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Haley Confident in First Xfinity Series Start on Daytona Road Course

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Official Release
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Justin Haley Notes
Best start at Daytona International Speedway (Oval) in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS): 3rd (2020)
Best Finish at Daytona International Speedway (Oval) in the NXS: 2nd (2019)

Kaulig Racing Notes
Best start at Daytona International Speedway (Oval) in the NXS: 2nd (2019)
Best finish at Daytona International Speedway (Oval) in the NXS: 1st (2019)

Race Notes
Saturday, August 15 at 3PM ET on NBCSN
Stages: 15/30/52 Laps

Justin Haley Quote
“We are headed to Daytona this weekend. It’s going to be different, because we’re not running the big track – we’re running the ROVAL. It has a little bit of the infield and a little bit of the high banks, and it’s going to be awesome. We’ve run a few road courses getting up to this point, so now we are ready. No practice, no qualifying. All three series are racing this new road course. This is something new that we’ve never seen before. I can’t wait to get the No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet up front like we did last week at Road America. Hopefully we can stay up front and get ourselves a win.”

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

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

Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Daytona RC

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Official Release
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Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Daytona Road Course

NASCAR will make history this weekend when it visits the Road Course at the famed Daytona International Speedway for a 65-lap race Sunday afternoon, a track only a handful of drivers in the field have experience at, and no practice or qualifying on tap. Jack Roush has 15 wins on road courses all-time, including five in the Cup Series.

Daytona International Speedway Road Course (3.57-Mile)
GoBowling 235
Sunday, Aug. 16 | 3 p.m. ET
NBC, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
· Ryan Newman, No. 6 Guaranteed Rate Ford Mustang
· Chris Buescher, No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang

Road Course at Daytona on the Horizon for NASCAR This Weekend

· For the first time in the sport’s history, the NASCAR Cup Series will take to the 3.57-mile road course on the infield at Daytona this weekend. The weekend date was originally held for the series’ annual trip to the Watkins Glen International road course, but the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced adjustments to the schedule, meaning the NCS will visit Daytona twice over the next three weeks.

· The race will be held on the same road course as the Rolex 24 at Daytona, North America’s premier race for sports cars. NASCAR also announced several key competition components at the Daytona RC, including the addition of a chicane off Turn 4 at the famed oval. Overall, the course features 14 turns.

· Additionally, as announced last week by NASCAR, the series will now use three competition-based performance metrics to determine the starting lineup and pit selection order for each race, replacing the random draw procedure that has been in place since NASCAR’s return in May. Ryan Newman will start the race from the 14th position, while Chris Buescher will take the green from the 21st spot in the field.

· NASCAR will reward both season-long and single-race performance to determine the lineup and pit selection, using owner points position, the finish and fastest lap from the most recently completed race. Beginning with the NASCAR Playoffs at Darlington, playoff cars will fill the top starting positions starting from the Round of 16, all the way through to the Championship 4.

· Four weeks of NASCAR action were initially completed prior to the COVID-19 hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed before the schedule later picked back up in mid-May.

Michigan Recap, Daytona RC Preview

· Buescher drove to a pair of 20th-place results in last weekend’s doubleheader at Michigan.

· Newman was caught up in someone else’s incident in leg one of the doubleheader to finish 28th, but rebounded for a 13th-place run on Sunday.

· Fastenal returns to Buescher’s No. 17 Ford this weekend, and will highlight its Go Blue 500 sales event, as well as the 10-year anniversary logo, celebrating its and Roush Fenway’s 10-year partnership.

· Guaranteed Rate – who first joined Newman’s No. 6 as the primary at Loudon – is back this weekend at Daytona, as the brand announced a partnership extension on Wednesday that will see the brand as the primary partner on 11 of the final 14 races.

