Zane Smith and the No. 38 Aaron’s Lucky Dog 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

Zane Smith Notes

The Bristol Motor Speedway is up next on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule. Carrying momentum from their 12th place finish last Sunday at the Darlington Raceway, Zane Smith and the No. 38 team look to build on the result with another strong finish at the “Last Great Colosseum”.

Smith and Aaron’s Rent-to-Own will bring some NASCAR nostalgia with them when they unload at the 0.533-mile short track, bringing back the fan-favorite Aaron’s mascot, Lucky Dog, for the 500-lap race. Lucky will make his return in a classic throwback wrap on Smith’s No. 38, paying homage to his legendary past while celebrating the present.

The Lucky Dog scheme has a deep-rooted, nostalgic history in the NASCAR Cup Series, having been driven by David Reutimann, Brian Vickers, Michael McDowell, Michael Waltrip, and many more.

In two previous NASCAR Cup Series starts at the Tennessee track, Smith has one top-20 finish, finishing 16th in the famed “Night Race” in September 2024. In the Bristol Dirt race in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, Smith has two top-10 finishes. On concrete, Smith has five starts in the Truck Series, earning two top-five and three top-10 finishes.

“Bristol is a challenging track, but it is a lot of fun,” said Smith. “You’re constantly looking for grip all while trying to navigate traffic. Ryan (Bergenty) and the team have been bringing some fast Ford’s to the track and with the momentum we have from last weekend, I think we can have a solid weekend at Bristol.”

“It’s really cool that Aaron’s is bringing back Lucky Dog for this weekend,” said Smith. “It was one of my favorite schemes as a kid, and it means a lot that I get to share a scheme driven by some of the Cup Series veterans and alumni.”

Road Crew

Driver: Zane Smith
Hometown: Huntington Beach, California

Crew Chief: Ryan Bergenty
Hometown: Plainville, Connecticut

Car Chief: Will Norris
Hometown: Bells, Tennessee

Engineer: Jacob Clamme
Hometown: Hartford City, Indiana

Engineer: Chris Yerges
Hometown: Green Bay, Wisconsin

Mechanic: Steve Godfrey
Hometown: West Haven, Connecticut

Mechanic / Engine Tuner: Tyler Podlaski
Hometown: Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania

Spotter: Ryan Blanchard
Hometown: Bethlehem, Connecticut

Transport Co-Driver: Ernest Mullins
Hometown: Fayetteville, North Carolina

Transport Co-Driver: Rick Grissom
Hometown: Bakersfield, California

Pit Crew

Front Tire Changer: Keiston France
Hometown: Amelia, Virginia

Rear Tire Changer: Austin Chrismon
Hometown: China Grove, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Drew Baum
Hometown: Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Jackman: Kapil Fletcher
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fueler: Chris Webb
Hometown: Concord, North Carolina

ABOUT AARON’S

Headquartered in Atlanta, The Aaron’s Company, Inc. is a leading, technology-enabled, omnichannel provider of lease-to-own and retail purchase solutions of appliances, electronics, furniture, and other home goods. Aaron’s offers a direct-to-consumer lease-to-own solution through its approximately 1,200 Company-operated and franchised stores in 47 states and Canada, as well as its e-commerce platform, Aarons.com.

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.

Bristol I Event Info:
Date: Sunday, April 13
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Bristol, Tennessee
Format: 500 Laps, 266.5 miles, Stages: 125-250-500
TV: FS1
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)

Weekend Schedule:
Saturday: 2 p.m. ET, Cup Practice (Prime, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 3:05 p.m. ET, Cup Qualifying (Prime, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 3 p.m. ET, Cup Race (FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Pace Laps:

• Bristol on concrete returns to its historical spring slot on the schedule this weekend for the 126th time, as NASCAR visits ‘The Last Great Colosseum’ for its first of two race weekends this season.
• Outside of Michigan International Speedway, Bristol is the site of the most wins for Jack Roush in the Cup Series – 12 of them – spanning from 1993 to most recently 2022 with Chris Buescher.
• Buescher’s 11.6 average starting position across the first eight races is the sixth highest of any driver in the NASCAR Cup Series this season.
• The No. 17 team also has five top-10 finishes this season, which are tied for the most by any driver in the NASCAR Cup Series.
• Brad Keselowski is one of three active drivers with 3+ victories at Bristol Motor Speedway in the Cup Series, alongside Kyle Busch (8) and Denny Hamlin (4).
• According to NASCAR Insights research, Ryan Preece ranks sixth this season in terms of driving defense, while Buescher’s pit crew ranks as the fifth best in the Cup Series.

