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Front Row Motorsports: Bristol Motor Speedway Competition Notes – Noah Gragson

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Official Release
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Noah Gragson and the No. 4 Rural King Ford Team
Bristol Motor Speedway Competition Notes
Food City 500

Date: Sunday, April 13, 2025
Event: Race 10 of 38
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Bristol Motor Speedway (0.533-mile)
#of Laps: 500
Time/TV/Radio: 3:00 PM ET on FS1/PRN/SiriusXM channel 90

Noah Gragson Notes

Rural King, America’s Farm and Home Store, joins Noah Gragson and Front Row Motorsports for multiple races in a new partnership for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. Their first primary race kicks off this weekend in Bristol with additional races on April 27 at Talladega Superspeedway and May 18 for the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. This marks the Mattoon, Illinois-based retailer’s first-ever foray into NASCAR team sponsorship, bringing its well-known commitment to rural values, hardworking communities, and American heritage to race fans across the country.

“Our partnership with Front Row Motorsports and NASCAR is an exciting new chapter for Rural King,” said Steve Barbarick, President & Chief Executive Officer, Rural King. “Many of our customers—and our associates—are loyal NASCAR fans, and this is a great way to connect through something they feel passionate about. With a Rural King store just down the road in Bristol, this race feels especially meaningful to us. We’re proud to see our brand on the car and can’t wait to cheer on Noah Gragson as he hits the track representing our community.”

The spring race at the Bristol Motor Speedway will mark Noah Gragson’s third NASCAR Cup Series start on the concrete-clad, .533-mile oval. The 26-year-old Las Vegas native last raced in September, starting 16th and finishing 12th in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. In total, he has four Cup Series starts at the East Tennessee short track—two on dirt and two on concrete. Gragson is very familiar with Bristol’s high banks and short straights – in addition to his four Cup Series starts, he also brings his Xfinity Series experience to the track, with six career starts at Bristol that include two wins, two additional top-10 finishes, and an impressive average finish of 7.8.

“Bristol is definitely one of the most intense tracks we go to,” said Gragson. “Even though it’s one of the slowest in terms of speed, it feels like the fastest because everything happens so quickly—your side-by-side, sometimes three-wide, and constantly in traffic. It’s wild. You think the car’s not going to grip, but somehow it sticks. It’s a real rush every lap. You’ve got to be disciplined, but not necessarily patient. From lap one, it’s go time. If you don’t make moves early, you’ll get swallowed up. You can go in with a game plan, but you don’t really know what you’ve got until you hit the track and see how the grip and traction compound are working—whether the bottom’s fast or if it moves up.”

“I’m excited to head back to Bristol, but I’m even more pumped to welcome Rural King to the team,” said Gragson. “It’s always great to bring a new partner into the sport. We’re kicking off the partnership with a store visit, and I’m really looking forward to getting to know the Rural King community. It’s going to be a fun weekend all around.”

Road Crew

Driver: Noah Gragson
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada

Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer
Hometown: Decatur, Illinois

Car Chief: Joey Forgette
Hometown: Iron Mountain, Michigan

Engineer: Dillon Silverman
Hometown: Chico, California

Engineer: Scott Bingham
Hometown: Lawrenceville, Georgia

Mechanic: Chris Trickett
Hometown: Grafton, West Virginia

Mechanic: Tony Infinger
Hometown: Fort Valley, Georgia

Tire Specialist: Chris Aunspaw
Hometown: Zelienople, Pennsylvania

Engine Tuner: Matt Moeller
Hometown: Monroe, New York

Spotter: Nick Del Campo
Hometown: Blauvelt, New York

Transporter Co-Driver: Nate “Cookie” Eller
Hometown: Granite Falls, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Matt Murphy
Hometown: Augusta, Georgia

Pit Crew

Front Tire Changer: Thomas Hatcher
Hometown: Middleburg, Florida

Rear Tire Changer: Adam Riley
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

Tire Carrier: Will Cooper
Hometown: Huntsville, Alabama

Jackman: Nate McBride
Hometown: Vidalia, Georgia

Fueler: Ray Hernandez
Hometown: Orlando, Florida

ABOUT RURAL KING

Rural King, also known as RK Holdings, LLP, planted its roots as America’s Farm and Home Store in Mattoon, Illinois in 1960. Since that time, Rural King has grown to more than 140 stores in fourteen states. Specifically, we provide a broad range of essential goods, food, feed, seed and other farm and home necessities to the communities we serve throughout Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. We welcome and encourage everyone to enjoy our long-standing tradition of offering free popcorn and coffee every time you visit our stores.

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.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Buying an Electric Scooter

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SM
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Electric scooters are the most common type of transport available today in a sustainable and efficient way to get around. Buying one can be intimidating with so many choices out there. To avoid buyers making expensive mistakes, you should be aware of some common pitfalls. 

This guide lists common mistakes to avoid so you can wisely invest in an electric scooter.

Common Mistakes When You Buy an Electric Scooter 

Overlook Battery Life

One important consideration that people overlook when buying an e-scooter is the battery life. Buyers tend to check for speed or design but do not take into account how far the scooter will travel on a single charge. Evaluating battery capacity and the time it takes to charge is a must. More reliability with longer battery life means fewer interruptions. They should even take usage into described play; for instance, if users commute a long distance or ride for leisure, then they could go along choosing scooters that have enough battery life.

Ignore Weight Capacity

The weight capacity of your e-scooter is also an important factor to consider. A scooter that can’t handle the minimum weight requirements will perform poorly or be dangerous to ride. Most manufacturers will outline a maximum weight limit. Following these guidelines guarantees peak performance and durability. When checking how much weight a scooter can carry, it is also advisable to take into account the additional weight from bags, or whatever the case may be.

Ignore Your Terrain Compatibility

Electric scooters for different roads: certain models perform well on paved surfaces, while others take care of rough surfaces. Buyers often end up not associating the possibility of the scooter with the utility. No matter what kind of scooter it is, one should research whether they can guide their scooter toward the routes they choose to ride. Scooters with stronger tires and good suspension systems can perform better on rough trails, resulting in a more comfortable ride.

Focus Solely on Price

Price usually takes precedence when making a purchase decision. That makes price an understandable focus for any buyer, but a singular focus on cost can lead to poor decisions. While a cheap scooter may save money at the time of purchase, it can cost more in the long run due to maintenance or even needing to be replaced early. By comparing features and quality, as well as customer experiences, the totality of value is greater than price. Quality trumps cost, and as a result, it is more fulfilling and sustainable in the long haul. In the long run, quality is more fulfilling and sustainable than cost.

Take Safety Features the Wrong Way

Safety functions must never be sacrificed. Ignoring these can lead to accidents or injuries. Brakes, lights, and reflectors are important parts needed to maintain safety out on the road. It is crucial to have functional brakes, lights for nighttime rides, and reflective materials to enhance visibility. Buyers should constantly look for Teverun scooters for sale that have full safety features so that motorists and motorcyclists are protected from dangers on the road.

Overemphasizing Speed

Many buyers are enamored with speed, but that should not be the only focus. That makes for some exciting rides, yet those speedy scooters can be difficult to manage for beginners. How to do it well involves an element of speed, of course, but also an element of purity of motion, of safety. Riders looking to adapt to different conditions and skill levels can opt for models with variable speed settings. Typically the safest and most enjoyable experience is at a more moderate speed range.

Misjudging their Maintenance Needs

However, new buyers and car owners often overlook the importance of maintenance. All vehicles require maintenance, and electric scooters are no exception. Knowing how to maintain your car—to check the battery, tire, and brakes—will keep you out of trouble from completely breaking down unexpectedly. Following the guidelines provided by the manufacturer and maintaining a solid schedule will increase the life of the scooter and provide a higher level of safety.

Under-Researched and Not Followed Up By Reviews

Not every impulse purchase turns out well, and you may experience buyer’s regret. A lot of people forget about proper research and client reviews. This means taking your time with exploring options, comparing features, and reading user feedback. Reviews tend to point out common problems or benefits that are not evident at a glance. By doing research, buyers are less likely to regret later and make the right choice.

Conclusion

Choosing the best-looking electric scooter is not all you have to do when purchasing one. Steering clear of these basic errors makes for a beneficial investment. Taking these factors into consideration — battery life, weight capacity, terrain compatibility, and safety features — will help buyers make an informed choice. Quality over price, knowing its maintenance protocols, and doing proper research are some of the vital steps that can help you in picking the most suitable electric scooter for you. After all, these factors enable a seamless ride, which is safe and pleasurable.

TOP FUEL’S CLAY MILLICAN EYES FIRST FOUR-WIDE WIN THIS WEEKEND IN LAS VEGAS

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Official Release
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LAS VEGAS (April 8, 2025) – Coming off one of the biggest wins in his NHRA career – and certainly the earliest of any season in his NHRA Top Fuel career – Clay Millican now has the opportunity for another special victory at this weekend’s 25th annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

It’s a special milestone weekend and celebration for the annual spring race in Las Vegas and Millican is a huge fan of going four-wide racing in his 11,000-horsepower Parts Plus dragster for Rick Ware Racing.

The only thing he hasn’t done in the wild and unique four-wide setup is win the race, something the fan-favorite hopes to change this weekend in Las Vegas. Millican and his team are riding high after a victory at the Winternationals in Pomona and that momentum could bode well in Las Vegas at one of the biggest spectacles in motorsports, one that features nearly 50,000-horsepower when four nitro machines blast down the track at the same time.

“We’re definitely in a good place,” Millican said. “It’s just cool to say you’re the Winternationals champion. It stacks right up there for us. That’s a major for us in this sport and we’re rolling right into Vegas for the 4-Wide Nationals. I enjoy the chaos of four-wide racing. I think everybody has gotten better about all that comes with four-wide racing, but I really enjoy it and the chaos of it.