Newman No Stranger to Daytona RC
Newman will be one of the few drivers with a leg up and prior experience at the Daytona Road Course come Sunday, having driven the track previously in the former IROC Series. Newman – along with other current Cup stars Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Martin Truex Jr. – made starts at Daytona in the series from 2003-06. Newman won the 2004 event after starting on the pole in the 40-lap event, and finished third in the final series event at Daytona.

Road Racing Success

As an organization, Roush Fenway has made 352 starts on road courses across NASCAR’s major touring series and has recorded 15 wins, 68 top-fives, 133 top-10s, 11 poles and 879 laps led.

Martin Goes Three-Straight in N.Y.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin is responsible for four of Jack Roush’s road course wins all-time, including three-straight at Watkins Glen from 1993-95. Martin dominated the three years, leading a combined 183 laps, and won all three from the pole. He also won once in Sonoma, in 1997, after also starting from the point to lead 69 of the 74 laps.

Edwards Victorious Four Times, at Four Different Courses

Carl Edwards also visited victory lane for Jack Roush at Sonoma, driving to the win in 2014 after starting fourth. In Xfinity action, Edwards was victorious at WGI in 2012, Road America in 2010, and Montreal in 2009.

Edwards Victorious Four Times, at Four Different Courses

Carl Edwards also visited victory lane for Jack Roush at Sonoma, driving to the win in 2014 after starting fourth. In Xfinity action, Edwards was victorious at WGI in 2012, Road America in 2010, and Montreal in 2009. In the 2012 event in New York, current crew chief Scott Graves was atop the box for one of his two Xfinity wins all-time on road courses.

Buescher, Graves Former Road Course Winners

In Buescher’s first full-time Xfinity season in 2014, he and Graves found victory lane at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in August, which also fell on August 16. Buescher led 25 laps that day in the No. 60 entry for Roush.

Roush Fenway Road Course Wins
1993-1 Martin WGI-Cup
1994-1 Martin WGI-Cup
1995-1 Martin WGI-Cup
1997-1 Martin Son-Cup
2014-1 Edwards Son-Cup
2012-1 Edwards WGI-NXS
2010-1 Edwards RA-NXS
2009-1 Edwards Mon-NXS
2014-1 Buescher Mid-O NXS
1998-1 Ruttman WGI-Truck
2000-1 Biffle WGI-Truck
1997-1 Ruttman Top-Truck
1999-1 Bliss Top-Truck
1997-1 Ruttman Son-Truck
1999-1 Biffle Port-Truck

BIG NAMES, COMPACT CARS FIRST TO COMPETE ON ROAD COURSE INSIDE DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY IN 1960

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Official Release
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - JANUARY 31, 1960: Richard Petty races his Plymouth Valiant on the road course at Daytona International Speedway during the track’s first Compact Car race. Petty crashed on lap two. (Photo by ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images)

Richard Petty Reminisces About His First and Only Compact Car Race for Smaller Stock Cars; Race Ran in Reverse of Today’s Road Course Layout, Set to Host NASCAR This Weekend

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 12, 2020) – When the old Daytona beach-road course held its last race in 1958 and the NASCAR Cup Series (then Grand National Series) moved to the new high banks for Daytona International Speedway, it didn’t mean the end of road course racing in the Daytona Beach area.

When Big Bill France built the gigantic 2.5-mile, 31-degree banked Speedway, he made sure to include a unique road course layout, utilizing both the high banks as well as an infield course. The first DAYTONA 200 motorcycle race inside DIS took place in 1961 while the first Rolex 24 At DAYTONA sports car race (then a three-hour event) was held in 1962. Many do not know, however, that the actual first race on the new road course was on January 31, 1960, and featuring Compact “stock” Cars – one driven by “The King,” Richard Petty.

“I had never been on a road course and I didn’t stay on this but for about two laps,” laughed Petty, who at the time was just 22 years old. “That is what happened. I think I made it around one lap and then the next lap I made about two thirds of the track. Before I got back on the big track (high banks), I had crashed, knocking off the frontend. You have to figure – a 21-22 year old kid…never been on a road course…and I am gonna win the race on the first lap…it didn’t work out for me.”

