in his sixth and final season driving for Ferrari. The four-time F1 champion from West Germany is in 11th place in the drivers’ standings, trailing Hamilton by 116 points, and has finished no higher than sixth place, which occurred at Silverstone during the British Grand Prix. With Ferrari admitting its struggle to find pace on the track with their new car, they have a long season ahead to turn the corner around and return to challenge Mercedes and Red Bull for podium results and wins on a weekly basis.

Next is the Renault DP World F1 Team with 36 points and currently in its second season with Daniel Ricciardo and first with Esteban Ocon. For Ricciardo, this season marks his best start with Renault compared to last season. After the first six races of last season, Ricciardo achieved two top-10 results and was situated in 13th place in the drivers’ standings. This season, the Australian native has recorded three top-10 results, which includes a best result of fourth place in the British Grand Prix, and is 10th place in the standings. Ricciardo strives to achieve as much success as possible with Renault as he did in the past with Red Bull Racing before he moves to McLaren for 2021 alongside Norris. Ocon, on the other hand, is continuing to rediscover his competitive form as a full-time competitor following his one-year absence from the sport, where he was a Mercedes reserve competitor last season. This season, since joining Renault, the Évreux, France, native has achieved three top-10 results and is in 12th place in the drivers’ standings while he attempts to repeat the success he produced on the track in 2017 while racing for the Sahara Force India F1 team. Despite this season being far from over, Renault is already setting its sights for next season in returning to competitive form with two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso set to return from a two-year retirement period and reunite with the organization, where Alonso achieved his two series titles with Renault.

Situated in seventh place in the current constructors’ standings with 16 points is the newly formed Scuderia AlphaTauri team. This team made its debut this season when rebranded from Toro Rosso to promote the AlphaTauri fashion brand, but it remains as a sister organization to Red Bull Racing. Though the team was rebranded, it retained its current driver lineup, featuring Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kvyat, and it continues to run and be supplied with Honda engines like Red Bull. Through the first six races of this season, Gasly has recorded three top-10 results and is in 13th place in the drivers’ standings with 14 points while Kvyat has recorded two top-10 results and is in 16th place in the standings with two points. Though both competitors achieved a podium result last season (Kvyat in Germany and Gasly in Brazil), consistency on a weekly basis is the key element that the competitors and the team have yet to achieve to climb their way through the standings and serve as a competitive threat towards the likes of Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari.

With two points recorded throughout the first six races of this season in total thus far, the Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen is situated in eighth place in the constructors’ standings. The team was rebranded from Alfa Romeo Racing to Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen when Robert Kubica, who raced for Williams Racing last season, joined Alfa Romeo as a reserve competitor and brought his sponsor PKN Orlen with him as a co-title sponsor for the team. Currently, the team’s best result has been a ninth-place run in the Austrian Grand Prix with Antonio Giovinazzi. Giovinazzi is ranked in 15th place in the drivers’ standings and has finished no higher than 14th place (twice) in the last five F1 races of this season. His teammate, Kimi Räikkönen, is ranked in 18th place in the standings and he has finished no higher than 11th place through the six races of his 18th season in Formula One. Räikkönen, Giovinazzi and Alfa Romeo Racing have yet to announce their racing plans and lineup for next season.

With only one point recorded throughout the early stages of this season in total thus far, this marks the lowest number of points recorded by the Haas F1 Team in the team’s fifth season in competition. Though the team’s two-car lineup emerges into competitive form prior to a Grand Prix race, from practicing to qualifying, they struggle in race trim and keeping pace with the leaders. The team’s best run this season was during the Hungarian Grand Prix in July, where both Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean were racing within the top five in the early stages of the race. In the end, however, Magnussen recorded a 10th-place result and a single point for the Haas team while Grosjean fell all the way back to 16th place. Through the first six races, Magnussen is in 17th place in the drivers’ standings with one top-10 result and three retirements while Grosjean is 21st in the standings with a best result of 13th place, one retirement and no points recorded early this season. With the slow start to this season, Haas, America’s lone F1 team, have a tall mountain to climb in order to muscle their way back into competitive form against the sport’s elite and to achieve their first podium result in F1. 