“I’ve absolutely done everything there is in a four-wide except win. I feel like there’s no reason we can’t win the thing this weekend. Anytime I get to drive the car, I’m happy, but it’s pretty obvious looking at the grandstands people come to watch four-wide racing. It’s one of those things where we’re exposing our sport to people who maybe wouldn’t come otherwise, so it’s a good thing.”

Last season, Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Bob Tasca III (Funny Car) and Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) claimed four-wide victories at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This season’s event will again be broadcasted on FS1, including eliminations coverage starting at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 13. It is the fourth of 20 races during the 2025 campaign and the first of two straight four-wide races.

That makes April four-wide season in the NHRA and Millican is eager to take advantage of the opportunity. The Winternationals win pushed him to sixth in points and he’ll also be taking part in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday. He’s in a quad that features Brittany Force, Jasmine Salinas and Scott Palmer, while the other quad in the bonus race features Pomona runner-up Tony Stewart, Shawn Langdon, Doug Kalitta and Josh Hart.

The top two in each quad advance to the final on Saturday, bringing competitive racing, a bonus purse and bonus points to the qualifying schedule. Langdon is undefeated in Saturday racing in 2025, while Millican knows it’s a loaded field from top to bottom in the Top Fuel category.

But after a Pomona win, Millican believes the sky is the limit for his team.

“This year we’ve got the regular season championship and that’s the first thing on the agenda,” Millican said. “I let us down a little bit in Phoenix and that put us in a little bit of a hole. The win (in Pomona) dug us out a little bit and early wins, I can’t say I’ve ever had any in the NHRA. It’s certainly a momentum changer.

“To win the way we did, it was a total team effort. The team has stuck together. It’s such a cool deal when you all come together as a group and win a Wally. This team is a winner.”

Bob Tasca III wowed fans at Las Vegas last year when he won the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals with the first triple holeshot in Funny Car history over Austin Prock, Ron Capps and Matt Hagan. Prock claimed the Funny Car championship thanks to his eight event wins, while early-season standouts in 2025 include points leader Jack Beckman, Phoenix winner Paul Lee and Gainesville champ Chad Green.

Five-time Pro Stock champ Jeg Coughlin Jr. returned to full-time racing in 2024, picking up his first Vegas 4-Wide Nationals victory and his first Vegas win in 15 years. But KB Titan Racing has dominated early in 2025, with Greg Anderson winning the past two races and Dallas Glenn winning the opener in Gainesville.

The NHRA 4-Wide Nationals also will feature thrilling competition in the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, featuring some of the top racers in the country. Fans will also be invited all weekend long to the Nitro Alley Stage, which will help create a festive atmosphere leading with Nitro School, meet and greets and much more.

Race fans at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway can enjoy the special pre-race ceremonies that introduce and celebrate each of the drivers racing for the prestigious Wally on Sunday and includes the fan favorite SealMaster Track Walk. The final can’t-miss experience of any NHRA event is the winner’s circle celebration on Sunday after racing concludes, where fans are invited to congratulate the event winners.

As always, fans also get an exclusive pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet in Las Vegas. This opportunity gives fans a unique chance to see teams in action and service their hot rods between rounds, get autographs from their favorite NHRA drivers, and more.

In Las Vegas, NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. PT on Friday, April 11, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, April 12 at 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Eliminations will begin at 12 p.m. PT on Sunday, April 13. Television coverage includes qualifying action at 9:30 p.m. ET on Friday and 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, leading into eliminations coverage at 6:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

To purchase tickets to the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. For more information on NHRA, please visit www.NHRA.com.

About Mission Foods

MISSION®, owned by GRUMA, S.A.B. de C.V., is the world’s leading brand for tortillas and wraps. MISSION® is also globally renowned for flatbreads, dips, salsas and Mexican food products. With presence in over 112 countries, MISSION® products are suited to the lifestyles and the local tastes of each country. With innovation and customer needs in mind, MISSION® focuses on the highest quality, authentic flavors, and providing healthy options that families and friends can enjoy together. For more information, please visit https://www.missionfoods.com/

About NHRA

NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With more than 100 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY RACE PREVIEW

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Official Release
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LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY PRE-RACE ADVANCE

RACE: Food City 500 | Race 9 of 36
DATE: April 13, 2025
TRACK: Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tenn. | 0.5-mile Speedway

CLUB MINUTES

CAMPE HONORED: On Monday, April 14 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s Technical Director Brian Campe will be inducted into the Huntsville-Madison County Athletic Hall of Fame at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Ala. There are 12 other inductees ranging from the NFL to NASCAR including three iconic basketball stars from Butler High School for the Class of 2025. Click here to read more about Campe’s journey.

IN-CAR CAMERAS AT BRISTOL: This weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway fans can ride on board with both LEGACY MOTOR CLUB drivers. The No. 42 Dollar Tree entry driven by John Hunter Nemechek will have the Toyota-sponsored camera, while teammate Erik Jones will carry a camera sponsored by AdventHealth in the No. 43 entry.

LEGACY MC IN 2025: Following last weekend’s race at Darlington Raceway, LEGACY MC is one of two full-time race teams that do not have a DNF in 2025.

KINGS HAT: At the 2024 Bristol race, The King’s Hat was unveiled. The Kings Hat was a nod to the 60 races that Richard Petty competed at the half-mile coliseum and the signature black hats he wore while racing there. The King’s Hat will once again be on display and will be located in the Fan Zone.

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
NO. 42 DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY NOTES AND QUOTES:
NEMECHEK AT BRISTOL: Nemechek has made 10 NASCAR Truck Series starts at Bristol Motor Speedway—nine on concrete and two on dirt. On concrete, he has recorded four top-five and six top-10 finishes, along with a 12th-place and a 29th-place result. On Bristol’s dirt surface, he secured one pole position, a third-place finish, and one DNF. The North Carolina native has also competed in four NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) races at the track, earning three top-five finishes. This weekend, he will make his fifth NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) start. In the spring of 2024, he finished sixth, and in the fall 2024 race, he earned the Xfinity Fastest Lap of the Race award.

T-MACK AT BRISTOL: Crew Chief Travis Mack has a total of 14 starts in the NASCAR National Series at Bristol Motor Speedway, nine in NCS and five in NXS. While in the NXS, he has three top-10 finishes and on the NCS side, he has one top-five finish.

JHN 2025 STATS: Year over year, through the first eight races of the season, Nemechek has improved his finishing position from an average of 20th place in 2024 to an average of 17th place in 2025.

QUOTING JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK:

“Bristol [Motor Speedway] is a place that I really enjoy being able to go and somewhere that has suited my driving style. I think the car matters a lot at Bristol – I’ve had some good cars at Bristol; I still haven’t won a race there, which makes me want it more but I’ve run well there and finished up front – we just need to qualify well.”

QUOTING TRAVIS MACK:

“I think John Hunter’s record at Bristol is really impressive – it’s one of his better tracks. We’re really looking forward to Bristol. I’ve always wanted to run really well at Bristol and win a race there. The whole No. 42 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team is working hard on this one.”

ERIK JONES
NO. 43 ADVENTHEALTH TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY NOTES AND QUOTES:
JONES AT BRISTOL: Jones has 16 Cup Series starts, five Xfinity Series starts, and one Truck Series start at Bristol Motor Speedway. He captured two NXS victories at the Tennessee short track, winning in both 2016 and 2017 during the spring events. In the Truck Series, he scored a top-10 finish in 2015. In the Cup Series, Jones has earned six top 10 finishes and four top 5s at Bristol, including a top 10 in the 2021 “Bristol Dirt” race. His best Cup result at the track came in 2017, when he finished second.

BESHORE AT BRISTOL: Crew chief Ben Beshore has experienced success at Bristol Motor Speedway on both concrete and dirt surfaces. In 11 NASCAR National Series races as a crew chief, he has recorded one victory (2022 NCS with Kyle Busch on dirt), four top five finishes, and six top 10 finishes. Additionally, he earned a pole award in the Xfinity Series in 2020 with Harrison Burton as the driver.

QUOTING ERIK JONES:

“I always look forward to Bristol as for me it’s always been a good place. I’ve won some races in Xfinity there and came very close in Cup a few times, so I have some great memories – I enjoy the atmosphere and the crowd. So, I’m excited the spring race is back on the concrete and hopefully we can put on a great show for everyone. In general, we have been trending up (performance-wise) the past few weeks in general, it’s still been tough as sometimes things haven’t gone our way and I hope that Bristol will be a good race for us where we can turn things around before the Easter break and have things fall our way during the day. Excited to be racing at Bristol and hope to put on a good race with the No. 43 AdventHealth Toyota Camry.”

QUOTING BEN BESHORE:

“I think we have shown better speed this year, qualifying has been going better in general, as we have had some good runs. Our speed has been much better than last year. We have top 15 speed in most races, but we have just had some oddball things happen like trying to pit when the cautions have come out at Vegas earlier this year and at Darlington last weekend. At Homestead we had a part failure where we had to start in the back, we just had to overcome some obstacles where we just weren’t able to put together a clean race. But we have done a decent job getting the most we can out of the weekends for the No. 43 Toyota Camry team.”

CLUB APPEARANCES
On Saturday at 1:00 p.m. ET, Nemechek will appear on the Food City Stage located in the Fan Zone to participate in a question-and-answer session with Kaitlin Vincie ahead of Sunday’s Food City 500.

On Sunday, Nemechek will go out to the NASCAR Classic’s merchandise hauler in the Fan Zone and sign autographs for fans starting at 11:00 a.m. While out there, be sure to check out the Nemechek and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB apparel.