The Compact Cars were smaller stock cars, featuring the likes of Chevrolet Corvairs, Ford Falcons, Volvos, Plymouth Valiants and more. Petty, along with his father Lee, competed in the 10-lap event on what was then a 3.81-mile course. What made the race unique was the fact that the drivers ran in the opposite direction – backwards – of the way races are conducted today – the trioval track’s Turn Four was actually Turn 1 for this event.

“We didn’t know the difference,” said Petty, the 7-time DAYTONA 500 Champion, said this week. “I had never run a road course anyway. I didn’t know which way you were supposed to run. I just tried to race like everyone else did. It worked out pretty good. When they came back in 61, they ran the track backwards (again).

“We had never run those kind of cars. We didn’t know anything about the road course until we got there. There was really no setup. What you left home with is what you ran. We didn’t have any extra parts for the car or nothing. The car was pretty stock. They did work on the motors on the Valiant to make it a little stronger than just a plain stock motor.”

As a result of his accident, Petty, piloting his No. 43 Valiant, finished next to last, but he was in good company – ahead of him was Fireball Roberts and behind was Curtis Turner. Valiants took the top seven spots with Marvin Panch (who would also claim the ’61 DAYTONA 500) the winner. A year later, he would win the DAYTONA 500. Lee Petty, who won the inaugural DAYTONA 500 in ’59, would come home sixth, but the following year in ’61, he would get to celebrate a triumph. That year would see the second – and final – Compact Car race on the DAYTONA Road Course. Richard, however, didn’t come back in ’61.

“The reason I didn’t run that year is that I wrecked my car in ’60,” added Richard, who would go on to capture six NASCAR Cup Series road course wins in his career. “We had just two cars (one for Richard and one for Lee). We didn’t even mess with my car (again after wreck). My Dad had seen I wasn’t too much on road courses so the best thing to do was to leave the car at home.”

While it only had a two-year stint, the Compact Cars set the stage for smaller NASCAR stock car-style series later in the ‘60s and midway through the ‘70s. Those events, too, had some big names to compete, as we will see in the next installment of this series.

Road course racing – NASCAR Cup style – is back in Daytona Beach, Fla. after running on the old beach-road course from 1949-58. A limited number of fans will get the opportunity to see the Go Bowling 235 At The DAYTONA Road Course, along with the Sunoco 159 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race, on Sunday, Aug. 16. Fans can get tickets, which start at $49 (both races included) for adults and $10 for kids 12 years old and younger, by visiting www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or calling 1-800-PIT-SHOP.

The weekend kicks off Friday with the General Tire 100 ARCA Menards Series on Friday at 5:00 p.m. ET (MAVTV) while the NASCAR Xfinity Series UNOH 188 is set for Saturday at 3:00 p.m. ET (NBCSN).

Fans can stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and by downloading Daytona International Speedway’s mobile app, for the latest Speedway news throughout the season.

About Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a state-of-the-art motorsports facility and was awarded the SportsBusiness Journal’s prestigious Sports Business Award for Sports Facility of the Year in 2016. Daytona International Speedway is the home of “The Great American Race” – the DAYTONA 500. Though the season-opening NASCAR Cup Series event garners most of the attention – as well as the largest audience in motorsports – the approximately 500-acre motorsports complex, also known as the “World Center of Racing,” boasts the most diverse schedule of racing on the globe. In addition to at least nine major event weekends, the Speedway grounds are also used extensively for events that include concerts, civic and social gatherings, car shows, photo shoots, production vehicle testing and police motorcycle training.

