Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway… In 106 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has one win (Kevin Harvick, 2013) along with five top-five and 29 top-10 finishes. The victory was Harvick’s first at the Midwest intermediate track and came in dominating fashion after winning the pole and leading the most laps in the race. RCR owns three pole positions at Kansas: Harvick (2013), Daniel Hemric (2019) and Tyler Reddick (2022).

Three Times the Fun… In addition to RCR’s full-time entries in the NASCAR Cup Series with Austin Dillon and Kyle Busch, RCR will field a third Cup Series entry this weekend with Jesse Love. Love is set to drive the No. 33 C4 Ultimate Energy Chevrolet with Andy Street as crew chief.

Honoring Our Military… RCR is partnering with Chevrolet this weekend at Kansas Speedway to host service members from Fort Leavenworth as part of NASCAR’s Troops to the Track program. Service members will have the opportunity to meet RCR’s NASCAR Cup Series drivers and team owner Richard Childress, as well as tour the hauler, garage area and pit box with the team. Since its inception in 2010, NASCAR has hosted thousands of service members through the Troops to the Track program, strengthening the bond between NASCAR and the military community.

Tickets to the 2025 Carolina Cowboys Home Stand Are Available Now… Driven by the same passion for performance that guides his race team, Richard Childress’ latest endeavor brings Professional Bull Riding to the Carolinas. The Carolina Cowboys represent the Carolinas in the PBR Team Series, an elite league featuring the world’s top bull riders competing in games throughout the country. The team is owned by Richard Childress and Jeff Broin with 2018 Daytona 500 Champion Dillon serving as General Manager. Don’t miss the Carolina Cowboys 2025 “Cowboy Days” Home Stand September 12-14 at First Horizen Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. Tickets are on sale at PBR.com and Ticketmaster. https://www.ticketmaster.com/pbr-teams-greensboro-north-carolina-09-12-2025/event/2D00616CE96A4F12

Catch the Action… The Advent Health 400 at Kansas Speedway will be televised live on Sunday, May 11, beginning at 3 p.m. ET on FS1. The race will be broadcast live on Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. NASCAR Cup Series Practice & Qualifying at Kansas Speedway will be broadcast on Amazon Prime. Ride shotgun all season long with live, in-car camera feeds and scanner audio with a paid subscription to Max as part of their NASCAR driver cam experience during the race.

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 BetMGM Chevrolet at Kansas Speedway… Dillon has made a total of 23 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway, with a pair of sixth-place finishes in 2016. The North Carolina native has also made five NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the track, earning one pole award (2013) and a best finish of second (2012). In three NASCAR Truck Series races, Dillon has posted one pole award (2011) and a best finish of fourth (2014).

Did You Know?… In 2011, Dillon made his career-first start in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway, driving the No. 98 Chevrolet to a 26th-place finish for Curb/Agajanian Racing.

Last Fall… In 2024, Dillon secured a 12th-place finish at Kansas Speedway after starting 22nd. Dillon overcame a tight-handling Chevrolet and navigated through the field after early adjustments. The Welcome, North Carolina driver has completed 6,018 of the 6,154 (97.6%) total laps run in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway.

Three In a Row… The No. 3 BetMGM Chevrolet team, driven by Austin Dillon, heads to Kansas Speedway riding a wave of momentum after securing their third straight top-10 finish. Dillon delivered a strong performance at Texas Motor Speedway last weekend, bringing home a seventh-place result, his best finish of the 2025 season so far. This recent string of consistent performances marks a notable upswing for the Richard Childress Racing team, which has steadily improved its speed and execution in recent weeks. As they approach Kansas, a 1.5-mile oval known for multi-groove racing, the team aims to maintain their upward trajectory and contend for another solid result.

Over The Edge… Dillon is set to participate in the “Over the Edge” fundraising event on behalf of the NASCAR Hall of Fame Foundation on Thursday, May 8. Dillon will rappel 10 stories down the Embassy Suites in Uptown Charlotte—just across from the NASCAR Hall of Fame—helping raise funds for local causes in this unique adrenaline-filled charity challenge.

About BetMGM… BetMGM is a market leading sports betting and gaming entertainment company, pioneering the online gaming industry. Born out of a partnership between MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) and Entain Plc (LSE: ENT), BetMGM has exclusive access to all of MGM’s U.S. land-based and online sports betting, major tournament poker, and online gaming businesses. Utilizing Entain’s U.S.-licensed, state-of-the-art technology, BetMGM offers sports betting and online gaming via market-leading brands including BetMGM, Borgata Casino, Party Casino and Party Poker. Founded in 2018, BetMGM is headquartered in New Jersey. For more information, visit https://sports.betmgm.com/en/blog.

Meet Dillon… Dillon is scheduled to make a stop at the RCR Merchandise hauler in the Kansas Speedway fan midway on Sunday, May 11, at 10 a.m. Local Time to greet race fans and sign autographs. Stop by and get your new RCR gear.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:

How unique is Kansas Speedway compared to some of the other 1.5-mile tracks, and how will you attack the track this weekend?

“Kansas Speedway has its own personality for sure. Even though it’s a mile-and-a-half like some other tracks, the surface has aged a bit, so you get a lot of tire fall-off and have to manage your run. It’s wide, which gives you options—up by the wall or down on the bottom—so you can move around depending on how your car’s handling. This weekend, we’ll focus on getting the balance right early in the run and try to keep the speed over the long haul. If we can do that, I think we’ll be in good shape.”

You ran well in the fall race last year at Kansas Speedway.

“Yeah, we had a solid run at Kansas Speedway in the fall last year. That race gave us a lot of confidence, just being able to run up front and have good speed throughout the day. We learned a lot about our setup and how the track changes over a long run, which will definitely help us come back stronger this weekend.”

You have three top-10 finishes in a row. How much confidence does that give you entering this weekend?

“Having three top-10s in a row definitely gives our whole team a boost. We’ve been clicking lately. The pit crew has been fast, the strategy has played in our favor, and our Chevrolets have had speed. It’s all coming together. That kind of momentum is huge in this sport, especially heading into a place like Kansas Speedway where you need confidence to run the high line and make aggressive moves. We just want to keep that rhythm going and see if we can take another step forward this weekend.”

Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Rebel Bourbon Chevrolet at Kansas Speedway… Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 will mark Kyle Busch’s 35th career NASCAR Cup Series start at Kansas Speedway. Busch has two wins at the mile-and-a-half oval, both of which came in the spring events of 2016 and, most recently, 2021. Additionally at Kansas, the 40-year-old driver has 10 top-five finishes and 16 top-10s, has led 462 laps, has an average starting position of 12.6, an average finish of 15.7, and has completed 93.2 percent (8,430 of 9,044) of the laps he’s contested there.