HOW TO WATCH
The NASCAR Cup Series returns to “The Last Great Colosseum” for the Food City 500 on Sunday, April 13. Practice and qualifying for the event takes place on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. ET while the green flag drops on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET and broadcast on Fox Sports 1, MAX, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: (LEGACY MC) is a premier auto racing organization co-owned by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2024 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, Jimmie Johnson and Knighthead Capital Management, LLC. Drawing from a rich tradition of success, LEGACY MC is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of motorsport and setting new standards of excellence. The CLUB competes under the Toyota Gazoo Racing banner in the NASCAR Cup Series with the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE piloted by Erik Jones and the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE driven by John Hunter Nemechek. Johnson also races on a limited basis in the No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE. With NASCAR legend and Hall of Famer Richard Petty, “The King”, serving as CLUB Ambassador, LEGACY MC blends timeless racing traditions with a new forward-thinking vision. As an inclusive community for motorsport enthusiasts, LEGACY MC honors both its storied past and the promising future of its members, always striving for victory and championship glory at the pinnacle of NASCAR competition.

Schluter®-Systems Makes 2025 Debut With Corey LaJoie at Bristol

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Official Release
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Food City 500 Kicks Off Robust Motorsports Campaign for Leader in Innovative Tile Installation Solutions

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (April 8, 2025) – Schluter®-Systems, a leader in innovative tile installation solutions, kicks off its 2025 motorsports initiatives this weekend at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway by serving as the primary partner for NASCAR Cup Series driver Corey LaJoie in Sunday’s Food City 500.

LaJoie is a longtime ambassador of Schluter-Systems, with this season serving as his ninth with the company. LaJoie will drive the No. 01 Schluter-Systems Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Rick Ware Racing (RWR) at Bristol, where he will make his 275th career Cup Series start and his 14th at the .533-mile, high-banked oval.

“Schluter-Systems continues to be an incredible partner,” LaJoie said. “They’ve been with me since 2017 and together we’ve built a really great program. They bring customers and employees to the racetrack each and every week. It’s impressive to see how much the program has grown over the years. It’s a partnership that’s evolved into a friendship. We’re in this journey together and I can’t thank them enough for their support.”

Founded by Werner Schlüter in 1975, Schluter-Systems has become an established authority, setting new standards for tile installation while providing educational opportunities for thousands of tile professionals every year.

“Partnering with Corey LaJoie and Rick Ware Racing is an excellent opportunity for Schluter-Systems to connect our passion for innovation and precision with the dynamic world of motorsports,” said Dee DeGooyer, chief sales officer, Schluter-Systems, North America. “This marks our ninth consecutive year supporting Corey, which speaks to the strength of our relationship and the shared values that have driven it forward. Just as every tile installation depends on a strong foundation and attention to detail, success on the track demands the same level of planning, performance and reliability. We see this partnership as a natural extension of our commitment to quality.”

Schluter-Systems will return to LaJoie’s No. 01 machine for the June 28 Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Prior to that event, Schluter-Systems will partner with RWR driver Cody Ware for the May 18 NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway and delve into the NHRA Mission Food Drag Racing Series, where Schluter-Systems will serve as the primary partner for RWR’s Top Fuel dragster driven by Clay Millican in the NHRA New England Nationals May 30-June 1 at New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire.

“We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with Schluter-Systems across all of our motorsports entities,” said Rick Ware, team owner. “Their continued support of Corey LaJoie speaks volumes, and we’re proud to welcome them back to not only our Cup car at Bristol and Atlanta, but also as a key partner for Cody Ware in the All-Star Race and with Clay Millican in NHRA.

“Schluter-Systems is a brand that understands the value of long-term relationships and consistency – both on the jobsite and at the racetrack. Their commitment to supporting talent and engaging with passionate fanbases makes them an ideal partner as we grow our presence across motorsports.”

When not a primary partner, Schluter-Systems will serve as an associate partner across all of RWR’s motorsports endeavors, which includes NASCAR, NHRA and Progressive American Flat Track (AFT), where RWR riders Briar Bauman and Chase Saathoff compete in SuperTwins and 450 Singles, respectively.

“By fielding entries in different series, we’re able to provide a broader reach to our partners,” Ware said. “When we earn success in one discipline, it’s every partners’ success too. This also allows Schluter-Systems to reach a variety of demographics. They can engage more of their customers and VIP guests with more opportunities and different experiences. Schluter-Systems has really taken advantage of this. We host their guests at every NASCAR and NHRA weekend, as well as AFT events. They’re a great partner and motorsports has proven to be a strong platform to grow their business.”

The No. 01 Schluter-Systems Ford Mustang Dark Horse makes its season debut with LaJoie Saturday at 2 p.m. EDT when practice begins for the Food City 500. Qualifying follows at 3 p.m., with Prime Video broadcasting both live. Sunday’s 500-lap race around Bristol’s concrete-clad surface goes green at 3 p.m. with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

About Schluter®-Systems:

Schluter-Systems provides innovative and easy-to-use installation systems to support the durability, integrity and design of tile installations. With more than 8,000 products within its growing portfolio, Schluter-Systems is continuously improving the landscape of the tile industry. Its educational workshops and intuitive approach to product design supports Schluter’s position as an industry leader in quality and service. Schluter-Systems services North America with multiple training, distribution and manufacturing facilities in Plattsburgh, New York; Reno, Nevada; Fort Worth, Texas; Alpharetta, Georgia and Montreal. For more information, please visit www.schluter.com.

About Rick Ware Racing:

Rick Ware has been a motorsports mainstay for more than 40 years. It began at age 6 when the third-generation racer began his driving career and has since spanned four wheels and two wheels on both asphalt and dirt. Competing in the SCCA Trans Am Series and other road-racing divisions led Ware to NASCAR in the early 1980s, where he finished third in his NASCAR debut – the 1983 Warner W. Hodgdon 300 NASCAR Grand American race at Riverside (Calif.) International Raceway. More than a decade later, injuries would force Ware out of the driver’s seat and into fulltime team ownership. In 1995, Rick Ware Racing was formed, and with wife Lisa by his side, Ware has since built his eponymous organization into an entity that competes fulltime in the elite NASCAR Cup Series while simultaneously campaigning successful teams in the Top Fuel class of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, Progressive American Flat Track and FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX).

Spire Motorsports Food City 500 Race Advance

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Official Release
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  • In 16 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Spire Motorsports has logged one top-15 and three top-20 finishes. Corey LaJoie earned a team-best 15th-place result in the 2022 Bristol Night Race. Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet ZL1s in the Cup Series for Justin Haley, Michael McDowell and Carson Hocevar, respectively.
  • The Food City 500 from Bristol Motor Speedway will be televised live on FS1 Sunday, April 13, beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The ninth of 36 points-paying races on the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. FOX’s NASCAR Raceday will take the green flag at 1:30 p.m. EDT.

Justin Haley – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1

  • Justin Haley will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 NationsGuard Chevrolet ZL1 in Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
  • Last Sunday at Darlington Raceway, Haley fought an ill-handling No. 7 Chevy but battled from a lap down to race his way back onto the lead lap and finish 27th in the final rundown.
  • NationsGuard is an innovator in the Automotive F&I space and its programs are designed to maximize sales, profit, CSI and customer retention. NationsGuard delivers consistent, measurable results through disciplined monitoring and continuous improvement. Its process measures every key program element– from vehicle inspection efficiency to service advisor performance. NationsGuard targets and eliminates waste and inefficiency wherever it’s found while maintaining process improvements, making changes where necessary and relentlessly pursuing perfection.
  • Haley has recorded five previous Cup Series starts at Bristol where he earned a series/venue best 12th-place result in September 2022. He made three starts on Bristol’s dirt configuration, including a sixth-place finish in April 2023.
  • In NASCAR Xfinity Series competition, Haley has logged five Bristol starts resulting in two top-10 finishes. He earned a seventh-place effort in April 2019 and a sixth-place finish in September 2021. The 25-year-old owns an average starting position of 7.2 and a 16th-place average finish.
  • In CRAFTSMAN Truck Series competition, Haley has logged three starts, finishing a venue-best sixth in August 2018. The Winamac, Ind., native calculated a 10.3 average finish.
  • Sunday will mark Haley’s 153rd career NASCAR Cup Series start. Over the course of the last seven seasons, he has notched one win, five top fives, 17 top 10s and led 103 laps. Haley made his first start in NASCAR’s premier division for Spire Motorsports at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on his 20th birthday.
  • The veteran racer has collected four NASCAR Xfinity Series checkered flags and three NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series wins, making him one of just 41 drivers in history to have earned victories across all three of NASCAR’s National Touring Series.
  • In total, Haley has made 49 Cup Series starts for Spire Motorsports, with the bulk of races coming during the 2021 season behind the wheel of the team’s No. 77 machine.

Justin Haley Quote
What is your outlook for Bristol?
“Bristol is always a fun track and atmosphere. I enjoy racing there and I hope the No. 7 team and I can rebound this week and have a great run before the bye week.”

Atop the No. 7 Box – Crew Chief Rodney Childers

  • Crew Chief Rodney Childers has called 36 races at Bristol Motor Speedway. Childers-prepared cars have led 952 laps and earned one pole, two wins, 10 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes.
  • On Bristol’s dirt surface, Childers called three races and earned a top 10 in April 2023.
  • Childers and driver Kevin Harvick dominated the 2020 Food City 500 at Bristol, qualifying in the fourth position and leading 226 of the event’s 500 laps en route to victory.
  • The Mooresville, N.C., native has called 684 NASCAR Cup Series races where he’s earned 34 poles, 40 wins, 178 top-five and 299 top-10 finishes. He also earned 2014 championship honors with Kevin Harvick.
  • Childers’ 40 wins at NASCAR’s premier level ties him for second-most amongst all active crew chiefs in the Cup Series garage.