Columbia Sportswear to Sponsor Bubba Wallace and Richard Petty Motorsports Race Team

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Official Release
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Multiyear Partnership Makes Wallace Columbia’s First NASCAR Ambassador

PORTLAND, Ore.–Columbia Sportswear (Nasdaq: COLM), a leading innovator in active outdoor lifestyle apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment, is proud to announce a multiyear sponsorship with NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace. The agreement enlists Wallace as Columbia’s newest brand ambassador, and includes a primary sponsorship of the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet.

Columbia will leverage its first NASCAR driver and team sponsorship to promote its innovative product lines and proprietary technologies, including its PFG (Performance Fishing Gear) collection.

“There has always been a strong correlation between NASCAR and Columbia, especially with PFG,” said Joe Boyle, Columbia Brand President. “We are excited by the opportunity to work with Bubba and Richard Petty Motorsports to engage our shared fans.”

“Columbia Sportswear is a perfect fit for my lifestyle away from the track,” said Bubba Wallace. “I love spending time outdoors-boating, golfing, hiking, photography-just anything to help me decompress from a hectic racing schedule. I’m beyond excited to be a part of the Columbia family and can’t wait to work with them on some unique content and fly their colors next weekend at Dover.”

A six-time NASCAR national series winner, Wallace was recently thrust into the national spotlight when his calls for NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag at all events was ultimately adopted. He promotes a message of “compassion, love, understanding” with the intention of making racing more inclusive and ultimately broadening NASCAR’s reach.

“In addition to his racing talent, Bubba is a charismatic and courageous leader,” continued Boyle. “It is his internal fortitude that most aligns with the Columbia brand and our Tested Tough ethos. Bubba is a Tested Tough trailblazer and we are thrilled to be working with him.”

When he’s not racing at 200 MPH on the top tracks in the NASCAR circuit, Wallace can often be found outdoors hiking, fishing, mountain biking, playing golf, and shooting photos of amazing wilderness areas. As part of this sponsorship, Columbia will be working closely with Bubba to further the brand’s efforts to unlock the outdoors for everyone.

The Columbia No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro will debut on August 23 at the NASCAR Cup Series Drydene 311 at the Dover (Del.) International Speedway.

About Columbia
Columbia, the flagship brand of Portland, Oregon-based Columbia Sportswear Company, has been creating innovative apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment for outdoor enthusiasts since 1938. Columbia has become a leading global brand by channeling the company’s passion for the outdoors and innovative spirit into technologies and performance products that keep people warm, dry, cool and protected year-round. To learn more, please visit the company’s website at www.columbia.com.

About Bubba Wallace
Wallace, a six-time NASCAR national series winner, first made news headlines in 2013 when he became the first Black driver in nearly 50 years to win a NASCAR national series race and again in 2018 when he joined the NASCAR Cup Series full-time with RPM. Off the track, Wallace has more Instagram followers than any other active NASCAR driver and is now one of the top drivers in licensed merchandise sales.

Cindric to start on pole position for inaugural Xfinity Daytona Road Course event

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images.

In what has been a career year in his third full-time season of racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Austin Cindric will start on the pole for the inaugural UNOH 188 at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course on Saturday, August 15.

The Daytona Road Course race marks the first race where the starting lineup was based on a new competition formula utilizing three statistical categories: the finishing results from the previous race (weighing at 50 percent), the order of owner points positioning (35 percent) and the fastest race lap from the previous race (15 percent).

Based upon the stats/measurements and averaging them, Cindric, the recent series winner at Road America and this year’s regular-season points leader, will lead the field to the start of the Daytona Road Course event. This will mark the first time where Cindric and his No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang will start on pole position for an upcoming Xfinity race this season.

Since May through last weekend at Road America, a random draw determined the starting lineup for an upcoming NASCAR race due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which eliminated practice and qualifying sessions throughout race weekend. When the 2020 Xfinity Playoffs commence in September at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the competitors in the Playoffs will occupy the top starting positions, according to how many remain throughout the Playoffs as four competitors will be eliminated after each round featuring three postseason races.