Twice a Winner at Kansas… The Las Vegas native scored his first victory at Kansas in 2016, leading 69 laps in his 17th start at the 1.5-mile oval. Win number two for Busch came in 2021, where the veteran driver claimed his first victory of the season on his birthday (May 2). With that special milestone, Busch joined NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough as the only two drivers to win multiple Cup Series races on their birthdays.

Success Not Limited to the Cup Series… In addition to his Cup Series successes at Kansas, the veteran racer also has four wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and three more in the NASCAR Truck Series there.

Get to the Points… After his 20th-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway, Busch enters Kansas 16th in the series standings.

All Around Town… The No. 8 Rebel Bourbon Chevrolet show car is scheduled to make several stops this week around Kansas Speedway. For information on when and where you can see it, click here.

About Luxco… Founded in St. Louis in 1958 by the Lux Family, Luxco is a leading producer, supplier, importer and bottler of beverage alcohol products. Our mission is to meet the needs and exceed the expectations of consumers, associates and business partners. Merged with MGP Ingredients, Inc. in 2021 (Nasdaq: MGPI), Luxco operates as MGP’s Brands Division and manages all MGP/Luxco brands. This extensive and award-winning spirits portfolio includes well-known brands from four distilleries: Bardstown, Kentucky-based Lux Row Distillers, home of Ezra Brooks, Rebel, Blood Oath, David Nicholson and Daviess County; Lebanon, Kentucky-based Limestone Branch Distillery, maker of Yellowstone Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Minor Case Straight Rye Whiskey and Bowling & Burch Gin; Jalisco, Mexico-based Destiladora Gonzalez Lux, producer of 100% agave tequilas, El Mayor, Exotico and Dos Primos; and Ross & Squibb Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, where Remus Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Rossville Union Straight Rye Whiskey are produced. The innovative and high-quality brand portfolio also includes Penelope Bourbon, Everclear Grain Alcohol, Pearl Vodka, Saint Brendan’s Irish Cream, The Quiet Man Irish Whiskey, Green Hat Gin and other well-recognized brands. For more information about the company and its brands, visit luxco.com.

KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:

What are your thoughts on heading to Kansas Speedway this weekend?

“I really like Kansas Speedway. I feel like both Kansas races were really good for us last year. We were fast. I would love to go back there and get a little bit of redemption with not winning last fall after getting taken out late in the race while trying to race around a lapped car. We were fast in the fall of 2023 until I crashed in practice, so, we want to make sure that we do all we can in order to not have that happen this time around and carry our speed in and through the race and have a good finish.”

There are three intermediate tracks in a row coming up. Clearly they’re all different, but can you learn anything from one that will transfer to the next?

“Not really. I think they’re all vastly different in how you set up your racecar. But we were strong at Texas Motor Speedway and hopefully we can continue that trend at Kansas Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway.”

What do you think is most challenging about Kansas Speedway?

“Kansas is tough all around and a lot of it has to do with the wind. The wind can really play havoc on the car’s handling, depending on which direction it’s blowing. I would say that you are trying to maximize your speed at all areas of the track and sometimes when you’re running high against the wall you overstep those bounds and get in trouble.”

Jesse Love and the No. 33 C4 Ultimate Energy Chevrolet at Kansas Speedway… Jesse Love has made four career starts at Kansas Speedway, all coming in the last two seasons. In 2024’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race, Love started from the seventh position, battled a tight-handling condition, and finished in ninth-place. During the Menlo Park, California native’s lone NASCAR Truck Series event at the 1.5-mile facility, Love earned a 13th-place result. In addition, the young gun claimed two pole positions and one victory (spring 2023) in two ARCA Menards Series starts.

Rearview Mirror… Less than one month removed from his Cup Series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway, Love posted an impressive top-20 qualifying effort and completed all laps in his inaugural start in the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.

Consecutive Cup Starts… For the first time in his young career, Love will compete in back-to-back Cup Series events. Last Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, the full-time Xfinity Series contender participated in his first 1.5-mile oval start behind the wheel of the No. 62 Beard Motorsports entry, and gained valuable seat time on an intermediate track.

Back for More in 2025… Announced earlier this week, Love will make his final Cup Series start of the 2025 season at Richmond Raceway on August 16, piloting the No. 33 C4 Ultimate Energy Chevrolet for RCR. The 20-year-old’s full slate of premier series races have been announced, with Love driving in a total of five events (three with RCR and two with Beard Motorsports).

Frost, Frost, Frost… Making its C4 Ultimate Energy® product line-up more delicious and even cooler, Nutrabolt recently introduced the Frost collection – a product extension available in three flavors that will also unveil a unique can technology that transitions from silver to blue when the can is cold and ready to drink. Love’s No. 33 machine will carry the Tropical Tundra Frost flavor at Kansas Speedway.

About Nutrabolt… Nutrabolt is a fast-growing, global active health and wellness company with a portfolio of market leading performance-oriented brands that energize and fuel active lifestyles. The company’s disruptive and innovative products compete in the Functional Beverage and Active Nutrition segments, under three consumer-loved brands: C4® (one of the fastest-growing energy drink brands in the United States and the #1 selling global pre-workout brand), XTEND® (America’s #1 BCAA brand), and Cellucor® (an award-winning sports nutrition brand created in 2002).

Since their founding 20 years ago, their goal has been to meet the discerning needs of performance athletes and fitness enthusiasts, while appealing beyond this core group to include consumers and communities around the globe who are making healthy, active living a daily priority.

Nutrabolt’s portfolio, which is distributed in over 125 countries, is sold through company-owned DTC platforms, Amazon, and other third-party marketplaces, and is available at leading retailers across the U.S., including Walmart, Target, 7-Eleven, Walgreens, Kroger, H-E-B, Wawa, Publix, GNC, and the Vitamin Shoppe. For more information about Nutrabolt, please visit nutrabolt.com.

JESSE LOVE QUOTE:

What did you learn after your first intermediate start in the NASCAR Cup Series?

“Even though last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway resulted in a crash, I felt like I learned more so of what the edge is in the Cup car. I figured out how to hustle it a little bit more at mile and half tracks and learned about all the factors that go into having a successful day. Restarts are key no matter the level, but I saw just how important they are in the Cup Series to make up ground early in a run. Kansas Speedway has historically been a track that I’ve run well at throughout my career, so hopefully I can build off what I learned last week and apply it to Sunday in our C4 Ultimate Energy Chevrolet.”