Michael McDowell – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1

  • Michael McDowell has 26 starts at the high banks of Bristol Motor Speedway dating back to August 2010.
  • In his six most recent attempts, the Cup-Series veteran holds an average finish of 14.5 with only one finish outside the top-15.
  • Dating back to the 2020 season, the Glendale, Ariz native has two top-10 finishes paired with three 11th-place results at “The Last Great Colosseum.”
  • The former open wheel driver made a seamless transition to the dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway holding an average finish of 10.7 including a top-10 in 2022. Not only did McDowell finish 11th in the 2023 Food City Dirt Race, but he recovered from a three-wide spin and managed to keep moving without contact with any competitors or the outside retaining wall.
  • In his limited time in the NASCAR Xfinity series, McDowell has five starts at “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile,” including a series-best finish of 10th in 2009.
  • Delaware Life is an insurance and annuity company that empowers financial professionals with a wide array of customizable solutions. A subsidiary of Group 1001 Insurance Holdings, LLC (“Group 1001 Insurance”), our focus is to deliver a seamless experience for advisors. We understand how important it is to find the right fit for every client, every situation, and every individual need. We’re passionate about equipping you with annuities that give your customers peace of mind and a successful future—allowing them to plan with confidence for whatever’s next.
  • After qualifying a team-best 10th at Darlington Raceway last weekend, the No. 71 team struggled with balance early in the race. Despite finding the pace late, a broken toe link during an overtime restart made the bed for the No. 71 team. They were credited with a 29th-place result.
  • McDowell has claimed two Xfinity Fastest Lap awards, clocking the fastest lap in the Daytona 500 and again last month at Phoenix Raceway. Through eight weeks, McDowell stands as the only driver in the NASCAR Cup Series to have secured multiple bonus points through the recently-unveiled program. NASCAR Xfinity Series’ driver Justin Allgaier has also scored two of the awards this season.
  • The Arizona native secured Spire Motorsports’ first Busch Light Pole Award last month at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. His 28.833 second lap marks the fastest lap in the Gen 7 era (2022-present) at the 1.5-mile Nevada oval.

Michael McDowell Quotes
What Makes Bristol so special and unique for the Cup Series?
“It’s amazing, it’s a special feel, you can feel the energy and atmosphere. I always tell fans that if they have never been to a race or if they have never been to Bristol, I tell them to go to Bristol. It is the coolest event you can take in as a fan and as a driver at the same. It is a really special place. Recently, it has been really good to me. I missed the top 10 by one position last year. I finished 11th. I have three-five races like that over the last four of five NextGen years, and it’s been really nice to us. So, it is a place we look at and we have circled to get out there and do some work.”

Atop the No. 71 Box – Crew Chief Travis Peterson

  • Crew chief Travis Peterson joined Spire Motorsports following the 2024 season after spending 2023-2024 alongside McDowell at Front Row Motorsports.
  • Across three Cup Series attempts at Bristol Motor Speedway, the 33 year-old crew chief holds an average start of 9.7 paired with an average finish of 9.3, all with McDowell.
  • As a race engineer at RFK Racing, the West Bend, Wis., native helped Chris Buescher to Bristol’s roof-top Victory Lane in 2022. After qualifying 20th, the team dominated the race and led 169 of the 500 laps en route to Buescher’s second career victory.

Carson Hocevar – Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1

  • Carson Hocevar is saddlin’ up to Ride the ‘Dente into his fourth NASCAR Cup Series start at Bristol Motor Speedway. The 22-year-old driver’s first start at “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile” on Sept. 16, 2023 resulted in a venue-best 11th-place finish.
  • Bristol marks the first-of-three consecutive races for Chili’s® Grill & Bar aboard the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1. Hocevar will be fitted in the faux denim jeans and a western, button-down-styled firesuit, first worn by teammate Justin Haley in the Daytona 500, for the upcoming races at Talladega Superspeedway (April 27) and Texas Motor Speedway (May 4).
  • Race fans in the Bristol area have a chance to meet Hocevar and see the No. 77 Ride the ‘Dente Chevy Friday, April 10 at 4 p.m. at Chili’s Grill & Bar in Bristol, Va.
  • The 2024 Cup Series Rookie of the Year owns four NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at “The Last Great Colosseum.” He led six laps en route to a sixth-place finish in 2021 and collected a fourth-place result in 2023, his most recent CRAFTSMAN Truck Series appearance at Bristol.
  • In 10 Cup Series starts on short tracks, Hocevar earned a best finish of eighth at Richmond (Va.) Raceway last August.
  • Chili’s is a leader in the casual dining industry and the flagship brand of Dallas-based Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE: EAT). Chili’s is known for its big mouth burgers, Chicken Crispers®, full-on sizzling fajitas and hand-shaken margaritas. Chili’s takes its food seriously – but not themselves – because dining out should feel like a celebration even if there is nothing to celebrate. Chili’s passion is making everyone feel special, and every day, ChiliHeads make it their job to spread #ChilisLove across almost 1,600 restaurants in 27 countries and two territories. Chili’s hosts local Give Back Events to support kids, education and hunger and has raised more than $100 million benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through generous Guest donations. Find more information about Chili’s at chilis.com, follow on Twitter or Instagram, like them on Facebook or join Chili’s on TikTok.

Carson Hocevar Quotes
You’ve waited months to don the ‘Ride the ‘Dente’ cowboy hat. What does it mean to you to have the Chili’s logo on your car this weekend?
“I’m really excited to finally get to drive the Chili’s car. They came up with a great campaign for this year and the firesuit and car design all fit together so well. I’m a big Chili’s fan and it’s always fun to be able to partner with companies that you have a natural connection to. They do a great job promoting the restaurant and menu items, and I’ve enjoyed getting to be part of that this year.”

Describe what makes Bristol such a unique short track.
“I think first off just the look of the track. When you’re walking in, it’s a little intimidating. The track sits down inside the ‘stadium’ surrounded by seats and then you see the banking. Every track we go to, you see hard racing at some point, but at Bristol it starts on Lap 1. You have to be reasonably aggressive from the start and do your best to get track position or keep it. Once you start to drift toward the back and lose a lap, it’s so difficult to get it back. But that’s why there is a lot of satisfaction in getting a win at Bristol. You work hard to get there and that’s why it’s top of the list for a lot of guys to want to win there. I would love for Bristol to be where things turn around for the No. 77 team. The guys work hard and we’ve had really fast cars, so hopefully this is the weekend it pays off and they get the ultimate reward. Then we can celebrate with Triple Dippers and Presidente Margaritas at Chili’s.”

Atop the No. 77 Box – Crew Chief Luke Lambert

  • Sunday’s race will mark crew chief Luke Lambert’s 24th Cup Series race atop the box at Bristol. The Mount Airy, N.C., native has led drivers to one top-five and six top-10 finishes among 21 races on the traditional concrete surface.
  • The 42-year-old has called three NASCAR Xfinity Series events at “Thunder Valley.” He helped Elliott Sadler to victory in March 2012, and Noah Gragson to Victory Lane in the 2022 Regular Season finale at Bristol.

About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The team’s most recent win came on March 21, 2025, when Kyle Larson took the checkered flag in the Baptist Health 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

In 2025, Spire Motorsports will campaign the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolets in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team will also field the Nos. 07, 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and the No. 77 Chevrolet in the ARCA Menards Series in select events.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes – Zane Smith Gearing Up For Bristol Cup Race

By
Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Bristol Midweek Media Availability
Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Zane Smith, driver of the No. 38 Aaron’s Rent to Own Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Front Row Motorsports, is coming off a 12th-place finish last week at Darlington Raceway. He spoke about the start to his first NASCAR Cup Series season with FRM and what to expect this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.

ZANE SMITH, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang Dark Horse – YOU’VE BEEN ABOUT A NINTH TO 12TH PLACE CAR FOR MUCH OF THE YEAR. WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE TO TAKE THAT NEXT STEP AND BREAK INTO THE TOP 10? “I feel pretty good about how things have been going. I wish our races could be a little bit smoother. I feel we’ll maybe start the first stage and be really strong and then it’s like an unlucky caution will fall and we get put back and then have to battle our way forward. It would be a lot less work if we could just stay up there, but all in all we’re bringing good speed, making positive adjustments and having fun doing it, so I’m excited for this weekend to hopefully continue it.”

GOING FROM SPIRE TO FRONT ROW, DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE ANY NOTEBOOK AT ALL OR ARE YOU STARTING OFF TOTALLY NEW AGAIN? “Yeah, I mean the experience that I got last year with a full year of Cup I feel like you learn so much. That’s definitely the main positive takeaway. Last year, I was in a very unique and weird situation where I was kind of a part of two teams, so it’s been nice to have more of a normal deal I guess you could say for this year. It’s been fun. It’s been a really great group to work with and I feel like we’re getting better every weekend. We’re bringing positive speed and making positive adjustments, so we just need a few things to go our way and I feel like we’ll kick into that next bracket and hopefully compete for a win.”

YOU ARE THREE POINTS OUT OF THE TOP 20. WOULD FINISHING IN THE TOP 20 THIS SEASON BE RELATIVELY SATISFACTORY? “Yeah. I mean, I think how we’re running is a positive. I think there there have been a handful of races where we deserved to be in that top 10, but just a few things maybe didn’t go our way. I believe we should be finishing there and it would be great to make the playoffs, so obviously I want to stay in that top 20. I really want to get a race win and say I’ve won on Sunday, so that’s the main goal this year.”