Chase Briscoe will start alongside Cindric followed by Noah Gragson, Ross Chastain and Justin Haley. Andy Lally, who tied his career-best result of fifth place last weekend at Road America, will start in sixth place followed by Michael Annett, Ryan Sieg, rookie Harrison Burton and A.J. Allmendinger. Brandon Jones and Brandon Brown will start 11th and 12th.

Starting in positions 13-25 are Josh Williams, rookie Riley Herbst, Preston Pardus, Alex Labbe, Justin Allgaier, Josh Bilicki, Jeremy Clements, Stephen Leicht, Mike Wallace, Tommy Joe Martins, Daniel Hemric, rookie Jesse Little and rookie Joe Graf Jr.

Starting in positions 26-38 are Kyle Weatherman, rookie Myatt Snider, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Scott Heckert, newcomer Earl Bamber, rookie Kody Vanderwal, Jade Buford, B.J. McLeod, Bayley Currey, Chad Finchum, Matt Mills, Brandon Gdovic and Harold Crooms.

The inaugural UNOH 188 at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course will occur on August 15 at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

104th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge Filled with Interesting Storylines

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Official Release
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INDIANAPOLIS, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020 – Selected storylines for the 104th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Practice opens Wednesday, Aug. 12, with Race Day on Sunday, Aug. 23.