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
Kansas Speedway
May 10-11, 2025

NASCAR will head to the heartland for the first time this season with the Cup and Craftsman Truck Series pairing up for a doubleheader event at Kansas Speedway.

The Bowtie brigade is coming off of a strong showing in part one of back-to-back intermediate oval events, with Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain and McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Daniel Hemric leading the manufacturer to runner-up finishes in their respective divisions at Texas Motor Speedway. Chevrolet will carry that momentum to the Midwest with the Truck Series kicking off the weekend under the lights with Saturday’s Heart of Health Care 200. On Sunday, the Chevrolet camp will be targeting a Kansas three-peat in NASCAR’s top division in the AdventHealth 400.

Subbing in for the injured Connor Zilisch, Cup Series regular, Kyle Larson, drove the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet to the manufacturer’s fourth-straight Xfinity Series victory of the season at Texas Motor Speedway. Already entering a double-digit win count with 10 victories in 12 races this season, the division will remain idle for two weekends before rejoining the tour at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 24, with the BetMGM 300.

Team Chevy Targeting a Three-Peat

Chevrolet is a 15-time winner in NASCAR’s top division at Kansas Speedway – a record that leads its manufacturer competitors. Hendrick Motorsports accounts for nine of those victories, making the four-car stable the series’ winningest organization at the 1.5-mile venue. Among those triumphs include back-to-back triumphs by Career Chevrolet driver, Jeff Gordon, in the series’ first-two appearances at the track. Kyle Larson is the most recent driver to tally a triumph under the Hendrick Motorsports banner at the track, which came one year ago when the 32-year-old California native edged out Ford’s Chris Buescher by a mere 0.001 seconds for the victory in what became the closest finish in NASCAR history. Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain went on to deliver Chevrolet a season sweep at Kansas Speedway by driving his No. 1 Chevrolet to a playoff upset win in Sept.

 
LEADING IN AVERAGES

Consistency continues to be key in the race for the regular season title. With 11 points-paying races complete, five drivers from three different Chevrolet organizations have earned positions in the top-10 rankings for the best average finish thus far. Topping the list includes a trio of Hendrick Motorsports drivers, with William Byron and the No. 24 Chevrolet team earning the only single-digit average finish of 8.91. Following his series-leading seventh top-five finish of the season at Texas Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson sits second with an average finish of 10.64, with Chase Elliott rounding out the top three at 11.36. Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain garnered his season-best finish of second in the Lone Star State to boost his average finish to 13.55 (seventh-best), with Hyak Motorsports’ Ricky Stenhouse Jr. entering the top-10 following a sixth-place finish at Texas to bring the team’s average to 17.18.

LARSON CONTINUES TO BE A FORCE ON INTERMEDIATES

Intermediate ovals continue to be a strong suit for Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team. In three of four races contested at non-drafting intermediate ovals, Larson has garnered finishes no worse that ninth, including his first trip to victory lane of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Those results came with a strong overall points day for the team, earning top-five points in each stage of those events, including two of his series-best six stage wins (Las Vegas and Texas). The 32-year-old California native has also led laps in each of those three events, including a race-high 61 laps led at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and 90 laps led at Texas Motor Speedway.

DILLON EXTENDS TOP-10 STREAK

Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon is hitting a steady stride towards the NASCAR Cup Series’ playoff cutline, with the No. 3 Chevrolet team bringing home their season-best finish of seventh at Texas Motor Speedway. The result marks the 35-year-old North Carolina native’s third-straight top-10 finish. The streak comes from results at three distinctly different race track configurations, with the Chevrolet driver’s Texas result being accompanied by a 10th-place finish at both Bristol Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. Over the trio of strong outings, Dillon has made the jump from 27th to 21st in the points standings and now just 28-points below the playoff cutline. Kansas Speedway is yet another good opportunity for Dillon to continue to chip away at the points standings, with the Chevrolet driver earning top-15 finishes in 12 of his 23 career starts at the track, including a streak of five-straight recorded between Oct. 2020 – May 2023.

HEMRIC HITTING STEADY GAINS

Falling just short of his second trip to victory lane, Daniel Hemric and the No. 19 Chevrolet team led the Bowtie brigade with a runner-up result at Texas Motor Speedway. The 34-year-old North Carolina native has already seen steady gains at his new home of McAnally-Hilgemann Racing – recording top-fives in half of his starts with the Chevrolet organization this season. Among those results include podium finishes in three of the past four races, dating back to his win at Martinsville Speedway in March. A pair of fourth-place stage points and a second-place finish in the Lone Star State was enough to move Hemric up one position to third in the series’ points standings to lead the Chevrolet camp heading into the Kansas race weekend.

Chevrolet’s season statistics with 11 NASCAR Cup Series races complete:

Wins: 3

Poles: 6

Laps Led: 1,386

Top-Fives: 22

Top-10s: 53

Stage Wins: 9

Chevrolet’s season statistics with 12 NASCAR Xfinity Series races complete:

Wins: 10

Poles: 8

Laps Led: 1,763

Top-Fives: 40

Top-10s: 76

Stage Wins: 19

Chevrolet’s season statistics with 8 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races complete:

Wins: 4

Poles: 2

Laps Led: 504

Top-Fives: 20

Top-10s: 37

Stage Wins: 5

BOWTIE BULLETS:

· Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Kansas Speedway:

Kyle Larson – two wins (2024, 2021)

Kyle Busch – two wins (2021, 2016)

Ross Chastain – one win (2024)

Chase Elliott – one win (2018)

· Chevrolet has garnered 30 all-time wins in the NASCAR national ranks at Kansas Speedway, including 15 NASCAR Cup Series wins (series-best), five Xfinity Series wins and 10 Craftsman Truck Series wins. The manufacturer heads back to the heartland as the track’s defending winners in NASCAR’s top division, courtesy of a 2024 season sweep by Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson (May) and Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain (Sept.).

· For the past three-consecutive races, Chevrolet has earned no worse than five top-10 finishes, with four different Chevrolet organizations contributing to those results in each event. The Bowtie brand has now earned at least half of the top-10 finishing results in seven of the 11 races thus far this season, including a season-high seven top-10 finishes at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

· In 119 points-paying races in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 55 victories – a winning percentage of 46.2%.