WHERE DO YOU FEEL YOUR TEAM IS GOING INTO THIS WEEKEND AND TRYING TO IMPROVE YOUR QUALIFYING ORDER? “I think every single weekend track position is literally everything, and I feel it once again showed this weekend. There were cars that finished in the top 10 that lost the track position and really couldn’t get a handle on their car, and then once that caution favored them, they were able to stay up there. It’s crazy with just how close everyone is on Sunday, but executing on Saturdays and making sure you have a good practice knowing what you need in the race, and of course qualifying well to give you that better pit stall selection and putting yourself in contention to hopefully score stage points. Your car just drives so much better up there, so everyone is fighting for it, everyone is on the same page, but it’s easier said than done.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL YOUR TEAM IS GOING INTO WEEK NINE? “To answer that honestly, I thought going into this year it was gonna take a few weekends to get us to start hitting our stride, but I feel we unloaded at Daytona and it’s a little bit of a different weekend, but we had a lot of speed down there as Front Row has shown in the past, and then we started getting into these weekends and I feel we’re unloading really close and even if we are just a little bit off, we have been making positive adjustments, where my car just really wakes up on Sunday. That’s just the main positive takeaway of where I’m just really proud of this whole group. Looking back, there’s one race I would say that kind of stands out – COTA, I guess, on road courses. Road Courses have been a strong suit for me in the past and we just kind of missed it at COTA in general, so that’s something to build off there. I feel our short track stuff has been really strong and we know a direction we need to head to get better, and then Vegas we qualified good in ninth, raced OK, but I felt the adjustments we made going into Homestead, which was obviously our second mile and a half, it really just woke our car up in a direction that I really liked, so hopefully we keep figuring out things here and there to adjust off of that and go into these mile and a halves that are coming up, but I feel pretty strong about everything. We just need to clean up maybe our road course stuff some, but I feel confident in myself in knowing what I want there and hopefully we can find that.”

YOU’VE FINISHED ON THE LEAD LAP OF ALL BUT ONE RACE THIS YEAR. WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE THAT SUCCESS TO? “I think this started late last year after Nashville, and I was kind of officially let go and figuring out what I was gonna do next year, and we were just having conversations. It was like, ‘Hey, let’s take our small wins. Let’s try to stay on the lead lap,’ which Bristol was one of them. Bristol is so hard to stay on the lead lap and if you do in that first stage, Martinsville is one that kind of comes to mind, your whole entire day looks so much different. You get to pit with the leaders and maybe if something happens like Martinsville this year for us. We raced well all race long, got caught up with the 54 in a late-race accident and typically you’d have to start at the tail or you’re buried and then it’s super easy to go a lap down. Well, for us, from staying on the lead lap we were able to restart 19th or something like that. Just little positive takeaways. I really started to just focus in on executing on Saturday. That’s something I paid attention to a lot during the offseason, figuring out how to qualify better just to get that better pit pick. It’s easier on your pit crew and you have track position. Like I said, the cars drive so much better the closer you get to the front, so this past weekend was a perfect example of that. Once we were in the top eight for a majority of the first half of the race, there really weren’t many complaints with my car, just a few things here and there, and then as soon as you get put in 20th everything is wrong with the car. I don’t even know if I gave feedback because I know it’s not accurate. It’s not real, so you just kind of have to figure out how to pick them off one at a time and try to execute things that you can control. Pit road is one of them. Everyone is so good at the small things on Sunday, so focusing on those small things is just some attention I put on during the offseason.”

DO YOU HAVE ANY TRACKS COMING UP ON YOUR CALENDAR THAT MIGHT PROVIDE A CHANCE TO WIN? “Last year, I would say any of the road courses, just because I really enjoy the road courses in this car. I don’t know if I would answer that right now. I want to see us have a good road course race. Our road course stuff at COTA, which was really our only tell so far this year, just wasn’t good for us, so we need to figure out some of that, but I feel confident that we can get there sooner rather than later and hopefully execute a win there. But, really, any of them. We’ve had an assortment of different races this year and I feel we’ve shown speed in all of them. I love mile and a halves. Our short track stuff has been strong and, of course, the speed the Fords always bring on the superspeedways is always a confidence booster, so I feel good about all of them.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT TALLADEGA IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS AND JUST MAKING SURE YOU’RE AROUND AT THE END OF THE RACE? “We’re definitely gonna have our meeting and go over what we can control on the superspeedway side of things with our teammates and Front Row now having three cars and the speed that they bring, and then of course the Penske cars that stand out. Pretty much everybody at RFK is really strong too on a superspeedway, so there should be no reason why we can’t control the race and that’s all we can control. There’s nothing you can do about the big one, so that’s always gonna happen, but trying to survive through that and find yourself in the first couple of rows is really all you can ask for.”

CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE PROCESS OF CHASING THE TRACK AT BRISTOL? THE CONDITIONS SEEM TO CHANGE AND GUYS HAVE TO MOVE AROUND. WHAT IS THAT LIKE? “I think, first off to answer that, is I think being in Group B in practice is always gonna help that, and we’ve been fortunate enough to be in that, so that’s a positive. The PJ1 on the bottom is always gonna have grip once it’s activated, but then you see 25-30 laps into a run that top lane really coming into play and they’re pretty even at that time, so then it becomes a clean air game of whichever lane is kind of open. The track does go through changes a lot. Bristol is very unique with very temperature sensitive. I know this weekend is gonna be cold and I know that race where we had all the rubber build-up, I think it was a different compound that was laid down with resin, but it was a cold race, so you don’t really know what to expect. You know though, for the most part, that the top lane is going to come in at some point and I feel you need to practice that at some point in practice to see what you have up there, and once the PJ1 is activated it’s kind of acts like a slot car. That’s what it feels like. It feels really fast. You get in a rhythm there where you’re just kind of clicking off laps and everything feels the same in my past, but the track goes through changes where the PJ1 might be more activated and we eventually towards the end of the race pick it up and it becomes a lot of rubber laid down down there and it becomes pretty sketchy. I have some attention of how I want my car to feel in that top lane. I was able to learn a few things during the second Bristol last year that I hopefully will be able to apply to this year, that I felt were some major positives, so hopefully we qualify well and just have a solid day.”

YOU WORKED WITH RYAN BERGENTY BRIEFLY BEFORE THIS YEAR. HOW HAS THAT PROCESS GONE WITH YOUR COMMUNICATION TO MAKE THOSE RIGHT ADJUSTMENTS YOU’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT? “It’s been awesome working with Ryan. I just feel our communication is where it needs to be. We just get on the same page fairly quickly and I pretty instantly know what he wants to know from me and the feedback that I need to give home so he can go down the direction of where he feels the adjustment is going to make the most difference. It might be hard to explain or understand, and I think we do a really good job of we get caught up in this SMT game, where the data may look like one thing, but my comments may look like another, and I feel that he has a really good balance of that. I feel positive about all of that and, like I said, when we’re a little off, I sleep good on Saturday nights knowing that we’re gonna make some positive adjustments and having that confidence, I think, goes a long way.”

IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT MAKES FOR A GOOD SPOTTER? AND AT A TRACK LIKE TALLADEGA WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR THERE FROM YOUR SPOTTER? “I think trust is a big thing. This is a new spotter than I’ve had pretty much throughout my whole career in Ryan Blanchard. He’s done a great job this year. He’s probably one of the youngest spotters up there. He’s 22, but he’s raced his whole life, so I feel the information he gives me has been great. Obviously, we’ve only had one superspeedway together at Daytona and I felt we worked really well together, we just got caught up in superspeedway things. I’m excited to get to work with him there, where the spotters really get to shine and hopefully we have some good superspeedways. We know we’ll have the speed to do it.”

IS THERE A MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER WHERE YOU CAN POINT TO YOUR SPOTTER SPECIFICALLY HELPING YOU IN THAT INSTANCE? “For sure. These cars, especially the Cup car, they’re tight spaces and you can only see so far ahead, so when something happens, maybe with a lapper or the leaders, by the time you see it they’re about in your windshield, so trying to give you a heads-up on that stuff is always good to have, but there have been countless times, not only with Ryan but my past spotters where they’ve been able to call that and they allowed me to live to fight another day.”

Spire Motorsports Weather Guard Truck Race Advance

By
Official Release
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  • In eight NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Spire Motorsports has collected two top-five and four top-10 finishes. Kyle Busch earned a team-best second-place finish aboard the No. 7 Silverado last March. The Mooresville, N.C., organization fields the Nos. 07, 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados full time in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The Nos. 07 and 7 entries will see a rotating roster of all-star caliber drivers throughout the season, while Rajah Caruth and Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Andres Perez de Lara will pilot the Nos. 71 and 77, respectively, for the full slate of races.
  • The Weather Guard Truck Race from Bristol Motor Speedway will be televised live on FS1 Friday, April 11 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The sixth of 25 races on the 2025 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series calendar will be broadcast live on the NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
  • Friday’s event marks the second-of-three events in the Triple Truck Challenge program. “The Trip” rewards the highest-finishing driver in an event who’s declared to collect CRAFSTMAN Truck Series points with a $50,000 bonus. Both Rajah Caruth and Andres Perez de Lara are eligible for the bonus.
  • During the Weather Guard Truck Race at Bristol, Spire Motorsports will take part in TWG Motorsports’ Coast to Coast activation, uniting the North Carolina-based organization with its sister teams across Formula E, INDYCAR and IMSA as they race simultaneously across the U.S. This weekend marks the one time this season where all four teams compete on TWG’s home soil, making it the lone opportunity to highlight one of the most diversified motorsports businesses in the world.