  • New era: This will be the first Indianapolis 500 under the ownership of the Penske Corporation, led by iconic businessman and race team owner Roger Penske. Ownership of the fabled facility changed hands Jan. 6 when the Hulman-George family’s sale of the Speedway, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and IMS Productions to Penske became final. The Hulman-George family had owned IMS since November 1945.
  • Safety revolution: This will be the first year in which the new Aeroscreen will be used in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. The Aeroscreen, mandatory on all NTT INDYCAR SERIES cars starting this season, offers a revolutionary new level of driver protection and creates a sleek, jet fighter look to the open-wheel cars. The Aeroscreen’s IMS competition debut took place July 4 during the GMR Grand Prix on the IMS road course, but this will be the first time the safety device will be used in the Indy 500. The IMS oval debut of the Aeroscreen continues the Speedway’s legacy of automotive safety and technology development that started with the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911.
  • More speed, drama in qualifying: Speed and drama should be on the rise during qualifications for the Indianapolis 500 on Saturday, Aug. 15 and Sunday, Aug. 16 due to technical and format changes. Turbocharger boost will be increased for qualifying, adding 45 horsepower to increase speeds.
  • Fernando is back: Two-time Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso is back at IMS in a bid to become just the second driver to win the “Triple Crown” of motorsports – victories in the Monaco Grand Prix, 24 Hours of Le Mans and Indianapolis 500. Alonso, from Spain, will drive for Arrow McLaren SP while attempting to make his second start in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” The motorsports world was shocked last season when Alonso was bumped from the starting field during the Last Row Shootout by driver Kyle Kaiser and upstart Juncos Racing. Can Alonso bounce back this year and make history by entering Victory Lane?
  • Team Penske three-peat?: Team Penske could make history with a third consecutive victory in this Indianapolis 500, a feat that’s only been achieved twice. Team Penske’s Will Power won in 2018 with teammate Simon Pagenaud triumphing in 2019. Team owner Lou Moore recorded three consecutive wins from 1947-49 with drivers Mauri Rose (1947-48) and Bill Holland (1949). Team Penske matched that mark from 2001-03, with Helio Castroneves (2001-02) and Gil de Ferran (2003).
  • Helio aims for No. 4: Helio Castroneves again will attempt to join one of the most exclusive clubs in global motorsports – four-time winners of the Indianapolis 500 – this year in a Team Penske car. Castroneves’ third win came in 2009, and his chances to join A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears as four-time winners are dwindling at age 45 as he edges closer toward the end of his illustrious career. Can he get win No. 4?
  • TK’s Last Lap continues: 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan will continue his final season of regular NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on Aug. 23, driving for A.J. Foyt Racing. Can Kanaan punctuate his final campaign, consisting of all of the oval races on the schedule, with an emotional victory at age 45?
  • Andretti adds more strength: The spotlight will be on 2019 rookie phenom Colton Herta, who won two NTT INDYCAR SERIES races last season, as he became the fifth full-time driver in the powerful Andretti Autosport stable this season. Herta brought many officials and crew members from the upstart Harding Steinbrenner Racing team of 2019, including that former team’s 23-year-old owner, George Steinbrenner IV, the grandson of late legendary New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. James Hinchcliffe, Indy’s pole winner in 2016, joins Andretti Autosport for the “500,” making it a six-car effort that includes 2014 “500” winner Ryan Hunter-Reay and 2016 “500” winner Alexander Rossi. Michael Andretti’s team has won the “500” with five different drivers since 2005.
  • Deep field: It can be argued that this is one of the deepest fields in event history as eight former “500” winners are entered, the most since 1992, when a record 10 entered. Former winners competing this year include Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009), Scott Dixon (2008), Tony Kanaan (2013), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014), Alexander Rossi (2016), Takuma Sato (2017), Will Power (2018) and Simon Pagenaud (2019). Castroneves, Dixon, Kanaan and Pagenaud are among the drivers who have won poles for this race. The others are Ed Carpenter and James Hinchcliffe. Power has won 58 poles in his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career – second-most in series history behind Mario Andretti’s 67 – but the Aussie is seeking his first “500” pole.
  • Dixon off to a strong 2020: Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon won the first three NTT INDYCAR SERIES races of the season and enters the double-points-paying “500” atop the standings by 49 points over Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud. Dixon, who is bidding for his second Indy victory, has won 49 career races, which ranks third on the sport’s all-time list behind A.J. Foyt (67) and Mario Andretti (52). Dixon always seems to be in contention at IMS, winning three poles and finishing in the top six on nine occasions in 17 starts.
  • Intense rookie battle: Five rookies will compete for Rookie of the Year honors, with the past two Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires champions (Pato O’Ward and Oliver Askew) driving for the same team (Arrow McLaren SP). Rinus VeeKay (Ed Carpenter Racing), Alex Palou (Dale Coyne Racing with Team Goh) and Dalton Kellett (A.J. Foyt Racing) are the other first-timers in this field.
  • How Swede it is: Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Ericsson are not only teammates at Chip Ganassi Racing, they represent the best chance for a Swede to reach Victory Lane at IMS since Kenny Brack won in 1999. Rosenqvist earned his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory last month at Road America. Conor Daly, who will drive for Ed Carpenter Racing, is the best chance for an Indiana-born driver to win the “500.” The last was Wilbur Shaw in 1940.
  • Cole for Conor: Race engineer Cole Pearn, who led Martin Truex Jr. and Furniture Row Racing to the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series championship, has joined Ed Carpenter Racing to lead Conor Daly’s “500” program. The jump from stock cars to Indy cars is unusual but not without success. In 2015, Brian Campe helped Team Penske’s Juan Pablo Montoya win the “500.”
  • Golden year for Big Al: This is the 50th anniversary of Al Unser’s first of four Indianapolis 500 victories. Unser drove the iconic Johnny Lightning Special in 1970. He later won the “500” in 1971, 1978 and 1987.
  • Live Central Indiana broadcast part of NBC effort: NBC will broadcast the “500” for the second consecutive year with its talented team led by Mike Tirico. For the second time in five years, the broadcast will air live in Central Indiana, this time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sold-out 2016 race was the first “500” to air live since portions of the race were in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Chastain Up for the Challenge at Inaugural Daytona Road-Course Race

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Official Release
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Ross Chastain Notes
Best start at Daytona International Speedway (Oval) in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS): 4th (2019)
Best finish at Daytona International Speedway (Oval) in the NXS: 1st (2019)