· With its 43 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 869 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

 
TUNE-IN:

NASCAR Cup Series

AdventHealth 400

Sunday, May 11, at 3 p.m. ET

(FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

Heart of America 200

Friday, May 9, 7:30 p.m. ET

(FS1, NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

 
QUOTABLE QUOTES:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

How does it feel to go back to Kansas after a win there last year?

“Last year’s win at Kansas was so much fun. Riding up against the wall makes it a fun track to race at. Getting to victory lane is always a huge deal but it was a ton of fun at Kansas. It’s fun to spend time with the crew and our sponsors and enjoy a couple Busch Lights in victory lane.”

What is a lap around Kansas Speedway like?

“Kansas is a really smooth racetrack. There’s really only a bump at the top of turn 1 and that’s where you have to commit to. In qualifying and when you have clean air, you can run right against the wall, above the top seam, there’s two seams on the racetrack and three lanes I’ll call it, there’s enough room for four cars. But when you run the very top lane in the Cup cars, the rear will bottom out and that’s where you’ll see guys get loose and get into the wall in turns 1 and 2. Sometimes off of turn 2 if there’s a crosswind, there could be wind that pushes you into the wall. A very smooth track but a lot of details that go into running good there.”

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

How unique is Kansas Speedway compared to some of the other 1.5-mile tracks, and how will you attack the track this weekend?

“Kansas Speedway has its own personality for sure. Even though it’s a mile-and-a-half like some other tracks, the surface has aged a bit, so you get a lot of tire fall-off and have to manage your run. It’s wide, which gives you options—up by the wall or down on the bottom—so you can move around depending on how your car’s handling. This weekend, we’ll focus on getting the balance right early in the run and try to keep the speed over the long haul. If we can do that, I think we’ll be in good shape.”

You ran well in the fall race last year at Kansas Speedway.?

“Yeah, we had a solid run at Kansas Speedway in the fall last year. That race gave us a lot of confidence, just being able to run up front and have good speed throughout the day. We learned a lot about our setup and how the track changes over a long run, which will definitely help us come back stronger this weekend.”

You have three top-10 finishes in a row. How much confidence does that give you entering this weekend?

“Having three top-10s in a row definitely gives our whole team a boost. We’ve been clicking lately, the pit crew has been fast, the strategy has played in our favor, and our Chevrolets have had speed. It’s all coming together. That kind of momentum is huge in this sport, especially heading into a place like Kansas Speedway, where you need confidence to run the high line and make aggressive moves. We just want to keep that rhythm going and see if we can take another step forward this weekend.”

Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

You have to feel good about a top-15 last weekend and Spire Motorsports’ overall performance at Texas Motor Speedway. How does that buoy your optimism coming into this weekend?

“When you look at the speed Spire Motorsports has at the mile-and-a-halves and if you look at how the team performed as a whole last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, there’s no reason not to be optimistic about Kansas.”

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

“Obviously we had a tough weekend in Texas, so we need to reset and get some momentum back. On the positive side, we’ve shown our mile-and-a-half program is really strong. Our plan is to go to Kansas, have speed, and execute like we have been to put together a solid run.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet

What do you think of Fun Pops being a new sponsor this weekend at Kansas?

“I ate these as a kid, especially in the summer. It’s always good to welcome new partners to the sport. We plan to give them a good ride in Kansas.”

Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

What are your thoughts about heading to Kansas Speedway this weekend?

“Kansas is a great track and it has a lot of lanes. Everybody migrates towards the wall, which is always high intensity. The track changes a lot throughout the weekend, it usually starts out really fast and then by the time the race comes around, it drops off and you start to slide and move around. It’s been a good track in the past. It’s hard to hit it just right, but I feel like the speed that we’ve had at Vegas and Texas this past weekend gives us a good baseline to keep building momentum and confidence, so we are coming into it with high hopes.”

Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

What are your expectations for Kansas after a solid weekend at Texas?

“I think we’ll have another good weekend. We seem to be heading in the right direction on our intermediate track program and it’s been a lot of fun to show people that we are improving. I felt like running the truck race at Texas was a big help as far as getting laps on track and getting into the racing mindset early in the weekend, so I’m excited to do that again at Kansas and try to make up for how last weekend ended.”

Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

What are your thoughts on Kansas Speedway?

“Kansas was one of my favorite tracks last year and we ran pretty decent in the Xfinity race. I really enjoyed how you can run all over the track and try to find grip and speed. Looking forward to getting there. It’s a pretty fast track, so should be a bit of fun!”

How are you celebrating your birthday?

“Behind the wheel of a race car, which is what I love to do the most. Kansas City is home to a SafetyCulture office and we’re going to visit the team on Friday. It’s awesome to be carrying SafetyCulture on the car again this weekend. Our No. 88 Chevrolet looks great and is easy to spot on the track. We’re hoping to build off our finish last weekend (in Texas) and get a good result in Kansas.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

What are your thoughts on the season so far?

“We all have high standards and high goals and we know we have a lot of work to do. We haven’t started the season as consistently and as fast as we wanted to as a company, but we almost won Las Vegas, and we had good finishes last weekend in Texas. It’s tough because we have had some spikes of speed but more spikes of no speed. That’s something that we have to work on. We change a lot of things in the offseason, processes, and structure of the team. I don’t feel we are seeing the results of that just yet. I think it will come, but we aren’t there just yet. We just have to continue to work and hopefully that will show on the track.”

Should we watch NASCAR Full Speed Season 2 that premiers Wednesday on Netflix?

“I think so. You will see most of what myself and the other drivers went through on and off the track during the playoffs last year. It is the most behind-the-scenes you will ever get, both the good and the bad. It’s a real-life look and our lives.”

Suarez on racing on Mother’s Day:

”I won’t get to see my mom this weekend, but we talk a lot on the phone, and of course, I will wish her Happy Mother’s Day. She’s super excited, and watching the races every single weekend in front of the TV, in front of the iPad, listening to me, she can understand half of what I’m saying, but she’s listening, and it’s kind of fun how much support she has given me. She will be with my two sisters, and they will have a good time. She and my father made many sacrifices to help me get to America and start my racing career. If it wasn’t for her, there is no way I would be where I am today. I’d love to win the race and tell her that in the television interview from victory lane.”