Kyle Larson – Driver, No. 07 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado

  • Kyle Larson will drive Spire Motorsports’ No. 07 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Silverado in Friday’s Weather Guard Truck Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
  • The Elk Grove, Calif., native will pull triple duty this weekend. In addition to his CRAFTSMAN Truck Series responsibilities, Larson will also drive Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 17 Chevrolet in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series SciAps 300 and the No. 5 Chevrolet ZL1 in Sunday’s Food City 500.
  • Larson looks to become the second driver to sweep all three national series events in a single weekend and join Kyle Busch’s pair of three-peats at Bristol in August 2010 and August 2017.
  • HENDRICKCARS.COM is the online home for everything Hendrick Automotive Group. Visitors can shop more than 30,000 new or pre-owned vehicles, locate centers for service and collision repair, receive a value to sell or trade their car, chat online with customer service, discover career opportunities, learn more about vehicle protection programs, and explore how the company gives back to the community.
  • Last time out at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Larson recovered from a spin midway through the Final Stage to park the No. 07 Silverado in Victory Lane. He made an impressive run through the field over the event’s final 40 circuits, chasing down the leaders with two laps remaining to make the winning move.
  • The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Champion owns 16 starts in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, where he’s collected two pole awards, wins at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway, Eldora (Ohio) Speedway, North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway and Homestead-Miami, nine top fives and 12 top 10s.
  • Larson will contest his third CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race for Spire Motorsports Friday night. He made his initial appearance for the team in the 2023 Tyson 250 at North Wilkesboro, where he started eighth and lead 138 of the event’s 250 laps en route to victory.
  • “Yung Money” will make his first CRAFTSMAN Truck Series appearance on the Bristol concrete, but he competed in the 2021 Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt on Bristol’s dirt configuration. A Lap-99 incident ended the dirt ringer’s afternoon 52 laps prior to the checkered flag.
  • The 32-year-old has seen success across all three NASCAR national series at “The Last Great Colosseum.” In nine NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, Larson has secured seven top fives, eight top 10s and paced the field for 746 circuits. He maintained a 4.7 average starting position, a 5.7 average finish and took the checkered flag in his last appearance on NASCAR’s junior circuit in “Thunder Valley” in August 2018. In 17 starts in NASCAR’s premier division, Larson has secured seven top-five and 12 top-10 finishes, led 1,351 laps and secured victories in the Bristol Night Race in 2021 and 2024.
  • The blue and white HENDRICKCARS.COM colors will wrap Spire Manufacturing chassis SMT-087. The truck’s first and only appearance came last month at Homestead-Miami with Larson at the controls.

Kyle Larson Quote
What did you learn from running the triple at Homestead that can help you this week at Bristol?
“It is a totally different racetrack, but I was able to get the timing down being on track with all three series. I am excited for the weekend, I love Bristol. Hopefully the track widens out for the truck race like it did last fall. If it is locked on the bottom, qualifying good is going to be huge. If we can get it done on Friday, I like our chances Saturday and Sunday.”

Atop the No. 07 Box – Crew Chief Allen Hart

  • Allen Hart calls the shots for the No. 07 team, an entry that will see a rotating roster of drivers throughout the 2025 campaign.
  • Hart earned his first career win in the crew chief role in last month’s Baptist Health 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. After a spin midway through the Final Stage, Larson made an impressive run through the field over the event’s final 40 circuits, chasing down the leaders with two laps remaining to make the winning move.
  • As an engineer at JR Motorsports, the Midland, Mich., native helped Justin Allgaier to eight top fives at “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile,” including a pair of runner-up finishes.
  • Last time out at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, the No. 07 team saw a top-10 effort dissolve after a left-front tire rub forced them to pit road. William Byron rallied over the final 15 circuits to finish 14th.

Corey Day – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado

  • Corey Day will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Silverado in the Weather Guard Truck Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
  • Friday’s 200-lap event will mark Day’s eighth CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start and fourth with Spire Motorsports. He made four series appearances in 2024 with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing.
  • HENDRICKCARS.COM is the online home for everything Hendrick Automotive Group. Visitors can shop more than 30,000 new or pre-owned vehicles, locate centers for service and collision repair, receive a value to sell or trade their car, chat online with customer service, discover career opportunities, learn more about vehicle protection programs, and explore how the company gives back to the community.
  • Last September, the Clovis, Calif., native competed in both the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series events at Bristol. He finished 18th in his CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut hours after collecting his first ARCA Menards Series’ top 10 with a seventh-place result.
  • In his first CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race for Spire Motorsports at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the 19-year-old secured his first Kennametal Pole Award and led the field to the green flag. He maintained his footing in the top five throughout the event’s first two stages until contact with another competitor cut his right-front tire, leaving him 27th in the final rundown. One week later, he earned a career-best 15th-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In the division’s most recent stop at Martinsville Speedway, Day’s top-15 was derailed after being collected in a multi-truck incident.
  • Day will return to the seat of the No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado in two weeks at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway. After Rockingham, he will round out his eight-race slate at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway (May 30), Indianapolis Raceway Park (July 25) and Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (Aug. 30).
  • The talented teenager will contest two more ARCA Menards Series events in Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Chevrolet SS later this season at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway (July 11) and Kansas Speedway (Sept. 26).
  • Day will race Spire Manufacturing chassis SMT-081 Friday night. Kyle Busch has piloted the truck to victories at Texas Motor Speedway (April 2024) and Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this season

Corey Day Quote
What are your thoughts heading into Bristol?
“Bristol (Motor Speedway) is another track that I’ve raced at before, so I’m excited to get back and improve on my first attempt. I’ve been able to get in the sim and really study ahead of this race and I know that Spire Motorsports will bring me a strong truck. My goal this weekend is to just work to improve and build off of what I know.”

Atop the No. 7 Box – Crew Chief Brian Pattie

  • Brian Pattie returns to the top of the No. 7 pit box, an entry that will see a plethora of all-star caliber drivers behind the wheel throughout the 2025 season.
  • The Zephyrhills, Fla., native has called three CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races on the Bristol concrete, claiming a runner-up finish in 2024 with Kyle Busch at the controls. He also guided William Byron to a third-place finish on the dirt in 2023.
  • Pattie has stood atop the box for 28 NASCAR Cup Series events at “The Last Great Colosseum,” earning three top fives and eight top 10s.
  • In the inaugural NACAR Cup Series Food City Dirt Race, Pattie helped Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. to a runner-up finish after racking up the most quality passes in the field (39).
  • The 24-year veteran spent 14 seasons in NASCAR’s premier division. As a crew chief, he has earned six wins in Cup Series competition and 11 in the Xfinity Series. He stands as one of 11 crew chiefs to win races across all three of NASCAR’s national touring series.
  • Earlier this season, the No. 7 team defended its 2024 victory in the Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway with Kyle Busch behind the wheel. The Las Vegas driver spent all 135 laps in the top 15 while leading a race-high 80 laps and recording a field-leading average running position (3.2) and driver rating (124.6).

Rajah Caruth – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado

  • Rajah Caruth will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet Silverado in Friday’s Weather Guard Truck Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
  • Caruth will make his fifth appearance on Bristol’s concrete configuration in a truck this weekend. He owns a pair of ARCA Menards Series starts in addition to a lone NASCAR Xfinity Series appearances at “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile.”
  • In the series’ most recent trip to “Thunder Valley” last September, the Washington D.C. native rolled off third, averaged the second-highest average running position in the field (3.12), earned a stage victory and led nine laps en route to a third-place finish.
  • In the 2024 Weather Guard Truck Race, Caruth racked up the second-most green flag passes in the field (35) and finished eighth. The solid finish marked his fourth consecutive top-10 effort to open last season’s campaign.
  • Caruth has collected four top 10s in the last five events on concrete tracks dating back to last season with finishes of eighth, seventh, fourth, third and seventh, at Bristol (March 16, 2024), Martinsville Speedway (April 5, 2024), Nashville Superspeedway (June 28, 2024), Bristol (Sept. 19, 2024) and Martinsville (March 28, 2025).
  • The 2024 season marked a career year for Caruth where he tallied one win, a pair of Cometic Gasket Pole Awards and five top-five finishes, all of which were the first of his young career. The 12 top-10 finishes on the season tripled Caruth’s total of four in 2023, while his average starting position of 10.7 was four positions higher than 2023 and his 11.6 average finish was an impressive seven positions higher.
  • With his first career CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win last season, Caruth became the third African-American driver to win a NASCAR National Touring Series race.
  • Caruth and the No. 71 team qualified for the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series playoffs in 2024, the first such appearance for the former Washington, D.C., resident. Despite reaching the Round of 8, mechanical issues stalled his championship bid in the season’s penultimate event at Martinsville Speedway.
  • Caruth will be behind the wheel of Spire Manufacturing chassis SMT-078. Nick Sanchez piloted the truck to victory last May at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

Rajah Caruth Quotes
Last September you put together one of your best performances, competing up front for the entire evening. What are your expectations heading into Friday?
“It is hard to set an expectation on an outcome. I would say my confidence is pretty high entering the weekend and this part of the season. I feel pretty good about going to a racetrack where I’ve had success and I’ve had pace. I expect to be up front and compete, but a lot of things can happen in a race. It would be great to get the win, and I know Bono and my whole team is capable of building a Chevy Silverado that can get the job done. I will be gunning to be the best of the HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevys and snag that $50,000 bonus.”

How does a top-10 run last time out at Martinsville help build momentum given your tough start to the season?
“I think I have constantly been getting better at Martinsville. I feel like we have been competitive every week and I don’t expect anything different at Bristol. It would be good to put together another good result and continue climbing the standings. The two DNF’s to start the season left us 30th, but we have been on a slow and steady ascent. We don’t have to get it all in one race. Rome wasn’t built in a day. I’m excited to get to Bristol this weekend, one of my favorite race tracks. Thanks to everyone at Spire Motorsports for making this happen, and the great people at Hendrick Automotive Group and Team Chevy for all their support.”