6 Team Info:
Driver: Brad Keselowski
Crew Chief: Jeremy Bullins
Partner: Kroger / Oscar Meyer / Rustik Oven

17 Team Info:
Driver: Chris Buescher
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: BuildSubmarines.com

60 Team Info:
Driver: Ryan Preece
Crew Chief: Derrick Finley
Partner: Boost by Kroger

Keselowski at Bristol
Starts: 27
Wins: 3 (2011, 2012, 2020)
Top-10s: 10
Poles: 2 (2x, 2020)

• Keselowski makes his 28th Cup start on the concrete at Bristol this weekend, a track where he has a 16.2 average finish with three wins and 10 top-10 finishes.
• Last spring, Keselowski led one lap and finished third after starting 17th. He earned a 23rd-place result in the fall.
• Keselowski’s three wins at BMS came back in 2011-12, and most recently in 2020. He’s finished 13th or better in six of the last eight races overall at Bristol.
• Keselowski has led laps in 15 different Bristol races totaling 1,014 laps, his best total of any track on the circuit outside of Martinsville (1,068) and Richmond (1,280).
• Keselowski has started top-10 in five of the last seven Bristol races, including a pair of poles in 2020. Overall, he has a 10.2 average starting position – his best of any track outside of Loudon (10.2). He has 16 starts inside the top-10 in 27 Bristol events.
• Keselowski also made 14 Xfinity starts at Bristol with one win and eight top-10s, and seven Truck starts with one win and three top-10s.

Buescher at Bristol
Starts: 16
Wins: 1 (2022)
Top-10s: 5
Poles: —

• Buescher enters Bristol for the 17th time on Sunday after leading 17 laps and finishing 7th in the spring race last season.
• Overall, Buescher has five Cup top-10s at Bristol, including in three of his last four races at the ‘The Last Great Colosseum’.
• Buescher has an average starting position of 23.4 with a career-best starting position of 12th (2016).
• Buescher made five Xfinity Series starts at Bristol with three top-10s and a best finish of third (2015).

Preece at Bristol
Starts: 8
Wins: —
Top-10s: 2
Poles: —

• Preece is set for his 9th Cup start at Bristol this weekend, and is coming off of his best career finish at the track in the fall race last season (7th).
• He has two top-10s at Bristol, with a ninth-place finish in the 2020 fall race. Overall, Preece has a 14.3 average finish which is his highest mark of any track in the Cup Series.
• Preece posted his best career qualifying effort last fall, 14th, and holds an average starting position of 23.9.
• Preece made three Xfinity Series starts at Bristol, highlighted by a win in 2018 for JGR after leading 39 laps.

RFK Historically at Bristol
Cup Wins: 12 (Mark Martin, 1993, 1998; Kurt Busch, 2002, 2003, 2003, 2004; Matt Kenseth, 2005, 2006; Carl Edwards, 2007, 2008, 2014; Chris Buescher, 2022)

• Runner Up: RFK’s storied history at Bristol began on April 10, 1988 with the No. 6 NCS car earning a second-place finish. Since that time, in addition to the organization’s 12 NCS wins at the track, RFK Fords have finished second at Bristol on 15 occasions (7 NCS, 4 NXS, 4 NCTS).
• History and Hot Streaks at “Thunder Valley”: RFK’s history at Bristol has been one of hot streaks, including trips to victory lane in 10 of the last 22 seasons at the famed short track. RFK swept the track in 2003 and put a NCS car in victory lane at least once in every season from 2002-2008.
• Tale of the Tape: RFK has started 225 NCS races at Bristol, recording 12 total wins with 53 top-five and 93 top-10 finishes. RFK Fords have an average finish of 15.8 with 3693 laps led all-time.

RFK Bristol Wins

1993-2 Martin Cup

1996-1 Martin NXS

1997-1 Burton NXS

1998-2 Martin Cup

2002-1 Busch Cup

2003-1 Busch Cup

2003-2 Busch Cup

2004-1 Busch Cup

2004 Edwards Truck

2005-2 Kenseth Cup

2006-2 Kenseth Cup

2006 Martin Truck

2006-2 Kenseth NXS

2007-1 Edwards NXS

2007-2 Edwards Cup

2008-2 Edwards Cup

2009-2 Ragan NXS

2014 -1 Edwards Cup
2022-2 Buescher Cup

Last Time Out & Where They Stand
Darlington: Buescher led all RFK drivers with a 6th-place finish at the track ‘Too Tough Too Tame’. Preece had his streak of three straight top-10s snapped with a 26th-place result, while Keselowski placed 33rd.

