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Toyota Racing – NCTS Martinsville Post-Race Report – 11.01.24

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Official Release
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HEIM ADVANCES TO SECOND STRAIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP 4
Taylor Gray battles for victory late before contact with race winner

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (November 1, 2024) – Corey Heim advanced to the NASCAR Truck Series Championship 4 for the second straight season on the strength of a top-10 finish at Martinsville Speedway on Friday night. The Toyota Development Driver leads the series overall with six victories and clinched his spot at the checkered flag with a seventh-place finish.

Fellow Toyota Playoff driver Taylor Gray was battling for the win in the final 10 laps after a great pit strategy call. He had taken the lead before eventual race winner Christian Eckes moved Gray’s Tundra. Gray finished fourth to lead Toyota in the evening’s race. With the finish, Gray finished the round of 8 in fifth position – one spot out of advancing to the Championship 4.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Race 22 of 23 – 200 Laps, 105.2 Miles

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Christian Eckes*
2nd, Ben Rhodes*
3rd, Chase Purdy*
4th, TAYLOR GRAY
5th, Nick Sanchez
7th, COREY HEIM
10th, STEWART FRIESEN
14th, WILLIAM SAWALICH
17th, DEAN THOMPSON
21st, TIMMY HILL
25th, JUSTIN CARROLL
29th, TANNER GRAY
35th, LANDEN LEWIS
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

TAYLOR GRAY, No. 17 JBL Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage

Finishing Position: 4th

What happened?

“Raced 19 (Christian Eckes) clean into (turns) one and two on the restart and times before that. I was on tires. I barely even touched him. Drove underneath him, and the caution came out. So clean for Martinsville, especially for the tire advantage. I could have drove into (turn) one and shipped him completely out of the way and not be worried about it. I raced him clean. I didn’t want to be that guy at Martinsville. We go on the restart, and raced him clean through (turns) one and two. Clear him off of (turn) two, and he goes into (turn) three and completely ships me to the fence. Now granted, it is Martinsville, I was expecting to get moved – I wasn’t expecting to get moved to the fence. Especially, with how I raced him, and he is locked into the final four, so I don’t know. The only thing he did was put a target on his back, and unfortunately, and this day and age I can’t go to Phoenix and do anything about to him, because I’m going to go get a $20,000 fine, so he gets away with that crap and doesn’t get any repercussion.”

Is there anything more you could have done besides running him into the fence?

“I don’t know. The 19 (Christian Eckes) was the class of the field, right? But it is not my fault we had better strategy than he did. We came out on tires, we drove through the field and we drove to him. I raced him clean, and he drove me in the fence. I guess the only thing I could have done is wreck him like he wrecked me.”

COREY HEIM, No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage

Finishing Position: 7th

What more did you need?

“Really thankful for everyone at Safelite, TRICON Garage and Toyota Racing. Our regular season bonus points really propelled us to an easy, kind of under the radar day here at Martinsville. We had such a great regular season, and that led us to kind of have a relaxing last round here. It is still so stressful at times with the possibilty of a new winner and the headache of math that goes on there. Just didn’t quite have the speed. Rode around in the top-10 most of the day, but winning here last year, kind of had our expectations high to come back and do the same thing, and fell short of that day today, but the ultimate goal is to win a championship next week and that is what we are going to try and go do.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 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 47 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 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 30 electrified options.

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

Ty Majeski Qualifies for NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship 4

By
Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 200 | Friday, November 1, 2024
Martinsville Speedway

TY MAJESKI QUALIFIES FOR CHAMPIONSHIP 4

  • Ty Majeski qualified for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship 4 after his 11th place finish Friday night at Martinsville Speedway.
  • This will mark Majeski’s second career series appearance in the Championship 4
  • Ford will be going for its third straight series championship next week at Phoenix after Zane Smith and Ben Rhodes won in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

FORD FINISHING UNOFFICIAL RESULTS

2nd – Ben Rhodes
6th – Layne Riggs
11th – Ty Majeski
13th – Matt Crafton
20th – Jake Garcia
23rd – Lawless Alan
24th – Clayton Green
28th – Johnny Sauter

TY MAJESKI, No. 98 Road Ranger Ford F-150 – HOW DOES IT FEEL GOING TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP 4? “It feels good. It was drama-filled, for sure. Pretty much all of the scenarios were working out exactly how we didn’t need them to at the end of the race, but Ben did a great job racing those guys hard. Christian, too, obviously wanted to win the race really bad, so we needed him to win that.”

TAKE US THROUGH THE CLOSING LAPS. HOW INTENSE WAS IT? “I’m just excited to be in the Championship 4. Everyone knew I didn’t need a yellow at the end. They were racing me really hard and I just kind of had to yield. I didn’t need a yellow. The 19 was leading, so some days you just have to accept being the ball and not the pin and today was one of those days.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR CHANCES AT PHOENIX? “I feel good. I’ve been good there the last couple of years and I’m excited to have a shot.”