Finally, the Williams Racing hold possession of the 10th and final position of the constructors’ standings with no points recorded this season thus far. For a team that achieved seven drivers’ championships and nine constructors’ titles in the late-20th century, the last three seasons, including the start of this season, have not been playing into the favors of the Williams team. The good news for the organization is that they have retained their current driver lineup, featuring Nicholas Latifi and George Russell, for next season. The bad news is that both competitors are ranked well below the drivers’ standings this season with both struggling to keep pace with the leaders. This season, the team’s best results include a 11th-place finish with Latifi in Austria and a 12th-place result with Russell at Silverstone. Latifi is currently 19th in the drivers’ standings while Russell is 20th and one of four competitors, along with his teammate, to have no points recorded early this season. Like the Haas F1 team, Williams have a tall mountain to climb in order to reignite the on-track success achieved from the past.

The 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship season will resume on August 30 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix and the seventh racing event of this season.

Competition Update Regarding the No. 3 Car

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Richard Childress Racing’s NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Dillon will return to competition for this weekend’s double-header at Dover International Speedway. Dillon, who originally tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday morning, August 15 and missed the NASCAR Cup Series race at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course, has worked with NASCAR, his primary care physician and RCR’s health partners at Wake-Forest Baptist Health, and has had two negative COVID-19 test results at least 24 hours apart.

We commend NASCAR for their efforts in providing a safe environment for all fans and competitors, thank everyone in the industry for their well wishes and enthusiastically welcome Austin Dillon back to competition.

Plan B Sales Announces Spencer Boyd Partnership and 2020 Diecast

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Concord, NC (August 19, 2020) – One of NASCAR’s most fan-friendly drivers, Spencer Boyd, has partnered up with Plan B Sales for primary sponsorship at the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Championship race in Phoenix. As the race is close to Veteran’s Day, Boyd will run a patriotic paint scheme that fans can have their name or a Veteran’s name printed on the truck bed. The exact scheme with names will also be made into a diecast as a tribute to all that have served.

“I love diecasts,” said Boyd. “For me, I look at the ones I collected growing up then at the ones of cars I’ve actually raced. It’s a bit surreal still honestly. This one with Plan B (Sales) means a lot because we are honoring military Veterans and the fans get to have names on there. We couldn’t race without our freedoms or people watching, so it’s really cool especially after this season where our perspectives got shifted a bit.”

Plan B Sales is a one-stop-shop for the public and a stocking distributor of licensed motorsports products. They are also Lionel’s largest account serving the motorsports market. Collectibles ranging from diecasts, replica helmets, Sam Bass artwork, and much more can be found at their shop in Concord, NC or online at www.planbsales.com. Additionally, a great partner to teams and drivers, Plan B is no stranger to sponsorship at many levels of racing and this is the first partnership with Spencer Boyd.

“Spencer and I have talked for a couple years on putting something together,” mentioned Brent Powell, owner of Plan B Sales. “His first diecast of the Grunt Style No. 76 flew off the shelves and his winning truck from Talladega sold out. We are fellow Missourians as well so we are cut from the same cloth. It’s fulfilling to help such a hard-working driver while being able to put a great business deal around it.”

In his fifth year of NASCAR competition Spencer Boyd is known for supporting our military through the years. Boyd commented, “From the days where active military or Veterans could write their name on my car with a Sharpie to this one, I’d love to see some of the familiar names as well as some new ones be memorialized on this truck.”

To Pre-Order Spencer’s No. 20 Plan B Sales diecast with your name on the deck lid go to https://www.planbsales.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=T202024PCSP-NAMEONCAR

CHEVY NCS AT DOVER: William Byron Teleconference Transcript

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NASCAR CUP SERIES
DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
DRYDENE 311
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 20, 2020

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE, met with media via teleconference to discuss his outlook going into the doubleheader race weekend at Dover International Speedway, the pressure that comes with racing on the Playoff cutline, the mindset that comes with preparing for a doubleheader, and more. Transcript:

WILLIAM, A BIG DOUBLEHEADER WEEKEND AT DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY – A VERY IMPORTANT WEEKEND. WALK US THROUGH WHAT’S GOING ON WITH YOU HEADING INTO THIS RACE AS WE GET READY FOR THAT DOUBLEHEADER.
“I’m excited for it. I think Dover is probably one of Chad’s (Knaus, crew chief) best tracks. Obviously, working with Jimmie (Johnson) in the past, I feel like he has a really solid notebook there and I feel like a really clear direction of what he wants to run there. So, that’s always good. I think that helps us, especially when we won’t have practice. I’m excited for it. Two races, two shots at it. We’ve done some simulator work this week and I feel like we’ve done our homework. I know the guys are working hard getting down to the final couple races here to try to make the Playoffs. I think we can do that and hopefully we can have a good weekend and kind of try to extend that point advantage that we have.”