Kaulig Racing Notes
Best start at Daytona International Speedway (Oval) in the NXS: 2nd (2019)
Best finish at Daytona International Speedway (Oval) in the NXS: 1st (2019)

Race Notes
Saturday, August 15 at 3PM ET on NBCSN
Stages: 15/30/52 Laps

Ross Chastain Quote
“Daytona is this weekend. I’m pumped to get back home to Florida and run a new track. We’ll be on the road course with the new chicane off turn four that nobody has ever raced on. NASCAR has never raced on this layout at all. It will be a learning curve for the whole field. We start fourth, so that’s going to be tough for me, because I’m around a bunch of guys that are really fast on road courses and have a lot of experience. Although we kept up at road America, it’s an even bigger challenge now trying to keep up and win this weekend at Daytona. I feel up for the challenge.

We have a new sponsor on board – the Moose Fraternity, the Loyal Order of the Moose. I got to meet some of the great folks up at Mooseheart and learn more about what the Moose is all about. I got to see some kids and see what they do there on their farm. Now as we travel to Florida, maybe we will see some more Moose Lodge locations. Go to beamoose.org if you want to find out more about what they are, because a lot of people don’t know. That’s why they are sponsoring in NASCAR – they want you to know. I’ve joined, and my dad has joined. You should join too.”

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

DAWSON APPRECIATES TRACK TIME AT SOUTH BOSTON SPEEDWAY

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Official Release
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Drew Dawson climbs out of his Limited Sportsman Division car following a practice run during a test session at South Boston Speedway. Photo Courtesy South Boston Speedway

South Boston, Va……Drivers and racing teams place a lot of value on track time. Among them is Drew Dawson of Nathalie, Virginia.

Dawson, who finished fourth in the Limited Sportsman Division point standings at South Boston Speedway last season, is one of many drivers that have taken the opportunity to test their car at South Boston Speedway this season.

“That’s all we can do until they (South Boston Speedway officials) can schedule a race,” Dawson said of testing.

“We really need to find more speed in the car, and I definitely need more seat time.”

Dawson shares the opinion of virtually every other driver when it comes to describing the importance of seat time.

“Any time you can sit in the seat and get behind the wheel of a racecar it definitely helps,” Dawson pointed out.

“You learn more every day, you’re learning more about the car, you’re learning more about the track. There is whole lot to learn in the Limited Sportsman Division.”

Last season Dawson climbed another rung on the long ladder of improvement and was able to mix it up with the division’s top drivers. When the 2019 season ended Dawson had scored 11 Top Five finishes and finished in the Top 10 in all 16 of his starts.

“It feels good to be able to run right there with Danny Willis Jr. and all of those boys,” Dawson remarked.

“We want to get a little bit faster so we can be more competitive with them.”

Dawson noted it is important to continue learning as a driver and continuing to improve the racecar because the level of the competition and the car count increase each season.

“Two or three years ago there really weren’t that many people out here,” he explained.
‘The number of competitive cars was up last season and track officials were expecting more cars to be out here this season. More cars make for better racing, and it’s definitely more competitive.”

South Boston Speedway is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to provide race teams an opportunity to get some track time to test their cars and prepare for racing. Teams interested in scheduling a test date should contact the speedway office at 434-572-4947.

Ryan Newman – Daytona Road Course Advance

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Official Release
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Team: No. 6 Guaranteed Rate Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Twitter: @Roush6Team, @RoushFenway and @RyanJNewman
Race Format: 231 miles, 65 laps, Stage Lengths: 15-15-35

GoBowling 235 – Sunday, Aug. 16 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Road Course at Daytona on the Horizon for NASCAR This Weekend

· For the first time in the sport’s history, the NASCAR Cup Series will take to the 3.57-mile road course on the infield at Daytona this weekend. The weekend date was originally held for the series’ annual trip to the Watkins Glen International road course, but the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced adjustments to the schedule, meaning the NCS will visit Daytona twice over the next three weeks.