HOW HARD WAS IT TO LET YOUR TEAMMATE GO UP THERE AND RACE WHILE YOU OBVIOUSLY WANT TO BE THERE YOURSELF? “I knew I had no shot at really even playing defense. It would have taken a really dirty move for me to play defense and that’s just not how I race, so that was my best play at the time and it worked out.”

BEN RHODES, No. 99 Kubota Ford F-150 – YOU WERE RIGHT THERE. IT WAS YOUR RACE TO WIN. “Yeah, it was definitely our race to win. Unfortunately, it was our race to lose, too. We were leading the laps. I drove in five truck lengths deeper than I had all night and thought, ‘Man, if he gets me, there was no way he was gonna make the corner,’ and, sure enough, he got to the bumper. We made it all the way up to the asphalt and I’m on the outside. We raced him again for another corner and we get him back, and then finally he just runs us straight up to the asphalt and once we’re in the asphalt it allowed the 77 – we lost so much time there. That lap would have been two seconds slower. He wasn’t worried about winning the race at that point, it was just more or less not losing to me, and then that allowed the 77 to almost pass us both, so then I was racing side-by-side with the 77 all the way to the checkered flag. He lucked out on that one, really. If he held us up just a little bit more with that dirty move, then he would have lost the race, too. It was one of those deals where if he couldn’t win it, I couldn’t either. That’s kind of the way that was approached.”

YOUR STRATEGY OF PITTING FOR TIRES WORKED AT THE END. “Yeah. The race played out. We were going all night for the win and I guess that’s the beauty of not being in the playoffs – you can go for wins, which set us up for a night like tonight – a chance for the win and almost having it. If we were in the playoffs, we would have played it completely different. We’d have been working on points and hopefully you would get a top 10, but there’s a lot of playoff guys that weren’t running too well there at the end with the new tires versus the old. It’s bittersweet to be here at Martinsville and not run for the championship, but, all in all, I’m glad we’re able to go into Phoenix with some momentum.”

HOW DID YOU VIEW YOUR ROLE AS A TEAMMATE KNOWING IF THE 2 OR 17 WON, TY WOULD GET KNOCKED OUT? “That was very important. We were talking on the radio before the end and it’s like, I don’t know what the points were. They quit showing them on the big screen. I don’t know if they did that on purpose or not, but I know before stage one or two it was like 46 to the good for him, and then I just knew how it was gonna work out if those guys won – he’d be out – so I knew I had to win. It was more or less, ‘You know what? See you later, Ty. You’ve got to take care of yourself. I’ve got to go win this race. You’ll win and I’ll win a race and it’s a win-win for both of us.’ It played out OK. I just wish we were able to bring home the grandfather clock.”

SascoSports and Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Execute Multi-Year Partnership Agreement

By
Official Release
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SascoSports to Continue as HSR Tire Supplier and At-Track Service and Support Partner

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (November 1, 2024) – SascoSports, Inc. and Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) have executed a multi-year partnership agreement that will see the longtime vintage and historic racing company continue as HSR’s Tire Supplier and At-Track Service and Support Partner.

Already a fixture in the HSR paddock as the go-to source for HSR competitor racing tire needs and solutions, the new long-term agreement supports the ongoing and multi-tiered relationship between SascoSports and HSR. In addition to bringing its more than three decades of racing tire experience and expertise to HSR members and competitors, the VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) based organization is also the title sponsor of the popular HSR SascoSports International/American Challenge racing series.

Staying true to the proven practice of “we race what we sell,” SascoSports is also a race and championship winning prep-shop and racing team. Company principal Dave Handy most recently co-drove to a Run Group B victory in this past June’s HSR Watkins Glen Classic 6 Hour Presented by Mission Foods with teammate Peter McLaughlin in a 1982 No. 05 March 822 Can-Am entered and prepared by SascoSports and riding on SascoSports mounted and supplied tires.

It is indeed, however, the tire supplier and service support operations of SascoSports that are at the foundation of partnership with HSR. Among the available brands SascoSports sells and supports are Avon, Dunlop, Goodyear, Hoosier, Michelin, Pirelli and Toyo racing tires.

Dave Handy, SascoSports President: “We are excited to be part of this winning team of amazing competitors and talented professionals in vintage and historic sports car racing and continuing to service our long time HSR tire customers. We also welcome and are ready to assist new HSR competitors into our growing sport, and look forward to what the future holds for HSR in the new IMSA era.”

Chris Ward, HSR President: “To say that SascoSports and Dave Handy and his wife Robyn Handy are fixtures in the HSR paddock and family is an understatement. It is people like Robyn and David with SascoSports that truly makeup the foundation on which HSR was established and how our organization operates on a daily basis. We are delighted to be able to announce this exciting new partnership on the eve of one of the biggest races in HSR’s history with the 10th running of this weekend’s HSR Daytona Classic 24 Hour Presented by Mission Foods.”