YOU MENTIONED THE PLAYOFFS, OBVIOUSLY EVERYONE HAS AN EYE TOWARDS IT AS WE WRAP UP THE REGULAR SEASON. HOW ARE YOU TRYING TO MAYBE ALLEVIATE SOME OF THE PRESSURE FROM YOURSELF OR FROM BEING OVERWHELMED?
“You just have to go out there and race your race. I think that the last few weeks, honestly, have been more challenging than any other, just because you can’t let that kind of change your mindset for the weekend. It’s definitely just tense times – you have to try to capitalize on every point. I really don’t think about the points until the race is over. That’s kind of our mentality on it – kind of just grab as many spots as we can on the racetrack and hopefully that puts us in a good position. I think Daytona is probably the only place that I’ll be super worried about points. But hopefully we can go out there this weekend and have close to a 30- or 40-point advantage, which is really going to be the only safe bet. So, yeah that’s going to be my goal this weekend.”

IT’S KIND OF WEIRD FOR ME THAT IN ORDER FOR YOU TO STAY UP AND BE IN POSITION ON POINTS, YOU HAVE TO KEEP JIMMIE JOHNSON AT BAY. WHAT’S IT LIKE KNOWING THAT ONE OF YOU, IN ALL LIKELIHOOD AS YOU LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS, IF ONE MAKES IT, THE OTHER ONE CAN’T. OF COURSE, YOU’RE OUT THERE TO DO THE BEST FOR YOURSELF INDIVIDUALLY, BUT IS IT KIND OF WEIRD FIGHTING FOR THAT LAST SPOT WITH YOUR TEAMMATE?
“Yeah, it’s odd. You’d like to be in a different position than that, but that’s ultimately what’s happened and the position that we’re in. I think for us as a team, selfishly as the 24 team, we want to do as well as possible and get ourselves into the Playoffs so we have something to race for in the last 10 races and really have an opportunity to advance through the rounds like we did last year. Yeah, it’s tough. I’m the biggest Jimmie (Johnson) fan I feel like out there. I hope that we both can make it somehow. I know this is his best racetrack coming up, so we’re definitely keeping an eye on that. Hopefully, we’re within striking distance of a few guys ahead of us in points as well and maybe we can keep climbing our way up there and try to get ourselves out of the hole that we kind of put ourselves in earlier in the season.”

YOU MENTIONED BEFORE MAYBE BEING A LITTLE MORE NERVOUS ABOUT DAYTONA. COMING OUT OF THE DOVER WEEKEND, YOU CAN MAYBE HOPE TO MOVE UP TO 15TH, SOMEWHERE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, MAYBE A LITTLE BIT BETTER. BUT IT LOOKS LIKE YOU’LL GO TO DAYTONA HOPEFULLY ON THE POSITIVE SIDE, BUT STILL HOW NERVOUS ARE YOU GOING THERE THAT CLOSE TO CUTOFF LINE?
“Yeah, I think you kind of have to take the approach of, this year with that being the cutoff race – typically we have I think Richmond as the cutoff in the past and last year I think it was Indianapolis – those places are somewhat more predictable. Indianapolis being a little less predictable, but you at least had an idea going in of what you were going to face and maybe where you could run. Whereas this Daytona race is going to be like an elimination-style format race, so really just have to go in there with as much of a gap and buffer that we can. I think that you’re going to have to race aggressively at Daytona because if you don’t get any stage points, then you’re ultimately going to be looking at possibly a one- or two-point day, which would be horrible. So, I think you have to go for the stage points, hopefully get five or six – 10 would be awesome – and then you can kind of live with the result at the end of the race. That’s kind of the way the speedways have been lately. When I look at Talladega in the Playoffs last year and kind of how we approached it, we raced hard the whole time. It didn’t work out in the end, but at least we had some points to fall back on.”