· The race will be held on the same road course as the Rolex 24 at Daytona, North America’s premier race for sports cars. NASCAR also announced several key competition components at the Daytona RC, including the addition of a chicane off Turn 4 at the famed oval. Overall, the course features 14 turns.

· Additionally, as announced last week by NASCAR, the series will now use three competition-based performance metrics to determine the starting lineup and pit selection order for each race, replacing the random draw procedure that has been in place since NASCAR’s return in May.

· NASCAR will reward both season-long and single-race performance to determine the lineup and pit selection, using owner points position, the finish and fastest lap from the most recently completed race. Beginning with the NASCAR Playoffs at Darlington, playoff cars will fill the top starting positions starting from the Round of 16, all the way through to the Championship 4.

· Four weeks of NASCAR action were initially completed prior to the COVID-19 hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed before the schedule later picked back up in mid-May.

Newman Historically on Road Courses

· Newman will be one of the few drivers with a leg up and prior experience at the Daytona Road Course come Sunday, having driven the track previously in the former IROC Series.

· Newman – along with other current Cup stars Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Martin Truex Jr. – made starts at Daytona in the series from 2003-06. Newman won the 2004 event after starting on the pole in the 40-lap event, and finished third in the final series event at Daytona.

· Overall, Newman has 38 road course starts in the NCS with 11 top-10s and three top fives. Newman finished runner-up in one of his first-ever road course starts back in 2002 at Watkins Glen, and followed that up with a ninth-place run a season later. Most recently he piloted Jack Roush’s No. 6 Ford to a seventh-place run last year in Sonoma, one of his eight top-10s at the track.

· Newman does have a road course win in the Xfinity Series, which came in 2005 at WGI after starting fourth.

Scott Graves Historically on Road Courses

· Graves will be atop the box for his 11th Cup road course event, having called four previously at WGI, four at Sonoma, and two at the ROVAL at CMS. His best results came at WGI, where he led Daniel Suarez to a third and fourth-place result in 2017-18.

· Graves has visited victory lane twice on road courses in the NXS, leading Carl Edwards to a victory in the No. 60 entry in 2012 at WGI, followed by a win with Buescher in the same car two years later at Mid-Ohio.

QUOTE WORTHY
Newman on racing at the Daytona RC:
“I’m probably one of a few guys that has laps – even though it was back in the IROC days – at this track. The guys that have the 24-hour experience, that’s going to play to their advantage. We will definitely do some simulator work and try to get a better understanding of our car and that racetrack. It’s going to be a lot of green for a lot of people once the green flag drops come Sunday.”

Last Time Out
Newman bounced back from a 28th-place run in the first leg of last weekend’s doubleheader at Michigan to finish 13th Sunday.

Where They Rank
Newman is 26th in driver points after 19 points races in his 2020 campaign. In owners’ points, the No. 6 is 23rd.

On the Car
As announced Wednesday, Guaranteed Rate returns to Newman’s Ford this weekend in Daytona. The brand will be on board Newman’s machine for 11 of the final 14 races in 2020, as the two announced a partnership extension following their debut into the sport at Loudon.

About Guaranteed Rate

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

John Hunter Nemechek Hits the Road (Course) with Death Wish Coffee

By
Official Release
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Nemechek on Daytona:

“It’ll be interesting for sure to head to Daytona this week to race on the road course. Growing up watching the 24 hours, I think it’ll be really cool to finally race there as a driver. There might be some drivers who have the advantage of running there previously, but I still think it’ll be kind of a wild card for everyone in a Cup car.

“Having Death Wish Coffee back with us this weekend will give us a chance to redeem ourselves from last week in Michigan. People tell me all the time how much they like this red and black paint scheme, so we’re going to do everything we can to get into Victory Lane on Sunday.”

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