About HSR: An International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) property, Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) was formed in the mid-1970s with an event at Road Atlanta. There was one goal then and it remains true today: to celebrate the racing cars from the past. As a “time machine” of sights and sounds, HSR provides a venue for competitors and spectators alike to share in the wonderful history and excitement created by the cars that competed at race tracks around the world. HSR currently sanctions eight vintage and historic racing events at some of the world’s most renowned race tracks, including Daytona International Speedway, Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Sebring International Raceway and more. The complete schedule and full event information can be found on HSR’s website at www.HSRRace.com. Look for the HSR Channel on YouTube and follow HSR on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/HSRrace/, on Twitter X @HSR_race and on Instagram @HistoricSportscarRacing.

Parker Retzlaff scores second Xfinity pole position at Martinsville

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Parker Retzlaff scored his second NASCAR Xfinity Series pole position of the 2024 season and of his career for the National Debt Relief 250 at Martinsville Speedway on Friday, November 1.

The 21-year-old Retzlaff from Rhinelander, Wisconsin, posted his best qualifying lap at 95.151 mph in 19.901 seconds, which was enough to claim the top starting spot over Anthony Alfredo, who clocked in his best lap at 95.094 mph in 19.913 seconds.

With his accomplishment, Retzlaff, who is set to make his 74th career start in the Xfinity Series on Saturday at Martinsville, notched his first Xfinity pole since he claimed his first at Richmond Raceway in April and he delivered the second NASCAR career pole for Jordan Anderson Racing. Retzlaff, who is ranked in 18th place in this year’s Xfinity standings, also joins JR Motorsports’ Brandon Jones as non-Playoff contenders to start on the pole throughout the 2024 Xfinity Series Playoffs as he continues his pursuit for his first victory in the series.

Joining Retzlaff on the front row will be Anthony Alfredo, who posted his best starting spot of the 2024 season in second place. Alfredo’s previous best starting spot of the season was third at Bristol Motor Speedway in September.

With the front row swept by non-Playoff contenders, Chandler Smith, who is 28 points below the top-four cutline to this year’s Championship 4 round, is the highest-starting Playoff contender in third place after he posted his best qualifying lap at 95.075 mph in 19.917 seconds. He will share the second row alongside Playoff rookie Jesse Love while Playoff contenders Justin Allgaier and Austin Hill will follow suit in the third row.

Rounding out the top-10 starting spots are Playoff contender Sammy Smith, Sheldon Creed, Aric Almirola and Playoff contender Cole Custer.

With six of eight Playoff contenders starting in the top 10 for the main event, the remaining Playoff contenders that include AJ Allmendinger and Sam Mayer will start 11th and 12th, respectively.

Currently, Allmendinger and Austin Hill are the only two Playoff contenders to be guaranteed berths to the Championship 4 field after winning the Round of 8 events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway, respectively. Justin Allgaier and Cole Custer occupy the remaining two vacant spots above the cutline while Chandler Smith, Jesse Love, Sam Mayer and Sammy Smith trail.

All 38 competitors entered for Saturday’s event at Martinsville earned a starting spot.

Qualifying position, best speed, best time:

  1. Parker Retzlaff, 95.151 mph, 19.901 seconds
  2. Anthony Alfredo, 95.094 mph, 19.913 seconds
  3. Chandler Smith, 95.075 mph, 19.917 seconds
  4. Jesse Love, 95.051 mph, 19.922 seconds
  5. Justin Allgaier, 94.993 mph, 19.934 seconds
  6. Austin Hill, 94.965 mph, 19.940 seconds
  7. Sammy Smith, 94.855 mph, 19.963 seconds
  8. Sheldon Creed, 94.851 mph, 19.964 seconds
  9. Aric Almirola, 94.770 mph, 19.981 seconds
  10. Cole Custer, 94.590 mph, 20.019 seconds
  11. AJ Allmendinger, 94.557 mph, 20.026 seconds
  12. Sam Mayer, 94.496 mph, 20.039 seconds
  13. Riley Herbst, 94.176 mph, 20.107 seconds
  14. Brandon Jones, 94.003 mph, 20.144 seconds
  15. William Sawalich, 93.966 mph, 20.152 seconds
  16. Matt DiBenedetto, 93.780 mph, 20.192 seconds
  17. Bubba Pollard, 93.724 mph, 20.204 seconds
  18. Parker Kligerman, 93.696 mph, 20.210 seconds
  19. Brennan Poole, 93.682 mph, 20.213 seconds
  20. Shane van Gisbergen, 93.557 mph, 20.240 seconds
  21. Jeb Burton, 93.235 mph, 20.310 seconds
  22. Myatt Snider, 93.198 mph, 20.318 seconds
  23. Josh Williams, 93.189 mph, 20.320 seconds
  24. Blaine Perkins, 93.180 mph, 20.322 seconds
  25. Leland Honeyman, 93.074 mph, 20.345 seconds
  26. Ryan Ellis, 93.052 mph, 20.350 seconds
  27. Kyle Sieg, 92.569 mph, 20.456 seconds
  28. Dawson Cram, 92.362 mph, 20.502 seconds
  29. Jeremy Clements, 92.348 mph, 20.505 seconds
  30. Garrett Smithley, 91.864 mph, 20.613 seconds
  31. Dylan Lupton, 91.664 mph, 20.658 seconds
  32. Preston Pardus, 91.522 mph, 20.690 seconds
  33. Carson Ware, 90.521 mph, 20.919 seconds
  34. Logan Bearden, Owner Points
  35. Patrick Emerling, Owner Points
  36. Mason Maggio, Owner Points
  37. Greg van Alst, Owner Points
  38. Ryan Sieg, Owner Points

The 2024 National Debt Relief 250 at Martinsville Speedway is set to occur on Saturday, November 2, and air at 4 p.m. ET on the CW Network.