SINCE THE NASCAR SERIES RETURNED TO RACING IN MAY, THERE HAVE BEEN FOUR TRACKS THAT HAVE HOSTED BACK-TO-BACK RACES: DARLINGTON, CHARLOTTE, POCONO AND MICHIGAN. OF THOSE EIGHT, YOU HAVE SCORED SIX TOP-15 FINISHES AND YOU ARE ONE OF SIX DRIVERS TO IMPROVE YOUR FINISH FROM RACE ONE TO RACE TWO. YOU’RE ONE OF FIVE DRIVERS WHO’S AVERAGE FINISH FROM SATURDAY TO SUNDAY HAS IMPROVED BY AN AVERAGE OF EIGHT POSITIONS. WHAT DOES THAT SAY? DOES THAT GIVE YOU CONFIDENCE FOR A WEEKEND LIKE THIS?
“I think so. I think having another race in the weekend just makes it easier to learn and improve from the previous race, whether that be the car or even yourself. So, I think it’s definitely an opportunity to get better. I feel like us on the 24 team, we were slightly better with practice last year. I feel like we had really come into our own as a race team, through practice and going through the fall events. The Playoffs, we had some really, really good runs. I do think that hurts us a little bit, so I think the second day kind of allows us, the engineers, Chad and myself to work on all the little details that we need to improve. And ultimately, that’s just our mentality – if we’re not improving the next day, then that’s definitely going to be a poor finish and a poor day. I like the doubleheaders. I think they’re great. It really gives you a chance to get comfortable with the surroundings and just the race track in general.”

YOU HAD SAID EVEN THOUGH DOVER IS CONCRETE, THE SURFACE CHANGES A LOT DURING THE RACE. CAN YOU SORT OF TELL THE RACE FANS HOW THE TRACK CHANGES FROM THE DRIVER’S PERSPECTIVE?
“Rubber at Dover is a huge factor in speed. Typically, you’ll go out there in practice and the first few laps on the track are a half-second faster than the rest of the practice. The first practice is really probably a half-second in lap time difference from first practice to second at Dover. I feel like typically the thing that makes the biggest difference there is rubber. So, you get into the race and under caution, everybody pulls the rubber off the race track. It’s really sticky and the track is super aggressive for rubber being laid down. It’s very unique and really the groove moves up by the wall at some point during the race and then it comes back down. It’s just a challenging track to try to chase those changing conditions, for sure.”

GOING BACK TO DAYTONA, EVEN THOUGH YOU’RE FIGHTING ON THE BUBBLE RIGHT NOW, YOU HAVE A GREAT SHOT TO WIN AT DOVER. WITH THE SPEED THAT YOU GUYS HAD AT DAYTONA IN FEBRUARY, DOES THAT KIND OF ALLEVIATE SOME OF THAT PRESSURE OR IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT BALLGAME BECAUSE THE TRACK IS GOING TO BE HOTTER?
“We always seem to have speed in qualifying and the Duels in February. Our guys do a really good job of preparing going into those races. I feel like that’s kind of a normal thing for us. I think that as we get into the summer months and we go back to Daytona in July, typically when we do and what the track is going to be similar to here in August, we typically fight handling a lot more. We try to do a pretty diligent job of trying to figure out where our handling needs to be for this race and making sure that we handle well enough. I think really the cars slide around a lot at Daytona when you come back in July or August. The track is difficult to get a hold of. But I think it also helps some of the better cars, the better drivers and the best handling cars rise to the front in this race. That’s what we’re going to work diligently on. I don’t really think we’ve spent a lot of time yet on Daytona until we get past Dover and know what position we’re in.”

THE CHOOSE RULE IS BACK IN PLAY THIS WEEKEND. I’M JUST CURIOUS, WITH THIS NEW RULE, HOW DOES IT CHANGE OR WHAT MORE DO YOU HAVE TO DO IN TERMS OF PREP? OR IS THAT SOMETHING THE ENGINEERS FEED YOU TO HELP YOU DECIDE WHAT LANE TO CHOOSE DURING THE RACE?
“What we found at Michigan – which is much different obviously because the bottom was so treacherous and the draft was so big in the outside lane – I think that there it was a bigger factor in just choosing the outside lane, unless you were really going to lose a lot of positions. I think Dover is fairly even on lane choice. I know the bottom lane doesn’t accelerate as well on the restart zone, so if you’re maybe second, you might choose to restart fourth instead of on the inside in second. I don’t really know, I think it’s all just feel and how your car is handling. Obviously, the engineers can try to science it out as best they can. But typically, just common-sense plays into a rule like this for sure.”