 
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships:

Total (1949-2024): 43

First title for Chevrolet: 1958

Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)

Most recent: 2024

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, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

Drivers Championships:

Total (1949-2024): 33

First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)

Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)

Most recent: Kyle Larson (2021)

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, 2020, 2021

Event Victories:

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

2025 STATISTICS:

Wins: 3

Poles: 6

Laps Led: 1,386

Top-Fives: 22

Top-10s: 53

Stage Wins: 9

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:

Total Chevrolet race wins: 869 (1949 to date)

Poles won to date: 759

Laps led to date: 254,097

Top-fives to date: 4,391

Top-10s to date: 9,060

Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:

       General Motors: 1,203

       Chevrolet: 869

       Pontiac: 154

       Oldsmobile: 115

       Buick: 65



       Ford: 843                                                                             

       Ford: 743

       Mercury: 96

       Lincoln: 4



       Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467

       Dodge: 217

       Plymouth: 191

       Chrysler: 59



       Toyota: 194

 

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.

Zane Smith and the No. 38 Horizon Hobby Ford Team
Kansas Speedway Competition Notes
Kansas Speedway 400

Date: Sunday, May 11, 2025
Event: Race 13 of 38
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Kansas Speedway (1.5-miles)
#of Laps: 267
Time/TV/Radio: 3:00 PM ET on FS1/MRN/SiriusXM channel 90

Zane Smith Notes

Zane Smith and the No. 38 team head to Kansas City, Kansas this weekend for 267 laps at the Kansas Speedway.

The No. 38 Ford Mustang Dark Horse will carry the Horizon Hobby colors this weekend in the RC brands’ first primary race of the season. A global leader in RC products, Horizon Hobby will sport its Losi brand across the hood of Smith’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Smith, an avid RC enthusiast himself, is hoping to repeat the same success he and Horizon Hobby achieved during Smith’s 2022 NCTS Series Championship campaign where the Huntington Beach, California native earned 14 top five’s,19 top 10’s, and four wins, with one of those wins coming at the Kansas Speedway.

Horizon Hobby and its Losi brand has strategically built a footprint in NASCAR for RC enthusiasts and racing fans alike, becoming the officially licensed maker of NASCAR RC cars. In 2024, Horizon Hobby debuted six NASCAR Cup Series schemes, including the No. 34 Horizon Hobby Ford Mustang Dark Horse. This year, Horizon Hobby is set to unveil two of many RC racecars in the Spring. All current offerings can be found at your local RC dealer or online at www.horizonhobby.com/nascar/.

The Kansas Speedway is statistically one of Smith’s best tracks of his stock car career. In nine NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at the 1.5-mile Kansas City, Kansas speedway, Smith has one win, five top-five’s, and eight top-10 finishes. In his two Cup Series starts at the track, Smith has one top-10 finish.

“Kansas has always been a special place to me,” said Smith. “It’s a track that really suits my driving style, and over the years, I’ve had some memorable moments there. Some of those memories have come with Horizon Hobby on board as a partner, which makes this weekend even more meaningful. There’s just something about racing at Kansas that brings out a lot of confidence in me. Heading into the weekend, I feel good about where we are as a team, and I’m optimistic about what we can accomplish.”

Road Crew

Driver: Zane Smith

Hometown: Huntington Beach, California

Crew Chief: Ryan Bergenty

Hometown: Plainville, Connecticut

Car Chief: Will Norris

Hometown: Bells, Tennessee

Engineer: Jacob Clamme

Hometown: Hartford City, Indiana

Engineer: Chris Yerges

Hometown: Green Bay, Wisconsin

Mechanic: Steve Godfrey

Hometown: West Haven, Connecticut

Mechanic / Engine Tuner: Tyler Podlaski

Hometown: Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania

Spotter: Ryan Blanchard

Hometown: Bethlehem, Connecticut

Transport Co-Driver: Ernest Mullins

Hometown: Fayetteville, North Carolina

Transport Co-Driver: Rick Grissom

Hometown: Bakersfield, California

Pit Crew

Front Tire Changer: Ryan Flores

Hometown: Manasquan, New Jersey

Rear Tire Changer: Austin Chrismon

Hometown: China Grove, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Drew Baum

Hometown: Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Jackman: Ryan Selig

Hometown: Lindenhurst, Illinois

Fueler: Chris Webb

Hometown: Concord, North Carolina

ABOUT HORIZON HOBBY

Horizon Hobby was founded in 1985. Since then, Horizon Hobby has become the global leader in RC products and accessories. Horizon Hobby is committed to delivering innovative products and providing an exceptional customer experience. By forging strong relationships with RC hobby consumers, retailers, and manufacturers around the world, Horizon Hobby has built the best brands in the industry. Horizon Hobby has locations in the United States, Germany, England, and China. The company is headquartered in Champaign, Illinois.

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Craftsman Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 Craftsman Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 4, No. 34, and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 34 and No. 38 Craftsman Truck Series teams from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @teamfrm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Kansas Midweek Media Availability
Wednesday, May 7, 2025

A pair of Ford drivers were guests earlier today as NASCAR hosted a media call prior to this week’s stop at Kansas Speedway. Josh Berry and Austin Cindric – both winners in the NASCAR Cup Series this season – spoke about what lies ahead.

JOSH BERRY, No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang Dark Horse – HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR THIS YEAR’S RACE WHEN YOU DIDN’T FINISH A LAP IN THIS EVENT LAST SEASON? “Typically, I would normally look back on the most recent race, regardless of the weather or different conditions. Given that we didn’t really run the fall race, obviously I’ve already looked back on the spring race and then gonna look back on the fall race as well, but probably just spend more time looking at Ryan and Joey and Austin’s race from their vantage point and see what I can learn. Nothing really changes too much, honestly.”

YOU GO OUT SIXTH FOR QUALIFYING THIS WEEKEND. HOW WILL THAT HAVE AN EFFECT ON WHAT YOU WANT IN THE CAR AND WHAT YOU LOOK AT IN TERMS OF PRACTICE BECAUSE YOU COULD START IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PACK? “Nothing too much changes for practice. I think we want to run multiple lanes in practice to prepare and see how our car runs on the bottom and the middle. I think it’s realistic to realize qualifying is probably gonna be a struggle with how early we go out, but the biggest thing we’re hoping for is a base hit. If we can get in the top half of the field. Obviously, Bristol worked out really well. The conditions were uniquely fair with the track and the spray and everything that was going on there. Kansas will probably be a little bit harder, but I think for us it’s to try and make the most of it and get the best starting spot we can and know that it’s probably gonna be a challenge.”

ARE THERE ANY TRACKS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP RACE ROTATION? “I think the first one that comes to mind is Las Vegas, not only because of us winning there, but it just seems to put on good racing and I think it’s a good market for the championship race as well. I think that checks those two boxes there. It’s a really good racetrack, but a really good area that could bring some excitement for the championship race.”