How Independent Ferrari Services Ensure Quality and Care

By
SM
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Photo by Dan74 at https://depositphotos.com/

Owning a Ferrari is a symbol of luxury, performance, and passion. These high-performance vehicles are designed with intricate engineering and top-of-the-line components that demand expert care and attention. For Ferrari owners, regular maintenance and quality service are crucial for preserving the car’s performance and value. While many might think of a dealership for such care, independent Ferrari services offer unique advantages in terms of quality, expertise, and personalized attention.

The Appeal of Independent Ferrari Services

Independent Ferrari service centers provide a dedicated approach tailored to the specific needs of these iconic cars. Unlike general repair shops, independent centers specialize in understanding the intricacies of Ferrari models and are equipped to handle the unique demands of these vehicles. Many Ferrari enthusiasts find that independent services offer a level of expertise and passion for the brand that sets them apart from traditional dealerships.

Advantages of Choosing Independent Ferrari Services

  • Specialized Knowledge: Independent Ferrari technicians have deep experience with Ferrari models, enabling them to provide accurate diagnostics and high-quality repairs.
  • Access to Premium Parts: Reputable independent centers ensure that only authentic or high-quality parts are used, thereby preserving the vehicle’s performance and integrity.
  • Cost-Effective Solutions: Independent Ferrari services often provide high-quality care at a lower cost than dealership services, allowing owners to maintain their vehicles affordably.

Why Independent Ferrari Services Stand Out

Independent Ferrari service centers are dedicated to delivering a personalized experience, taking the time to understand each vehicle’s specific needs. This tailored approach enables Ferrari owners to experience a higher level of care and precision, thereby helping to maintain the car’s pristine condition and optimal performance. Furthermore, these centers often provide more flexibility in scheduling, making it easier for Ferrari owners to get the services they need without extended wait times.

Maintaining Ferrari’s High Resale Value

A well-maintained Ferrari holds its value and appeal, and regular service by an independent Ferrari specialist is key to preserving its resale value. Independent centers are particularly attentive to the detailed care these cars require, from engine performance to luxurious interiors, ensuring that every aspect of the car is maintained with precision.

The Role of Genuine Parts and Equipment

Quality independent Ferrari centers prioritize the use of genuine or equivalent high-quality parts to maintain the car’s original performance and appearance. They also have the tools and equipment designed for Ferrari vehicles, which helps ensure repairs and services meet the standards expected by Ferrari enthusiasts. This commitment to quality parts and equipment is essential for maintaining the car’s high-performance capabilities and reliability.

Finding the Right Independent Ferrari Service

When selecting an independent Ferrari service provider, it’s essential to choose a center with a strong reputation for quality and specialized expertise. Independent Ferrari service centers, staffed with experienced technicians, offer the peace of mind that comes from knowing your vehicle is in the hands of experts. Researching and selecting a reliable provider can help you avoid unnecessary repairs and protect your investment for the long term.

Conclusion: Trust in Independent Ferrari Expertise

For Ferrari owners, choosing an independent service center can be the best option for maintaining their vehicle’s exceptional quality. With specialized expertise, a commitment to genuine parts, and personalized care, independent Ferrari services ensure your vehicle receives the attention it deserves. To explore Ferrari services designed for luxury car enthusiasts, visit here for more details on independent Ferrari care.

Christian Eckes claims Truck pole position for Round of 8 finale at Martinsville

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Christian Eckes struck first in his quest to contend for his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship by winning the pole position for the Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 200 at Martinsville Speedway on Friday, November 1.

The 23-year-old Eckes from Greenville, New York, who was the fastest during Friday’s practice session, turned in his best qualifying lap at 96.830 mph in 19.556 seconds. The result was enough for him to claim the top-starting spot over Playoff contender Ty Majeski, who clocked in his best lap at 96.805 mph in 19.561 seconds.

With the pole position, Eckes, who is in his second consecutive season piloting the No. 19 Chevrolet Silverado RST for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, notched his fourth Truck Series pole of the 2024 season, his 10th of his career and his first since claiming the top-starting spot at Richmond Raceway in August. With Friday night’s Truck event at Martinsville marking the third and final event in this year’s Playoff’s Round of 8, Eckes, who won at Martinsville earlier in April and enters the event 38 points above the top-four cutline to the Championship 4 round, strives to achieve a strong result that will net him a spot in next weekend’s finale at Phoenix Raceway and contend for the series championship.