Points Standings (17: 11th, 60: 13th, 6: 31st): All three RFK drivers earned stage points, as Buescher remained in 11th while Preece climbed a spot up to 13th. Keselowski fell one position to 31st in the Cup standings.

This Week in Motorsports: April 7 – April 13, 2025

• NCS/NXS/NCTS: Bristol Motor Speedway – April 11-13
• NHRA: The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – April 11-13

PLANO, Texas (April 9, 2025) – NASCAR is off to Bristol Motor Speedway with all three national series in action this weekend on the famed 0.533-mile, concrete short track. NHRA is also on-track this weekend in the first four-wide national event of the season at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

NASCAR National Series – NCS/NXS/NCTS

Camry XSEs win five of the first eight races … With Denny Hamlin’s win at Darlington Raceway last weekend, following up his win at Martinsville Speedway two weeks ago, Toyota has won five of the first eight NASCAR Cup Series races in 2025. Hamlin’s current run follows Christopher Bell’s incredible three-race win streak that spanned Atlanta Motor Speedway, Circuit of the Americas and Phoenix Raceway earlier this season. Another Camry XSE victory this weekend would be the 195th for Toyota in the Cup Series.

Toyota drivers maintaining positions near top of the standings … Now eight races into the 2025 Cup Series season, Toyota continues with six drivers inside the top-20 of the series points standings. With his two straight wins, Hamlin has bolted his way to second in the series points standings, with Bell, who captured another top-five result last weekend in Darlington, right behind in the third position. Tyler Reddick, who also came home in the top-five last weekend, moved up to fifth position in the standings, with 23XI Racing teammate, Bubba Wallace, in eighth. Chase Briscoe and John Hunter Nemechek are the others inside the top-20, sitting in the 14th and 19th positions, respectively.

Hamlin goes for another historic win … Hamlin returns to Bristol Motor Speedway in search of his third straight victory, as well as a repeat win in the Bristol spring race from a season ago. The 0.533-mile, concrete short track has been kind to the driver of the No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), where he’s amassed four career wins, 12 top-fives and 19 top-10s – with five straight top-10s there entering this weekend. Another victory by Hamlin would move him to three away from tying Kevin Harvick for 10th on the Cup Series all-time wins list at 60.

Bell returns to favorable Bristol … Like his JGR teammate, Bell has also had recent success at Bristol Motor Speedway. The driver of the No. 20 Toyota Camry XSE for JGR enters the weekend with four consecutive top-10s as well on concrete Bristol, including a fifth-place result last fall. Bell is also a recent winner at the famed speedway in the 2023 spring Bristol dirt race.

Double duty racers take on Bristol … Toyota will have a pair of drivers taking part in both the Xfinity and Truck Series races this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway with Corey Heim and Brandon Jones. Heim will make his Xfinity Series debut at Bristol in the No. 24 GR Supra for Sam Hunt Racing, along with his fifth career Bristol Truck Series start the night before in the No. 11 Tundra TRD Pro for TRICON Garage. In four previous attempts in his Tundra TRD Pro, Heim has one career win (2023) and four top-10 finishes. Jones, coming off a Xfinity Series win at Darlington last week, will run the Truck Series race Friday night for TRICON Garage in the No. 1 Tundra TRD Pro, his second Truck start of 2025. Jones has five top-five Xfinity Series results in the last six Bristol races as he looks for a second victory in his No. 20 GR Supra for JGR.

Friesen’s strong start continues … After a ninth-place finish at Martinsville Speedway two weeks ago, Stewart Friesen has three top-10 results in the first five races of the 2025 Truck Series season and sits fifth in the series points standings. Heading to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend, Friesen has top-10 finishes in five of his 10 previous starts at the speedway. Friday night will also be the 190th Truck start of Friesen’s career.

NHRA – Top Fuel/Funny Car

Toyota Top Fuel Dragsters leading standings … Three races into the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season, Toyota’s Top Fuel racers are at the top of the standings. With a final round appearance, a race win and the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win so far this season, Shawn Langdon holds the category points lead by 77 points over his teammate, Doug Kalitta – who seeks a repeat win at the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals. In third is Antron Brown, who captured victory at the season opener in Gainesville.

Ashley’s 100th race … This weekend’s Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas will be the 100th race in Justin Ashley’s NHRA career. The driver of the SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel Dragster has had an impressive young career to-date, with 15 career wins and six No. 1 qualifiers entering this weekend.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 49 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In spring 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 32 electrified options.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

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.

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.

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).

• 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.
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• 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.
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• 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.