Atop the No. 71 Box – Crew Chief Kevin “Bono” Manion

  • Veteran crew chief Kevin “Bono” Manion calls the shots for Rajah Caruth and the No. 71 team in 2025.
  • The 53-year-old earned back-to-back top-five finishes in the Bristol Night Race in 2010 and 2011 with driver Jamie McMurray during their time in the NASCAR Cup Series at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.
  • The Boylston, Mass., native led Martin Truex, Jr., to Victory Lane in NASCAR Xfinity Series competition at “The Last Great Colosseum” in March 2004. Truex led 134 laps en route to his first of six wins on the year.
  • Manion, a 31-year veteran of the sport, founded Spire Motorsports’ CRAFTSMAN Truck Series program alongside industry veteran Mike Greci in 2022. The team claimed their first victory in their second outing with William Byron behind the wheel at Martinsville Speedway.
  • The veteran crew chief has racked up six Cup Series victories – including the 2010 Daytona 500 – 17 NASCAR Xfinity Series triumphs and 11 CRAFTSMAN Truck series wins. Manion is also one of 11 crew chiefs to have called wins across all three of NASCAR’s national touring series.
  • In 2023, Manion became one of few to call a race in all three of NASCAR’s national series in a single season, all of which came under the Spire Motorsports banner. He led the part-time effort on the No. 7 Silverado in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, helped in limited starts for Carson Hocevar in the Xfinity Series and took the reigns during the second half of the Cup Series season for Ty Dillon and the No. 77 team.

Andres Perez de Lara – Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado

  • Andres Perez de Lara will pilot the No. 77 Telcel Chevrolet Silverado for Spire Motorsports in the Weather Guard Truck Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
  • Last time out at Martinsville Speedway, Perez de Lara maintained valuable track position late in the event to secure a career-best seventh-place finish.
  • While the Mexico City native will make his first appearance at “The Last Great Colosseum” in a truck, he has made three ARCA Menard’s Series starts at the famed half-mile. He made his series debut at the facility in 2022 and claimed top-five finishes at the track in both 2023 and 2024. Last season, Perez de Lara maintained an average running position of 3.5 and claimed a fourth-place finish in the Busch’s Beans 200.
  • In 12 short track starts across two full-time ARCA Menards Series campaigns, the 20-year-old earned nine top fives, collected an average finish of 4.5 and scored a pair of runner-up finishes in 2024 at Indianapolis Raceway Park and Salem (Ind.) Speedway. He also made 13 appearances on short tracks in the NASCAR Mexico Series, racking up four top fives and nine top 10s.
  • Telcel is Mexico’s leading telecommunications company, providing nationwide coverage, cutting-edge mobile connectivity, and high-speed internet services to millions of users. With over 30 years of experience, Telcel continues to innovate in digital communication, offering solutions that keep people connected anytime, anywhere.
  • Beyond technology, Telcel is committed to supporting excellence in sports, particularly in motorsports. As a proud and long-time sponsor of Perez de Lara, Telcel fuels the passion for speed, precision and performance, driving success both on and off the track. Telcel will be a season-long partner with Perez de Lara and the No. 77 team.
  • Perez de Lara is in pursuit of Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in 2025 and sits second in the standings for the award, 22 points behind leader Gio Ruggiero.
  • The 2024 ARCA champion juggled his duties while also competing full time in the NASCAR Mexico Series. In 2023, he earned the Rookie of the Year award while finishing fourth in the division’s championship point standings and reaching the series’ version of the NASCAR playoffs. His lone win in the series came at Ovalo Aguascalientes, a 0.875-mile oval.
  • Spire Manufacturing chassis SMT-079 will be driven by Perez de Lara Friday night. The truck has earned a pair of Kennametal Pole Awards at Kansas Speedway (September 2023 and May 2024) and earned a sixth-place finish at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway last July with Chase Purdy behind the wheel.

Andres Perez de Lara Quotes
How does going to a track you have seen before, like Bristol, help with your confidence level when approaching the weekend?
“I am excited to get to Bristol, there is no place like it. The atmosphere is second to none. It is one of the few tracks I have experience on the schedule, so I feel confident knowing that I have laps under my belt. I made my first-career ARCA start there, and have put together some really good runs. I grew up racing short tracks in Mexico, so I am quite familiar with everything that goes into being successful on that style of track. While there is nothing like Bristol in Mexico, I am confident with the experience I have gained in three ARCA starts at Bristol ,that I will be able to deliver a good result this weekend in the truck.”

How do you look to build momentum on your first top 10 of the year at Martinsville?
“Our finish at Martinsville a week or so ago helped my confidence a ton. It shows that I can be competitive in a truck. I am continuing to learn more and more with each sim session. We have continued to work hard on our trucks in the shop to keep building on that momentum. I believe with the preparation we put in over the off week, Bristol will be another great weekend for the No. 77 team. I am super thankful for my team and everyone at Spire Motorsports who continue to build fast Silverados.”

Atop the No. 77 Box – Crew Chief Chad Walter

  • Crew chief Chad Walter will be atop the box for Andres Perez de Lara and the No. 77 team in 2025.
  • The 53-year-old has visited Bristol Victory Lane twice in Xfinity Series competition. He led Kyle Busch and Justin Allgaier to victories in the spring event in 2006 and 2010, respectively.
  • In his five truck races atop the box, Walter has collected four top-10 finishes, highlighted by Rajah Caruth’s third-place finish last September.
  • On the dirt configuration at Bristol, the veteran crew chief helped Canadian-driver Raphael Lessard to a third-place result in the inaugural Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt in 2021.
  • The Albion, N.Y., native has racked up six wins, 52 top fives, and 130 top 10s between both the NASCAR Xfinity and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.

About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The team’s most recent win came on March 21, 2025, when Kyle Larson took the checkered flag in the Baptist Health 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

In 2025, Spire Motorsports will campaign the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolets in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team will also field the Nos. 07, 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and the No. 77 Chevrolet in the ARCA Menards Series in select events.

LARSON GOES FOR THE TRIFECTA, JONES SEEKS THE DOUBLE AND HEMRIC LOOKS TO CASH IN ON THE TRIPAT BRISTOL’S WEATHER GUARD TRUCK RACE

By
Official Release
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Former Bristol Truck winner Corey Heim (11) leads the field in this photo from last season at Bristol Motor Speedway. Heim is one of the favorites for this weekend's WEATHER GUARD Truck Race.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series might get wild under the lights at World’s Fastest Half-Mile this weekend

BRISTOL, Tenn. (April 8, 2025) – Kyle Larson and Brandon Jones, a pair of red-hot racers in their NASCAR divisions at the moment, will invade the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday night, April 11 to kick off a weekend of racing at the iconic high-banked short track in Northeast Tennessee.

Larson and Jones will compete against a slew of talented category regulars in the WEATHER GUARD Truck Race, a 250-lap race that is scheduled to take the green flag on Friday at 7:30 p.m. under the lights. The race will be televised live on FS1.

For Larson it will be the first of a trifecta weekend. He is going to attempt to do what only Kyle Busch has previously done in winning all three of NASCAR’s races in a single weekend. Busch, ironically, did it at BMS two times, in 2010 and 2017.

Larson will pilot the No. 07 Chevy Silverado from Spire Motorsports in the event. He will run the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy in the Xfinity Series SciAps 300 on Saturday and his popular No. 5 Chevy in the Sunday Food City 500 Cup race at 3 p.m.

Larson says winning any NASCAR race is a tall order but in order to get his weekend going in the right direction he’s going to need a good start and a win in the WEATHER GUARD Truck Race.

“Typically in a truck race, the groove is right around the bottom and it’s very, very, very difficult to pass,” Larson said. “If your truck’s not handling perfectly, or you don’t qualify great, you’re going to have a difficult chance to win with how short the race is. But it’ll be a fun challenge in all three races so I’m excited about that.”

Jones, fresh off a victory last Saturday in the Xfinity Series race at Darlington in his full-time No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, will try for the Bristol-double in his weekend. Jones will get behind the controls of the No. 1 TRICON Toyota in the WEATHER GUARD Truck Race before racing his No. 20 machine in Saturday’s SciAps 300.

The Georgia-based driver, who ended a 99-race drought from victory lane, is now in reset mode as he comes to Bristol looking to acquire two more trophies during the weekend.

“It’s nice to win again for my confidence, but it’s also to prove the haters and people that said I was incapable of doing it, wrong again,” Jones said after his win in South Carolina. “We are in a stretch of real good race tracks for us. Bristol is next and it’s going to be good. This is huge momentum. I knew we were getting closer and were on a high, but I just didn’t know when it was going to happen.”

Both drivers will have their hands full, however, an eager group of Craftsman Truck Series regulars are ready to strap in and go for a Bristol victory of their own.

The regulars all have an extra incentive to score a victory. Any Truck Series regular who wins will claim the Triple Truck Challenge Bonus of $50,000. Daniel Hemric recently won the first of the trio of bonus races in the series at Martinsville. Should he win in his No. 19 Chevy at Bristol he will pocket a cool $150,000 bonus for winning two in a row. The “Trip” ends at Rockingham in two weeks.

As mentioned, a truckload of regulars will be giving it all they’ve got in search of victory at hallowed Bristol. Those include recent Bristol winners Corey Heim, Layne Riggs, Ty Majeski, Ben Rhodes and Chandler Smith.

Others to keep an eye on include rising star Rajah Caruth in the No. 71 Chevy, and rookies Connor Mosack in the 81 Chevy and Gio Ruggiero in the No. 17 machine. Local favorite Parker Klingerman will pilot the No. 75 Abingdon, Va.-based Henderson Motorsports Chevy.

California kid Corey Day will make his second Truck start at Bristol driving the No. 7 HendrickCars.com Chevy Silverado. This will be Day’s first run in the WEATHER GUARD Truck Race. This past September Day made his Truck Series debutdani at Bristol’s UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics and finished 18th after starting 22nd.

Hollywood actor Frankie Muniz is racing fulltime in the series this year at the controls of the No. 33 Ford. You may remember him from the highly popular and Emmy award winning “Malcom in the Middle” sitcom.

The highly-anticipated weekend opens with the WEATHER GUARD Truck Race, a 250-lap race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series under the lights on Friday, April 11 (7:30 p.m., FS1 and PRN Radio), and continues Saturday afternoon on April 12 with the SciAps 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race (5 p.m., The CW, PRN Radio). Bush’s Beans Practice and Bush’s Beans Qualifying will be held for all three series both Friday and Saturday. The weekend culminates Sunday afternoon with the running of the historic Food City 500 NASCAR Cup Series race (April 13, 3 p.m., FS1 and PRN Radio).