Playoff contender Ty Majeski, who finished second to Eckes in the spring Martinsville event and currently occupies the final transfer spot to the Championship 4 round by 22 points, will share the front row with Eckes. They will be followed by Playoff contenders Taylor Gray and Nick Sanchez, both of whom are currently scored below the cutline as they occupy the second starting row.

Rookie Layne Riggs will start in fifth place while Ben Rhodes, Playoff contender Corey Heim (who is above the Playoff cutline), Chase Purdy, Kaden Honeycutt and Jack Wood complete the top-10 starting grid.

With five of eight Playoff contenders starting in the top 10 for Friday’s main event, Playoff contender Rajah Caruth and Tyler Ankrum, both of whom are scored below the cutline, will start 11th and 23rd, respectively. In addition, Grant Enfinger, who is already guaranteed a spot in the Championship 4 field after winning the previous two Round of 8 events at Talladega Superspeedway and at Martinsville Speedway, respectively, will line up in 33rd place.

Notably, Johnny Sauter, the 2016 Truck Series champion who is filling in for the suspended Conner Jones in ThorSport Racing’s No. 66 Ford F-150 entry, will start in 13th place while Landen Lewis, a three-time race winner across the ARCA Menards Series platform who is piloting the No. 16 Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota Tundra TRD Pro in place of Sauter, will start alongside Sauter in 14th place. In addition, Matt Mills, who has been medically cleared to compete at Martinsville following his accident and run-in with Conner Jones last weekend at Homestead, will start in 21st place.

All 36 competitors entered for Friday’s event at Martinsville earned a starting spot.

Qualifying position, best speed, best time:

  1. Christian Eckes, 96.830 mph, 19.556 seconds
  2. Ty Majeski, 96.805 mph, 19.561 seconds
  3. Taylor Gray, 96.755 mph, 19.571 seconds
  4. Nick Sanchez, 96.529 mph, 19.617 seconds
  5. Layne Riggs, 96.529 mph, 19.617 seconds
  6. Ben Rhodes, 96.484 mph, 19.626 seconds
  7. Corey Heim, 96.450 mph, 19.633 seconds
  8. Chase Purdy, 96.386 mph, 19.646 seconds
  9. Kaden Honeycutt, 96.293 mph, 19.665 seconds
  10. Jack Wood, 96.097 mph, 19.705 seconds
  11. Rajah Caruth, 95.786 mph, 19.769 seconds
  12. William Sawalich, 95.636 mph, 19.800 seconds
  13. Johnny Sauter, 95.559 mph, 19.816 seconds
  14. Landen Lewis, 95.506 mph, 19.827 seconds
  15. Tanner Gray, 95.444 mph, 19.840 seconds
  16. Matt Crafton, 95.420 mph, 19.845 seconds
  17. Dean Thompson, 95.415 mph, 19.846 seconds
  18. Daniel Dye, 95.400 mph, 19.849 seconds
  19. Timmy Hill, 95.328 mph, 19.864 seconds
  20. Stewart Friesen, 95.175 mph, 19.896 seconds
  21. Matt Mills, 95.022 mph, 19.928 seconds
  22. Matthew Gould, 95.022 mph, 19.928 seconds
  23. Tyler Ankrum, 95.003 mph, 19.932 seconds
  24. Dawson Sutton, 94.960 mph, 19.941 seconds
  25. Bayley Currey, 94.813 mph, 19.972 seconds
  26. Jake Garcia, 94.732 mph, 19.989 seconds
  27. Connor Zilisch, 94.590 mph, 20.019 seconds
  28. Brett Moffitt, 94.125 mph, 20.118 seconds
  29. Dylan Lupton, 94.064 mph, 20.131 seconds
  30. Lawless Alan, 93.989 mph, 20.147 seconds
  31. Corey Day, 93.905 mph, 20.165 seconds
  32. Spencer Boyd, Owner Points
  33. Grant Enfinger, Owner Points
  34. Norm Benning, Owner Points
  35. Clayton Green, Owner Points
  36. Justin Carroll, Owner Points

The 2024 Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 200 at Martinsville Speedway is set to occur on Friday, November 1, and air at 6 p.m. ET on FS1.

RCR Race Preview: Martinsville Speedway

By
Official Release
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Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway… In 191 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, RCR has seven victories, including five by Dale Earnhardt (1985-fall, 1987-spring, 1988-spring, 1991-spring, and 1995-fall). Ricky Rudd won the fall race at Martinsville in 1983, which was RCR’s first Cup Series win on an oval. Kevin Harvick won the 2011 spring race at Martinsville, his first victory at the .526-mile paved speedway. The team owns 31 top-five and 65 top-10 finishes entering Sunday afternoon’s race.

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Martinsville… RCR has one NASCAR Xfinity Series victory at Martinsville Speedway. Kevin Harvick captured the 2006 event in dominating fashion, leading 149 of 250 laps. Clint Bowyer, Harvick’s teammate, finished a close second, crossing the finish line .271 seconds behind. Harvick and Bowyer combined to lead 207 of the event’s 250 laps enroute to a 1-2 finish. In 15 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, the Welcome, N.C., based team has one win, one pole, five top-five and seven top-10 finishes.