ANY SHORT TRACKS OUT THERE THAT COULD BE VIABLE LIKE MARTINSVILLE OR BRISTOL, OR DOES WEATHER BECOME A FACTOR? “I think if there ends up being a championship round, I for sure think there’s a place for those tracks in there, but for the championship race itself it feels like they would want to have a bigger track. I don’t know if that’s really the case or not, but I feel like the mile-and-a-halves seem to be a better option. It’s not something I’ve put a whole lot of thought into I guess.”

HOW DO YOU VIEW YOUR START? ARE YOU HAPPY ABOUT LEADING LAPS AND WINNING OR FRUSTRATED BECAUSE YOU’VE MAYBE LEFT SOME POINTS ON THE TABLE? “It’s a little bit of both. Obviously, we’ve definitely left some points on the table, but the biggest thing is just how you’re running. We’ve been qualifying pretty well and racing well, leading laps. Each race that the finish got away from us is for different reasons I feel like. I made a mistake and sped on pit road at Talladega. We were in a great spot there. Last week, we obviously saw what happened there. I mean, you look at Darlington, we were in the top five. At Martinsville we were leading the race and had an electrical issue, but the biggest thing is you judge yourself on how you’re running and how fast you are. I think that just continues to legitimize everything that we’re doing to prepare and everything we’re doing the week of these races and on race weekends that we’re doing the right things and we’re fast and we’re competitive and just have to keep working on the execution side of things and learning. But I feel like we’re in a really good spot.”

YOU ARE LOCKED INTO THE ALL-STAR RACE. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU? AND THEN NASHVILLE IS COMING UP. HOW SPECIAL IS THAT FOR YOU WITH THAT BEING YOUR HOME TRACK? “The All-Star Race is really cool. It’s exciting to already be locked in and going into that race with a different mindset versus just going there trying to make the show. I was able to do that in 2023 in the 48 car and that was really cool, and then it was close last year. I think we ran third in the Open, but unfortunately didn’t make it. It’s fun going there knowing that we’re locked in and able to focus on that a little bit more. It should be a lot of fun. North Wilkesboro, they’ve obviously done a great job with that facility and how nice it’s become over the last couple of years. That’s exciting. Nashville, it’s always cool to go back and race there. I went there in my younger years watching some races in the stands and watching Busch races and ARCA races. It’s always fun to go back there and race. We qualified well there last year. We started second. We didn’t race like we wanted to, but I still felt like I learned a lot there and I’m excited to get there with the 21 group.”

HAS IT BEEN HARD FOR YOU TO NOT WANT EVERYTHING RIGHT AWAY? HOW HAVE YOU DEALT WITH TRYING TO BUILD THIS TEAM WITH PATIENCE? “Each one of these races has been a little different. It’s hard to say. I’m finding myself more and more up front and in contention, so that’s a different outlook and maybe I think at times I could be a little bit more patient, I guess, but I don’t know. It’s hard to say. I think the biggest thing is being fast and being competitive. That’s the hardest part about all of this, so it’s more about making sure you’re doing all the little things during the week to prepare yourself all you can and look at all that stuff, and maybe not being so focused on just being fast and being competitive, considering that we’ve been doing that. It’s just making sure we’re checking all the boxes outside of that and making sure we’re prepared for pit road and different scenarios. As we continue to work together more and more, I think we’re doing a good job of that. You take Texas for example, obviously we’ve seen how treacherous three and four can be, so it’s like even as fast as we are, we’re trying to look back on our weekend and see what we could have done a little bit better to make it a little easier for me and improving there when the groove is moving around and we’re going through those bumps. That’s really a lot of our conversation today was looking back on that after we’ve had a couple days to look through it and see what we could do better. But, all in all, everybody has done such a good job and the cars have been really fast and I’ve learned a tremendous amount here in a couple months of being in this environment. That makes me excited for the second half of the year for sure.”

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN AN ALL-STAR RACE? “I don’t know. It’s hard to say. I think going to different places. Going to new racetracks is exciting, kind of like what we did at Wilkesboro and even Bowman Gray, so maybe mixing it up there. I used to think that it was really cool back in the day when they used to, and I think I’m right on this, I remember they used to have a fan invert kind of thing, where you spun a big wheel like Wheel of Fortune and it set up an invert for the final stage, which I guess in a way it’s probably a little gimmicky, but you’re still leaving it up to fate like if you roll a dice. It’s no different than a dice roll, but at a short track or something like that. To me, something like that is more intriguing than just a predetermined caution kind of thing. I get the idea of it. You’re just trying to bunch everybody up and make it exciting, but I think if you throw something like that in there like maybe choose a fan out of the stands and they roll a dice and kind of leave it up to fate would be pretty cool.”

WHAT HAS RUNNING UP FRONT DONE FOR YOU AND THIS RACE TEAM? “It’s been really exciting, honestly. I think it’s just built up everybody’s confidence and we’re having a lot of fun. For me, it’s interesting because after you win a race people are like, ‘Oh, do you have pressure off of you now that you’ve won a race and do you feel that much different?’ If anything, I feel more motivated and more excited waking up every day than I ever have knowing that all this work we’ve put in, and it really started the Tuesday after Phoenix. We were in the simulator right after Phoenix working with these guys. We obviously spent a lot of time with them during the offseason and getting to know Miles and working with him, so it just legitimizes all that work that you put in is the biggest thing. You feel like you’re doing the right things and working in the right areas, and it just makes you want to continue to expand off that and prepare yourself even more and set yourself up for more and more of those opportunities. It’s been a lot of fun. I think in a way I left the situation last year kind of questioning if I could race at this level, and now you’re looking at a six month difference of leading laps in multiple races and I’ve won a race and a lot of excitement. It’s been quite a change, but it’s been a lot of fun to get to work with Miles. He’s done a really good job. Everybody on the team really has and they’re behind me a lot, even Sunday right there. ‘We don’t want you to change too much. We want you to keep hammering down and leading laps in these races and giving us opportunities.’ I’m excited to keep working off that.”

WHAT ARE YOU LEARNING THE MORE SPEND TIME RACING IN THE TOP 10 AND AROUND THE LEADERS? “I think you’re just building a lot of confidence. I feel like one thing with this car is it’s so different than what the majority of us have all grown up racing and just how it reacts. I’ve kind of learned and feel like I have a good understanding of the Next Gen car and how it wants to be driven, and what I need from the car coming to these racetracks. That’s kind of lining up with how Miles feels and how we’re able to prepare for these races, whether that’s decisions we make with the car or our prep at the simulator. I think it just builds a lot of confidence to know that you’re working in the right areas and doing the right things and then seeing it come to fruition. All in all, a lot of it boils down to just unloading really well and building that confidence early in practice, getting a good feel for your car that sets you up for a good qualifying session, and then obviously having good track position to start the race makes your life a lot easier. I think learning all of that stuff and building off of it is the biggest help.”