In addition to cheering on their favorite drivers on the track, Bristol Motor Speedway fans will definitely want to take advantage of so many activities to make a complete weekend of family fun. There will be great video entertainment provided by Colossus TV, the world’s largest center-hung video screen, premium VIP experiences, tailgating, on-site camping, concerts and other entertainment at the Food City Fan Zone Stage headlined by Trackside Live with Kenny Wallace and John Roberts, great food and beverages in the concession stands throughout the property, and so much more.

Single-day tickets for the Food City 500 weekend start as low as $69 for Sunday’s Food City 500 and $46 for Saturday’s SciAps 300 Xfinity Series race. To purchase tickets, please visit www.bristolmotorspeedway.com or call the BMS ticket sales center at (866) 415-4158.

About Bristol Motor Speedway
Forged amid the scenic mountains of Northeast Tennessee near the Virginia state line, Bristol Motor Speedway is The Last Great Colosseum, a versatile multi-use venue that hosts major auto races, football games, concerts and many other captivating events, including an upcoming Major League Baseball game. The facility features a 0.533-mile concrete oval race track with 28-degree corner banking and 650-feet straightaways that offers racing in several NASCAR touring series, highlighted by two major Cup Series weekends each year. In 2025, the venue will transform into a baseball stadium to host the MLB Speedway Classic featuring the Atlanta Braves vs. the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 2nd. In 2020, the track also served as host of the prestigious NASCAR All-Star Race, and from 2021-2023 the track converted to a temporary dirt track each spring to take the Cup Series back to its racing roots. While at the track, fans are offered a unique viewing experience courtesy of Colossus TV, the world’s largest outdoor center-hung four-sided video screen with a 540,000-watt audio system. The adjacent quarter-mile dragstrip, Bristol Dragway, offers more than 50 events annually, including the marquee NHRA Super Grip Thunder Valley Nationals. The Thunder Valley Amphitheatre presented by Ballad Health transforms Bristol Dragway into a premier outdoor concert venue for the world’s greatest music performers. Three football games have kicked-off inside the oval, most notably the 2016 Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol, where border rivals the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech met before an NCAA-record crowd of 156,990. In existence since 1961, Bristol Motor Speedway was purchased in 1996 by Speedway Motorsports, a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States. For more information, please visit www.bristolmotorspeedway.com.

GRIDLIFE South Carolina Festival Expands to Three Days of Racing, Drifting, Car Shows and Concert at Carolina Motorsports Park

By
Official Release
-

GRIDLIFE South Carolina includes a star-studded driver lineup and nearly 30 hours of drifting on two different tracks with day and night sessions

KERSHAW, S.C. (8 April 2025) – The perfect mix of fast cars, unforgettable playlists and pure adrenalin will once again fill the air as the GRIDLIFE South Carolina Festival returns to Carolina Motorsports Park April 11-13. Now in its third year, the event has expanded into a full three-day GRIDLIFE motorsports festival, bringing more action, entertainment, celebrity drivers, and—most notably—more drifting than ever before.

GRIDLIFE South Carolina is the ultimate blend of heart-pounding racing and festival vibes, featuring nearly 30 hours of freestyle drift sessions, complementing intense wheel-to-wheel competition from the Eibach GRIDLIFE Touring Cup Championship and the newly renamed GRIDLIFE RUSH Series, high-speed GRIDLIFE TrackBattle Time Attack and a dynamic car showcase. The weekend is set to a backdrop of live music and high-energy entertainment, including performances from DJ Xcape, Jake Panda, JEFE and Emo Nite’s special Grave Rave Set.

“GRIDLIFE South Carolina has grown into one of the most exciting stops on our festival calendar, and expanding to a full three-day format lets us take things to the next level,” said Chris Stewart, GRIDLIFE President. “With more drifting, more than 200 drivers competing in eight races and an even bigger music and lifestyle experience, this is shaping up to be the wildest GRIDLIFE South Carolina yet.”

GRIDLIFE Drift: Expanding the Ultimate Drifting Experience

This year, GRIDLIFE South Carolina Festival will deliver nonstop sideways action, with seven full-course drift jam sessions spread throughout the weekend with drifting nearly every half hour on the karting track to keep the energy going for nearly 30 hours.

The 2.28-mile Carolina Motorsports Park road course serves as the ultimate stage for full-course drift, featuring a high-speed layout that challenges drivers to link long corners and push their skills to the limit. Only licensed GRIDLIFE Drift drivers are permitted on the big track, ensuring a high level of performance.

Complementing the full course GRIDLIFE Drift jam sessions, the 0.7-mile karting circuit and skid pad will see constant drift action, with open sessions welcoming all skill levels to get sideways in a more intimate setting.

Friday (April 11) and Saturday (April 12) night, the festival transforms as GRIDLIFE’s NIGHT SHIFT DRIFT presented by Drift HQ lights up the track. When the sun sets, drift cars will switch on their glow lights, illuminating the karting circuit in a neon-lit, tire-shredding showcase of skill and style. Some of the biggest names in the grassroots drifting scene, including former Formula Drift PRO and Falken Tire driver Justin Pawlak and Influencer and Nappy Boy Automotive driver Hert, will take on the challenge from drifting full-course to drifting under the lights.

GRIDLIFE RUSH Series Returns with New Name & Big Names

The GRIDLIFE RUSH Series now features both the RUSH SR and the new SRX model. The series has surged in popularity, with field sizes regularly exceeding 25 cars last season.

A star-studded driver lineup will make its mark at GRIDLIFE South Carolina, including YouTube personalities TJ Hunt, Grant Anderson, and Evan Shanks. Racing alongside them are series regulars Ryan Leach and Jason Oehler, with IMSA and American Le Mans Series veteran James French also joining the field. The GRIDLIFE RUSH Series will stage four races throughout the weekend, adding a thrilling layer of high-performance wheel-to-wheel competition.

Eibach GRIDLIFE Touring Cup Championship Rockets into Seventh Season

The newly renamed (read announcement) Eibach GRIDLIFE Touring Cup Championship (GLTC) launches its seventh season with a nearly 40-car field set to take the green flag four times during the weekend. The ultra-competitive grassroots racing series welcomes back 2020 champion Eric Kutil and reigning champion Matan Rosenberg, alongside notable drivers such as James Cathers, Eric Magnussen, and the duo of Thomas Lathrop and Carlos Mendez.

This season also sees an influx of rookies transitioning from the GRIDLIFE TrackBattle Time Attack series to GLTC, including Christian Aranha and Alan Newsome. Fans can expect some of the closest, most unpredictable wheel-to-wheel racing in grassroots motorsports.

TrackBattle Time Attack: The Pursuit of Perfection

GRIDLIFE TrackBattle Time Attack is back with a packed field of nearly 90 competitors, pushing their machines to the limit in a battle for the fastest lap. A revised format for 2025 blends Podium Sprint qualifying with classic TrackBattle heats, culminating in a last-chance shootout on Sunday to determine the final podium results.

Many returning drivers, including Mario Mirone, Evan McLaren, Stan Fayngold and Jerami Bailey, will fight for supremacy in their respective classes. Notably, GLTC competitors Luke McGrew and Austin Hertel will also take on the TrackBattle challenge, both debuting new Chevrolet Corvette C8s in time attack competition.

GRIDLIFE TrackBattle features seven distinct classes. Among the drivers taking on the challenge is pro skateboarder-turned-rally driver Bucky Lasek, piloting his Subimods-backed Subaru.

GRIDLIFE Motoring Meet Presented By FCP Euro: The Best Builds in the Southeast Take the Spotlight

For those who love admiring incredible builds, the GRIDLIFE Motoring Meet Presented By FCP Euro will put some of the finest modified, performance, and exotic vehicles on display. Hand-picked feature cars, club displays, and themed car corrals bring together the best of the automotive scene, right in the heart of the paddock.

From high-horsepower drift builds to pristine vintage restorations, the car showcase is a celebration of automotive passion and creativity

Aftergrid Party, New Partnerships and More

GRIDLIFE South Carolina is turning up the excitement both on and off the track with an electrifying mix of racing, music, and brand activations.

The Aftergrid Party returns with a special Emo Nite Grave Rave Set, blending throwback anthems and underground club vibes for a high-energy festival experience. Fans can enjoy an immersive experience with partner activations from Queen City Overland, and Subimods as well as a bustling vendor marketplace, local food trucks, and the free GRIDLIFE Arcade Presented by Logitech G.

The new trackside Turn 14 Partner Lounge will also make its debut at GRIDLIFE South Carolina, offering an immersive experience for both Turn 14 competitors and customers.

Tickets and Streaming

Tickets for GRIDLIFE South Carolina Festival are available now, starting at $49. Kids 12 and under are free with an adult ticket. Weekend camping spots are also available for those looking to stay and party all three days. For tickets, visit: https://www.grid.life/south-carolina

For fans unable to attend in person, the on-track action will be streamed live Friday through Sunday on GRIDLIFE’s Twitch and YouTube channels, beginning at 4:00 PM ET on Friday. Subscribe for free here: https://www.youtube.com/gridlife.

About GRIDLIFE
GRIDLIFE is a motorsports and automotive lifestyle brand that has created a community of enthusiasts and participants across the United States. With a focus on inclusivity, accessibility, and a shared passion for cars and motorsports, GRIDLIFE hosts events that include live music, structured racing and open track time, bringing together a diverse community of people who share a love for all things automotive.

Online at: www.grid.life
Instagram: @gridlifeofficial
Facebook: @gridlifeofficial
YouTube: www.youtube.com/gridlife

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