Did You Know? Martinsville Speedway is the closest track that hosts a NASCAR Cup Series points race to Richard Childress Racing. The track is just 55 miles from the team’s Welcome, N.C., headquarters.

Catch the Action… The NASCAR Xfinity Series National Debt Relief 250 at Martinsville Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, November 2, beginning at 4 p.m. ET on The CW. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Follow Sunday’s Action at Martinsville Speedway… The NASCAR Cup Series Verizon 500 at Martinsville Speedway will be televised live on Sunday, November 3, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway… In 21 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, Dillon boasts three top-five finishes. He earned his best finish of third in April 2022 at the half-mile short track after starting from the 23rd position. Dillon has made five appearances at Martinsville Speedway in the NASCAR Truck Series, earning his best finish of third in October 2011.

About Bass Pro Shops… Bass Pro Shops is North America’s premier outdoor and conservation company. Founded in 1972 when avid young angler Johnny Morris began selling tackle out of his father’s liquor store in Springfield, Missouri, today the company provides customers with unmatched offerings spanning premier destination retail, outdoor equipment manufacturing, world-class resort destinations, and more. In 2017 Bass Pro Shops united with Cabela’s to create a “best-of-the-best” experience with superior products, dynamic locations, and outstanding customer service. Bass Pro Shops also operates White River Marine Group, offering an unsurpassed collection of industry-leading boat brands, and Big Cedar Lodge, America’s Premier Wilderness Resort. Under the visionary conservation leadership of Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops is a national leader in protecting habitat and introducing families to the outdoors and has been named by Forbes as “one of America’s Best Employers.” Bass Pro Shops has a long relationship with NASCAR, dating back to 1998. For more information, visit http://www.basspro.com/.

Meet Dillon… On Sunday, November 3 at 11:30 a.m. ET, Dillon is scheduled to make an appearance at the NASCAR Experience Stage in the Fan Zone at Martinsville Speedway.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:

What are your thoughts on racing at Martinsville Speedway this weekend?

“I am looking forward to racing at Martinsville Speedway this weekend. There has always been something special about going there for me. It’s a fun track. Martinsville has been good to our No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet team over the years. With the new left-side tire compound, the car has changed quite a bit since last year, so the team is working hard to make sure we are prepared to take on the challenge. Martinsville is the smallest points track we race on so being aggressive will be key for 500 laps when the time calls for it. This time of year is my favorite to be in Virginia because of the great weather and of course, the famous hotdogs in Martinsville. There will be a lot of excitement for the fans in this race.”

Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway… Kyle Busch will make his 39th NASCAR Cup Series start at Martinsville Speedway this weekend. The driver of the Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet has two victories at the .526-mile oval (2016-spring and 2017-fall). His victory in 2016 came in dominating fashion. Busch led 352 of 500 laps and boasted an average running position in the race of 1.49, becoming the first driver to score a NASCAR national series sweep at Martinsville (he won the Truck Series race the day prior to his Cup victory). In 2017, Busch claimed his second Martinsville victory in NASCAR Overtime when he held off Martin Truex Jr. The Las Vegas, Nev., native has 17 top-five finishes and has two pole positions (2014 and 2018). He ranks third among active drivers with 1,429 laps led in Cup competition at Martinsville.

Did You Know? Entering this weekend’s race, Busch has been running at the finish in 37 consecutive Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway. He has 21 top-10 finishes at the Virginia short track, averaging a top-10 finish in 55.26 percent of those events.

About Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen… Cheddar’s serves American classics and homestyle comfort food in a feel-at-home atmosphere. Guests get a lot, for not a lot with homemade entrees like hand-breaded Chicken Tenders, homemade Chicken Pot Pie and slow-smoked Baby Back Ribs so big, they almost fall off the plate. To kick off a memorable meal, every Guest is welcomed with a warm Honey Butter Croissant on the house. Cheddar’s operates more than 180 restaurants in 27 states and employs more than 15,000 friendly and passionate team members. Cheddar’s is open for lunch and dinner, now featuring new weekday lunch specials, starting at just $8.59. For more information or to locate the nearest restaurant, visit Cheddars.com. Fans can like or follow Cheddar’s on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:

How important was it to participate in the recent tire test at Martinsville Speedway? Are you pleased with the tire compound chosen for this race?

“Anytime you’re able to get added track time, it is definitely beneficial. Track time is limited this day and age with not much practice and no open tests for everyone. I think we learned a few things at the test that will hopefully help us at the race. I feel like the tire compounds that were chosen are going to be better than what we had before.”

How rewarding would it be for you to put together a strong run at Martinsville Speedway?

“It would certainly be nice to get back on track with a good short track package and find some success at Martinsville Speedway again. I feel like my notes and laps at the recent test from Martinsville should help our team pay dividends to a strong run.”

Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway… Jesse Love has made one career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Martinsville Speedway, earning a ninth-place result earlier this season while piloting the No. 2 Chevrolet.

Last Chance to Advance… With one race remaining in the Round of 8, Love enters Martinsville Speedway in the sixth position in the Playoff driver championship point standings, 35 points below the fourth-place cutline.