WITH THE DOUBLEHEADER WEEKEND, WHAT’S IT LIKE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY FOR A DRIVER? IN A NORMAL RACE WEEKEND, YOU GO HOME AND DO THE RECOVERY. I’M JUST CURIOUS IN THE MINDSET IN HAVING TO COMPLETE A RACE AND THEN START THINKING ABOUT WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO THE CAR OR WHAT MORE YOU CAN DO THE NEXT DAY. WHAT’S THE PROCESS YOU GO THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT ON THESE DOUBLEHEADERS AND WHAT YOU MIGHT GO THROUGH THIS WEEKEND?
“I think this is probably going to be the biggest challenge, so I think there will be a lot of physical training and recovery that’s going into Sunday. Luckily, there are quite a few hours in between the races. I believe the races start at 4:00. It’s going to be pretty straightforward in terms of having a lot of time to devote to recovery and eating right. And then you have the team aspect – they’re trying to get the car back through inspection, they’re trying to get it cleaned up from the first race. Hopefully, there isn’t a lot of damage. You have to get your feedback back to them pretty quickly. They pretty much have an idea of what the issues were with the car in the first race based on your feedback and comments on the radio, so try to just give that detailed feedback. Hopefully, we can just make it better with our tools and have a better second race. That’s the goal with the doubleheaders – just trying to improve. It’s almost like the first race is like a practice session.”

LET’S TALK ABOUT THE HEAT. HOW WAS IT DURING THE ROAD COURSE AT DAYTONA? HOW ARE YOU PREPARING FOR IT? WHAT DO YOU THINK NASCAR CAN DO TO HELP ALLEVIATE THIS HEAT IN THE CARS?
“I think there’s really two or three factors with the heat. There’s the fact that we’ve raced a lot more over the summer than we typically are used to, so the recovery time is not as much. Even though we don’t have practice or qualifying, we typically have a mid-week race or a doubleheader race, so we have more events. I think the other thing is the climates that we’re racing in is twice as hot than we typically race in during the summer. Typically, in Daytona, if anything, we’re racing at night – never during the day and never on a road course. I think the right-side window piece definitely made the cars extremely hot this year. It just becomes hard to breathe. You’re kind of sitting in a sauna and suffocating in the same air that just keeps staying in the car. Whereas before, we used to have air kind of evacuate and leave the car. You might not be getting fresh, cold air, but at least you’re not breathing in the same air the whole time. I think NASCAR is doing a good job in making some changes. To be honest, the road course at Daytona was a little bit dangerous how hot it was. I think a lot of us were possibly going to make it to the end of the race, but definitely not anywhere near one hundred percent. It was going to be a difficult challenge. Luckily, we got the lightning delay and had a chance to get some fluids, cool down and go from there. So, that was a blessing, for sure.”

WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO PREPARE FOR IT?
“I train with my trainers, so I’ve tried to amp up my training in August. I typically don’t do a lot of training during the summertime because it’s so hot. But with the schedule that we have, it’s pretty necessary.”

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Joe Graf Jr. welcomes new associate partner for remainder of 2020 Xfinity season

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MOORESVILLE, N.C.: As the NASCAR Xfinity Series steers towards a doubleheader at the “Monster Mile” this weekend, rookie driver Joe Graf Jr. has brought another new partnership to the industry by teaming with the rising band AVOID to serve as an associate marketing partner for both races at Dover (Del.) International Speedway and the remainder of the 2020 Xfinity Series season.

Exploding out of Seattle, Wash., hotly-tipped hard rock five-piece AVOID has been rapidly making a name for themselves to their electrifying live shows and an unabashed experimental approach to music.

The result is an alchemistic audio dose of heavy hedonism; the stamp of a young act unafraid to equally embrace both their innovation and individuality.

Forming in 2017, AVOID’s debut full length ‘Alone’ was released in 2018, garnering more than 1.5 million streams to date and strong Spotify playlisting support. The record debuted at No. 3 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Pacific Chart.

“This is very cool,” said Graf Jr., who drives the No. 08 Bucked Up Energy Chevrolet Camaro for SS GreenLight Racing. “I’m excited to partner with a group like AVOID who like myself is moving up in their respective industry. Their passion and desire to be a part of NASCAR is contagious and I’m looking forward to growing this relationship with the SS GreenLight Racing team.”

AVOID’s new single “Song About James” is featured alongside another new track “HEAT” on the now-available video game NASCAR Heat 5, taken from their upcoming release The Burner which will be released on Nov 6, 2020, through Revival Recordings.

Their latest song, “Song About James” exploded on the airwaves last week, premiering on Sirius XM Octane in hyper rotation as an “accelerator artist to watch.”