WHAT HAS OPENED YOUR EYES TO HOW ANOTHER GROUP OF PEOPLE DO THINGS? HAVE YOU PICKED UP DIFFERENT THINGS OR HAS IT REAFFIRMED THE FACT YOU WERE DOING THINGS THE RIGHT WAY ALL ALONG? “Being in this environment, I think, has helped me grow a lot. I feel better prepared going to the races. I do feel better prepared for whatever reason and feel like I’ve been in a little bit better of a routine throughout the week I guess. The 21 team and the affiliation with Team Penske, there’s a lot of structure here, which I think works really well for me. It’s not anything that I mind, and I feel like I’ve just gotten in a good routine of preparing each and every week. The biggest thing too is having “teammates” like Joey and Ryan and Austin to talk to that run as well as they do, and then obviously you’ve got championships and lots of wins that just elevate it. Sometimes you’re just comparing yourself off of them, if you’re feeling the same things, and a lot of times the little things like that can help build confidence too, that if we are all feeling really similar things, then that obviously makes me feel like I’m feeling the right things and you can go forward and get better. It reminds me more so of the time that I had at HMS and I feel like given everything that was going on at the time, I felt like I handled that really well and did a good job. Now, I kind of feel like I’m in a similar environment and we’re starting to see similar results.”

IS THERE A MAGIC SAUCE AT TEAM PENSKE THAT ALLOWS THEM TO WIN THESE CHAMPIONSHIPS? WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN FROM THE INSIDE? “Obviously, I don’t feel like there’s any strategy to prepare more towards the end of the season versus the start. I think they want to go out and win every race and be competitive every race, just like everybody else does. I think just with this car, as a group collectively if you get off, it’s easy to get everybody off in a way. Just thinking through it. If all the cars for a lot of these organizations, I think, are really similar amongst their teammates, so if you get going down a different path that maybe isn’t working, it might take you a little bit longer to get back to the other way. I just think they’re obviously strong from top to bottom. There are a ton of smart men and women at this organization who can put together really fast cars, and I think they’ve done a ton of work over the offseason to improve. We hit it out of the gate stronger than maybe what they did last year, but I don’t know too much of what’s different about it compared to prior years.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Menards/Atlas Ford Mustang Dark Horse – WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE NEW CHAMPIONSHIP RACE MODEL? “I love the concept of it. You see it in most other major sports, so I think it will be exciting to see what that rotation looks like. I think it gives race fans a chance to be able to go experience a championship race, the biggest day of the season, the culmination of the season to be at their home track and that’s something I feel like we’ve never really had, so I think it’s a really exciting add for all of the fans around the country and hopefully getting a championship in their home town.”

THE RACE IS NOT GOING TO BE ON A DRAFTING TRACK AND MAY NOT BE ON A ROAD COURSE IN THE NEAR FUTURE. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT? “I feel like road racing has a part with the NASCAR schedule and NASCAR’s history, but I feel like it’s not its identity. I feel like for the same reasons why you would say superspeedway racing wouldn’t be why you would want it to be the finale, I would say that road courses would probably fall even below that for those reasons. Some of our biggest races of the year are on superspeedways, whereas I don’t really see a marquee road course event, other than the fact that they do exist on the schedule and they’re a key part of it, but I can’t think of how that would suit the identity. Would I hate it? No. I think there are plenty of drivers now, and there’s been more of an emphasis on those types of tracks than probably what there was when I first entered the sport that I think many would be fine, but I don’t think it’s 100 percent our identity to end the year and crown a champion.”

HOW DO YOU WATCH VIDEO DIFFERENTLY NOW THAN WHEN YOU FIRST CAME INTO THE SERIES? “I would say that’s a good question with a loaded answer, just due in part because there was nothing to watch when I started Cup. I started, and maybe that highlights the difficulty of starting in the Next Gen era because there was no data, no notes, no relevant tape, really nothing for my first season in Cup. As that’s evolved you kind of have some bits and pieces and now with three-plus years, you start to get more of a notebook, more of an idea what to look at. You get to be more fine, so, to answer your question, yeah, I do feel like I’ve been refining how I watch different races with different track types, but how much of that is my experience in the series versus how much of that is relevant information is kind of hard to differentiate for me.”

HOW EASY IS IT TO DROWN IN ALL THE DATA THIS IS THERE WHEN YOU MOVE UP FROM XFINITY? “The beauty of data is that it’s only as good as you’re able to apply it, so whether if that’s relevancy, whether if that’s your understanding of what you’re looking at, but it’s no different than receiving advice. I could look at some data and see one thing, ‘OK, I need to get on the gas sooner or run this line.’ I could come up to you and say, ‘You need to get on the gas sooner. You need to run a higher line.’ OK. Whether you have six different people come up to you and tell you something, it’s how do you filter that? I think a lot of that boils down to what your priorities are and having a core foundation of what you’re actually looking for, instead of just jumping in and expecting something else to jump back out at you.”

YOU HAVEN’T HAD GREAT SUCCESS AT KANSAS, SO HOW DO YOU TURN THAT AROUND? “I don’t really know what goes into a driver rating, to be honest. The finishes there haven’t been overly spectacular and somewhat disappointing in some cases. I thought we had an awesome car and an awesome opportunity there in the playoffs and I made a mistake that kind of threw all of that away. I do feel like we’ve got a lot of strengths that really play into that track this weekend and I’m hoping to try and build off the speed we had at Vegas, the speed we had at Texas to start the year, how we ended the season as well, so it’s the beauty of stats is they can be changed.”

DO YOU WORK EXTRA HARD? HOW DO YOU LOOK AT KANSAS? “What I like about Kansas is it takes a lot of the pieces of the puzzle. You have to have raw speed. It’s a really fast racetrack, a lot of on-throttle time at certain points in the event. There are multiple lanes, so you’ve really got to know where you want to put your car. You’ve got to be versatile, but there’s also decent fall off. The rubber gets laid down in the track pretty well, so the track will change inevitably, and on top of that the restarts there are really crazy. That’s the high-speed nature of the racetrack and having so many lanes, so it kind of challenges all the things that a race car, a race team, you’re gonna be doing a lot of four tire stops, so it’s a fun place because of it.”