Returning for More in 2025… Earlier this week, RCR and Whelen announced a continuation of their partnership in 2025. The global leader in the emergency warning industry for over 70 years will remain the anchor sponsor for Love and the No. 2 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

About Whelen Engineering… Whelen Engineering is a family-owned company with a pioneering spirit and a passion to protect the lives of those who protect and serve others. The company mission is to provide industry-defining safety solutions around the world, while creating a community of problem-solvers who are inspired to push boundaries and continue our legacy of delivering ground-breaking innovation. As a global leader in the emergency warning industry, Whelen has been trusted to perform since 1952, when George Whelen III invented the first rotating aviation beacon. Whelen now encompasses two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Connecticut and New Hampshire with over 750,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing space and the largest design staff in the industry. Every part of every Whelen product is proudly designed and manufactured in America. We embrace quality as our foundation, we celebrate innovative engineering in every product we produce.

JESSE LOVE QUOTE:

With one race remaining in the Round of 8, what are your thoughts heading to Martinsville Speedway?

“I’m not sure if I thought we would run this good during the Playoffs after our summer stretch, but that’s a testament to the hard work that Danny Stockman and everyone at Richard Childress Racing has put in. We’ve had a great Round of 8 so far and still find ourselves 35 points below the cutline. It shows how good you have to be to make the Championship 4. We still have a shot to advance though, so our full focus has been on winning the race at Martinsville Speedway this Saturday. We already have two guys (Austin Hill and AJ Allmendinger) from Welcome, N.C. running for the championship and the No. 2 team is hoping to make it three.”

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway… Austin Hill has made five career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, posting one top-five and two top-10 finishes in 2022 while driving the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. The Winston, Georgia native also has 11 NASCAR Truck Series starts at the Ridgeway, Virginia facility, earning one top-five (second in 2021) and three top-10 finishes.

Moving On to the Champ 4… With last week’s dominating win at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where the 30-year-old captured Stage 1, Stage 2, and the race victory, Hill has advanced to the Championship 4 for the first time in his career.

About Bennett Family of Companies… McDonough-Ga. based Bennett Family of Companies is a woman-owned, Women’s Enterprise Business Council (WBENC) certified, diversified transportation and logistics company. Through its 14 affiliated operating companies, the Bennett Family of Companies delivers integrated transportation and supply chain management solutions worldwide. Bennett has 4,625 drivers/owner-operators, over 1,000 employees and 600 agents located across the United States. For more information, visit www.bennettig.com.

Meet Hill… On Saturday, November 2 at 1:35 p.m. ET, Hill is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler located in the Fan Zone at Martinsville Speedway. Stop by to meet the Championship 4 driver before taking to the paperclip-shaped oval.

AUSTIN HILL QUOTE:

With already being locked into the Championship 4, what is the outlook for this weekend at Martinsville Speedway?

“Not having to worry about Martinsville Speedway this weekend is a fun and new place to be for myself. To not have the pressure and stress that a lot of other drivers are going to have. Martinsville is a place that anything can happen even if you are up front and leading laps. A 20- or 30-point lead can go away in a flash. That is the biggest take away from our win last weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. We still want to go win a clock this weekend, but our focus this week has definitely been on racing for a championship at Phoenix Raceway.”

All-New Triton Wins Golden Award at VMARK Vietnam Design Awards 2024

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TOKYO, Nov 1, 2024 – (JCN Newswire) – Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (hereafter, Mitsubishi Motors) announced that the all-new Triton has been selected as a golden award winner at the VMARK Vietnam Design Awards 2024 in the Best Transportation Design category. This marks the second time that Mitsubishi Motors has won the award, after the Xforce topped the same category in 2023.

Established in 2018, the VMARK Vietnam Design Awards is organized by the VDAS Design Association based in Ho Chi Minh City. This year, a jury of 42 internationally renowned design practitioners evaluated design projects from Vietnam and around the world, and each entry was evaluated against the five criteria of innovativeness, eco-friendliness, identity, functionality, and community. The most outstanding designs received the golden award, and this year, 19 projects were selected as gold award winners out of a total of 700 entries.

The Triton is Mitsubishi Motors’ one-ton pickup truck that traces its roots back to the Forte originally released in 1978. In the 45 years since, this global strategic vehicle from Mitsubishi Motors has sold a cumulative total of approximately 5.7 million units in approximately 150 countries spanning five generations of models. Developed under the product concept of “Power for Adventure,” the all-new Triton features a complete overhaul of everything from the interior and exterior design to the chassis, ladder frame and engine, and more. It was first launched in Thailand – where its production site is located – in July 2023 and introduced in Japan in February 2024. The all-new Triton is being rolled out sequentially in 100 countries worldwide.

In attending the VMARK Vietnam Design Award 2024 ceremony, Kazuhiro Watanabe, Division General Manager of Sales & Marketing Division, Mitsubishi Motors Vietnam Co., Ltd., commented: “This award is a testament to our 30-year journey of ‘Drive ahead together for everyday Adventure’ in Vietnam. The all-new Triton embodies this commitment by delivering exceptional quality, innovation, and a driving experience that resonates with the adventurous spirit of the Vietnamese people.”