AVOID is thrilled to take their excitement from the virtual world to the real world at Dover.
“We’re so excited about this partnership with Joe Graf Jr.,” said AVOID’s Benny Scholl. “Being NASCAR fans our whole life, partnering with a driver is honestly like a dream come true!

“We’ve always taken the approach of “how can we be different than everyone else right now?” in the music world, and when this opportunity presented itself, it was a no brainer on our end to try and make this happen.

“We’re really grateful for how this all worked out and look forward to rooting on Joe and the No. 08 Chevrolet the rest of the year.”

The Drydene 200 (200 laps | 200 miles) is the 20th of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2020 schedule. The 36-car field will take the green flag shortly after 12:30 p.m. on Sat., Aug. 22, 2020, with live coverage on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90). All times are local (Eastern).

The Drydene 200 (200 laps | 200 miles) is the 21st of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2020 schedule. The 36-car field will take the green flag shortly after 1:00 p.m. on Sun., Aug. 23, 2020, with live coverage on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90). All times are local (Eastern).

For more on AVOID, please visit their website, like them on Facebook, follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

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

Toyota Racing – NGROTS Dover Quotes – Derek Kraus – 08.20.20

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Toyota Racing – Derek Kraus

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Quotes

DOVER, Delaware (August 20, 2020) – McAnally-Hilgemann Racing driver Derek Kraus was made available to media via videoconference in advance of the race at the Dover International Speedway:

DEREK KRAUS, No. 19 ENEOS Toyota Tundra, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing

How excited are you to get back to the Monster Mile this weekend?

“I’m really looking forward to it. I know we have had a start there last year, so this is one of the very few tracks that I’ve been to on the circuit without getting any practice. We’ve got a little bit of experience. I feel like that will help me a lot.”

You are a Rookie in the Truck Series. What have you learned the most in your rookie campaign?

“Just to be patient learning all of these new tracks. It’s definitely different because we are not getting any practice or qualifying. Patience and learning on what the truck will do in traffic and being there at the end of the race.”

What has been the most rewarding part of this season thus far?

“Just getting good top-10 finishes. That has been really rewarding. Kansas, we had a really good weekend with it being a doubleheader, racing on Friday and Saturday was really rewarding. We finished fifth and then seventh, which was really cool for our MHR (McAnally-Hilgemann Racing) team. I’m really looking forward to this weekend in Dover and I feel like we have a pretty good truck.”

Take us through a lap at Dover.

“It’s definitely a different race track, it’s kind of like – people say it’s like a rollercoaster and it’s definitely like that just because of how fast it is, how much downforce is on your body when you are going through corners. The g-forces are crazy. It really feels like something is pushing on your back really hard. It’s just a different race track, something that you don’t really experience. The only thing you can really compare it too is a bigger Bristol.”

What are you doing to prepare for Dover?

“You can prepare as much as you want by watching film, going on iRacing, or going on the simulator. I’ve been able to go on the Toyota simulator, so that’s really helpful. iRacing, or watching film, that’s really the only thing that you can do to prepare, and once you are on the race track, I feel like you just have to go out there and take everything you have learned and put it to use.”

Four races to go before the Playoffs start. How much pressure are you putting on yourself to get in?

“There is a lot of pressure, but I feel like if we do everything that we are supposed to do, go out and get stage points and get good finishes, I feel like the points will take care of themselves. If we are in, we are in. If we are not, we are not. I feel like this year we have had a lot of good runs, and we have proved that we can compete with these guys.”

Your team is housed with Hattori Racing Enterprises. How has that been being able to bounce some ideas off of them?
“That’s definitely been very helpful for us. We’ve been able to bounce ideas off each other and just being there because it’s our first season. We can take ideas from them and put them on our track. They are very helpful, and I feel like all of the guys that work on my truck at MHR work really hard on it. They are learning quick and they are really good at what they do.”

The choose rule is back this weekend. What are you doing to prepare for that?

“For me, that wasn’t really anything new to me because I’ve been doing that for quite a few years in the late models back home in Wisconsin. In Wisconsin, they have the choose cone in every single race. You just kind of look and see which lane is shorter and which lane has more of an advantage. Like at Michigan, you saw everyone go to the top, and I believe at Dover, you will probably go to the bottom. There’s definitely a lot more planning. There’s a lot more that goes into the restarts to make sure you pick the right lane.”