DOES AVERAGE FINISH MEAN ANYTHING? “I didn’t know it until you said it.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE FORMAT CHANGES TO THE ALL-STAR RACE? “I think the 50 extra laps is interesting. That was kind of the main thing that I picked up on. It’s a short track and there’s obviously a lot of opportunity for losing and gaining track position, but past that I can’t say I’ve put in a ton of focus. We kind of live week to week here, whether it was a points race or not a points race. We apply it all the same. There’s obviously cash on the line and a race to win, but otherwise I haven’t put a ton of thought into that one quite yet. It’s been an exciting place to see and to see the facility grow up a bit. I think adding more laps to the race is confidence that we can continue to run a solid show there. I’m excited to see what it looks like with another year of age on the racetrack as well. I’m looking forward to it.”

CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT MAKES THE ATMOSPHERE AT THE COCA-COLA 600 UNIQUE TO ANY OTHER RACE ON THE SCHEDULE? “I struggle to look through any other lens than it’s the greatest day in racing and we are the afterparty. We’re the closing act. You have Monaco, the Indy 500 and the Coke 600. There’s obviously a lot that goes into that event, specifically as it stands alone as far as the patriotic nature of the holiday and how it’s celebrated and how our heroes are honored throughout the weekend. Obviously, that’s important and exciting. I feel like for whatever reason motorsports does such a good job of really highlighting that than any other form of sports, so it’s cool to be part of that and, like I said, it’s the greatest day in racing. It’s big to be part of that as well.”

WHAT ARE YOUR INITIAL THOUGHTS ABOUT GOING TO MEXICO CITY? AND WHAT CAN A DRIVER DO ON PIT ROAD TO GET THAT EXTRA TENTH OR SO TO GET IN FRONT OF EVERYONE? “As far as Mexico, I’ve never even been in the country, so I’ve never driven on the circuit. I’m definitely interested to see and experience both of those things – one just personally and stepping out and going some place new, but also just a new track and a new layout. It’s something I hit during the offseason a little bit on the simulator and I’ve been back and forth as far as where we sit on that. I think there will probably be a lot of similarities drawn to maybe the IMS road course with just a really long straightaway on the frontstretch. It seems to be a fairly flat racetrack, so I’m definitely excited to see how that all translates. Obviously, we’re a month away, so there’s still a bit more prep to do. It’s also quite a bit higher altitude than anywhere else that we go, so I’m very interested to see how that responds with our engines and so on. It’s really cool. It’s really fun that we’re doing something different, and I definitely expect a great response by the fans. As far as the pit road question and drivers making a difference on pit road, yeah, there are a lot of areas to screw up – box placement, pit road speed, most importantly you obviously hear a lot about pit road speeding penalties, but I think there’s a lot of small bits of data you can get into that I can use to help my team, but at the end of the day, pit stops are still a very human-based performance metric and by that I mean it’s four or five guys, and if you include me it’s five or six guys working together and everybody anticipating a lot of things to go correctly and that’s why you see so many mistakes on pit road is that when one thing is off, it really snowballs. It’s a challenging atmosphere. It’s a huge part of the game and I don’t think it’s said enough about how challenging this pit road is for each week, and I think it’s one of the larger takeaways for anyone that’s never seen a NASCAR race in person is how much emphasis goes into those stops.”

Todd Gilliland and the No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Team
Kansas Speedway Competition Notes
Kansas Speedway 400

Date: Sunday, May 11, 2025
Event: Race 13 of 38
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Kansas Speedway (1.5-miles)
#of Laps: 267
Time/TV/Radio: 3:00 PM ET on FS1/MRN/SiriusXM channel 90

Todd Gilliland Notes

Finishing 11th at the Texas Motor Speedway last weekend, Todd Gilliland now looks to take on the Kansas Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series’ first visit of the 2025 season to the Kansas City, Kansas track.

Gilliland has built himself an impressive resume at the Kansas Speedway in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, earning one top-five, and three top-10’s in five starts at the track. In the Cup Series, Gilliland has six starts with a career best finish of 14th.

Love’s Travel Stops returns to Gilliland’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse this weekend. Fans are encouraged to download the Love’s Connect App to unlock exclusive benefits and savings. Users can save 10¢ per gallon on gas and 15¢ per gallon on auto diesel, along with access to great mobile-only deals. Fans can download the app from Google Play and the Apple App Store.

“We left Texas with a good result, but we still have a lot of ground to make up in points,” said Gilliland. “Kansas is a place I have struggled with in the past in the Cup Series, but I know Chris (Lawson) and the team will bring a fast piece. Hopefully, we can qualify up front and stay there to bring home a result we can all be proud of.”

Road Crew

Driver: Todd Gilliland

Hometown: Sherrills Ford, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Chris Lawson

Hometown: Medway, Ohio

Car Chief: Joe Marra

Hometown: Somers, New York

Engineer: Marc Rullo

Hometown: Ringwood, New Jersey

Engineer: Kevyn Rebolledo

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Spotter: Brit Andersen

Hometown: Branford, Connecticut

Underneath Mechanic: Michael Brookes

Hometown: Columbus, Ohio

Interior Mechanic: Chance Burke

Hometown: Siler City, North Carolina

Tire Specialist: Billy John

Hometown: Pitman, New Jersey

Engine Tuner: Tim Meyer

Hometown: Beatrice, Nebraska

Transporter Driver: Christian Boller

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Pit Crew

Front Tire Changer: Danny Olszowy

Hometown: Lexington, Kentucky

Rear Tire Changer: Justin Fox

Hometown: Concord, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Paul Steele

Hometown: Wichita, Kansas

Jackman: Courtney Edmonds

Hometown: Burlington, North Carolina

Fueler: Zeke Nance

Hometown: Calhoun, Georgia

ABOUT LOVE’S TRAVEL STOPS

Love’s has been fueling customers’ journeys since 1964. Innovation and perseverance continue to lead the way for the family-owned and -operated business headquartered in Oklahoma City with more than 40,000 team members in North America and Europe. The company’s core business is travel stops and convenience stores with 640 locations in 42 states. Love’s continues its commitment to offer products and services that provide value for professional drivers, fleets, four-wheel customers, RVers, alternative fuel and wholesale fuel customers. Giving back to communities Love’s serves and maintaining an inclusive and diverse workplace are hallmarks of the company’s award-winning culture.

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Craftsman Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 Craftsman Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 4, No. 34, and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 34 and No. 38 Craftsman Truck Series teams from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @teamfrm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.