With you born in 2001, when Jimmie Johnson started in the Cup Series, what has his impact been on you and your age group?

“I feel like Jimmie, he won so many championships in a row, that was really impressive. I feel like that’s someone that me as a younger driver can always look up to. He always handles himself with all he does off of the track with all of the training and everything that he does on and off the track. He’s really good at what he does and is someone you can look up to. I think it’s really cool what the Hendrick (Motorsports) cars are doing with the 24 (William Byron) and 88 (Alex Bowman) with doing the throwback schemes to Jimmie. I feel like that’s really cool, and really neat to see.”

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.

Meyer Shank Racing Pays Tribute on Indy Car during Indianapolis 500

By
Official Release
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Fan and family favorites carrying special signage in 104th Running of 500

Pataskala, Ohio (20 August 2020) – The 104th Running of the Indianapolis 500 is a special event for Meyer Shank Racing on many levels. The event marks the fourth entry into the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” for the Ohio-based team as Meyer Shank Racing pursues its first full season INDYCAR Series campaign in 2020.

In addition to the commercial programs in place that see the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) entry proudly carry signage of partners AutoNation and SiriusXM, the team is also utilizing its Indianapolis 500 livery of the No. 60 Honda to pay tribute to two important people.

The team has integrated three decals that honor and support the active fight that Shrabral Pruett, a friend of the team, is currently waging against cancer and celebrate the life of Pat Kennedy, a key supporter of Jack Harvey.

Shrabral Pruett

It was a normal work day for Mike Shank when a fan stopped by earlier this summer for a visit to the MSR headquarters in Pataskala, Ohio. Expressing his appreciation for Mike Shank’s appearances on the Marshall Pruett Podcast, this fan asked if it might be possible to do something special for Pruett’s wife, Shrabral, who has inspired many with her fight against breast cancer.

This fan, who has asked to remain anonymous, offered to donate towards Shrabral’s GoFundMe page in exchange for a special tribute decal to be put on the No. 60 MSR Indy Car for the team’s home race at Mid-Ohio. But when the Mid-Ohio event was postponed at the last minute, team co-owner Mike Shank upped the ante and decided to display the special decal during the Indianapolis 500.

The nose of the MSR Indy Car display two decals, one honoring Shrabral Pruett and the second, a family crest of the fan that made the donation. The tribute was a logical one, as Pruett’s fight against cancer not only inspired many, but it also connected with several on the team who also appreciated Pruett’s service to the country in her time serving as a US Marine.

The connection also echos the significant efforts being made by MSR primary sponsor AutoNation to build the “DRV PNK” initiative that sees the MSR entry race in pink to support cancer research and treatment.

“We’re honored to have been able to support Shrabral on our IndyCar for the 500 this year,” said Shank. “Marshall (Pruett) and I have worked closely over the years and it’s something small that we did. When this fan came into the shop and expressed his gratitude, this was the least we could do for him and for the Pruetts. We are surrounded by some really good people, from our team partners to as you can see in this case, even our fans, who set the bar really high in terms of doing things for others so this is something really cool to be a part of. ”

Pat Kennedy

A family name that has a long association both with racing and especially the Indianapolis 500, the Kennedy’s have a special home at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Not only that, but the Kennedy family have been a major factor in Meyer Shank Racing IndyCar driver Jack Harvey’s daily life since moving to the states in 2014.

Pat Kennedy and his sister Ann Bolin took Harvey in as one of their own, treating him as their own son. The relationship reached a whole new level when the family made the introduction to Harvey and SiriusXM CEO, Jim Meyer. Little did anyone know the transformation that relationship would have for both Harvey and MSR.

Unfortunately in early April, the community suffered a terrible loss as the COVID-19 virus took the life of Pat Kennedy at just 63 years old. Devastated by the loss, Harvey and MSR decided to pay tribute to Kennedy on the team’s Indy Car for the Indianapolis 500.

An all-white Yard of Bricks with “PK” at the center will be displayed on the nose of the No. 60 Indy Car, allowing Kennedy to once again be on track and race with Harvey on Sunday.

“What Pat and Ann did for me when I first moved to the States is something I will never forget,” said Harvey. “They took me under their wing and treated me as one of their own. Without Pat, I wouldn’t be where I am in Indy Car. This Indianapolis 500 drive will 100% be dedicated to Pat Kennedy and for everything he and his family have ever done for me.”

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