Norihiko Yoshimine, Product Design Director, Mitsubishi Motors, who designed the Triton, cheerfully commented, “The Triton expresses the majestic aura that is distinctively Mitsubishi, possessing both robustness and agility in addition to the toughness and sheer power expected of a pickup truck. Following in the footsteps of the award for the Xforce last year, I am deeply honored that the all-new Triton has earned such high recognition at the VMARK Vietnam Design Awards this year. This award will provide a boost, but we will also continue doing our utmost to promote the Triton’s appeal to even more customers in Vietnam.”

VMARK Vietnam Design Awards 2024 Awards Page (only available in English and Vietnamese) www.vietnamdesignweek.org/vmark-vietnam-design-week-2024

About Mitsubishi Motors

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (TSE:7211) — a member of the Alliance with Renault and Nissan — is a global automobile company based in Tokyo, Japan, which has about 28,000 employees and a global footprint with production facilities in Japan and the ASEAN region. Mitsubishi Motors has a competitive edge in SUVs, pickup trucks and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and appeals to ambitious drivers willing to challenge convention and embrace innovation. Since the production of our first vehicle more than a century ago, Mitsubishi Motors has been a leader in electrification — launched the i-MiEV, the world’s first mass-produced electric vehicle in 2009, followed by the Outlander PHEV, the world’s first plug-in hybrid electric SUV in 2013. With a target of increasing the sales ratio of electrified vehicles to 100% by 2035, Mitsubishi Motors will deliver models that embody Mitsubishi Motors-ness and contribute to the realization of a carbon-neutral society.For more information on Mitsubishi Motors, please visit the company’s website at www.mitsubishi-motors.com/en/

Young’s Motorsports Martinsville Speedway November Team Preview

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Young’s Motorsports | NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series
Martinsville (Va.) Speedway | Zip Buy Now Pay Later 200

Fast Facts

No. 02 Young’s Motorsports Team:
Driver: Dylan Lupton
Primary Partner(s): Young’s Building Systems | Randco Industries Inc.
Manufacturer: Chevrolet Silverado RST
Crew Chief: Andrew Abbott
2024 Driver Points Position: N/A
2024 Owner Points Position: 29th
Engine: Ilmor Racing Technologies

Notes of Interest:

Welcome Back To The Team: For Friday night’s Zip Buy Now Pay Later 200 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, Young’s Motorsports welcomes back Dylan Lupton to command the team’s flagship No. 02 Chevrolet Silverado RST for his first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series start for Young’s Motorsports since the 2019 season at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

Lupton also drove for the team at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in 2016, where he delivered a strong 12th-place showing in his Young’s Motorsports debut.

About Dylan: Dylan is a 30-year-old rising star on the NASCAR scene. Lupton has raced in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, sparking the interest and eyes of many throughout the industry as a true talent.

Known for his quiet demeanor but explosive talent on the track, Lupton is also known for his California-style off-track, bringing a new edge and style to the sport that has yet to be seen.

While juggling an aggressive racing schedule, Lupton graduated from the University of North Carolina Charlotte in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in business finance.

For 2024, Lupton returned to the NASCAR Xfinity Series after a brief sabbatical driving the No. 15 Ford Mustang for AM Racing in the final six races of the Xfinity Series season.

In addition to Xfinity, Lupton spent most of 2024 competing in select Late-Model events on the West Coast and in a limited Trans Am Series XGT Class schedule.

He is joining Young’s Motorsports for the penultimate Truck Series race of the year at Martinsville Speedway to acquire additional seat time for Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the historic Virginia short track.

All-Aboard!: For the 22nd of 23 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series races this season, Young’s Building Systems will serve as the primary marketing partner on the No. 02 Chevrolet Silverado RST for the 200-lap race on Friday night.

Since 1981, Young’s Building Systems has been providing West Texas with all their metal building needs. This family-owned and operated business has become an industry favorite due to the experience gained and the professional results completed. Young’s Building System is a division of Randco Industries, Inc. We have expanded into a company that has the ability to erect any type of building, from a small single story to a city high-rise.

Our customers have multiple uses for our buildings, including commercial, residential, agricultural, industrial, skid-mounted buildings and compressor station buildings.

We also have a team that specializes in stairs and railings of all shapes and sizes. Young’s Building Systems is fully insured for your peace of mind, so we carry workmen’s compensation and general liability coverage that goes above and beyond State requirements.

Our company is fully equipped with moving and lifting equipment along with compressors, generators and welding equipment. We have the tools and equipment needed to support large, demanding projects. Our work ethic is based on the principles of quality, promptness, and customer experience.

Young’s Building Systems continuously raises our standard of excellence and works hard to make sure that each and every one of your needs are met.

Dylan Lupton Truck Series Martinsville Speedway Stats: Friday night’s Zip Buy Now Pay Later 200 will mark Lupton’s first career Truck Series start at the legendary 0.526-mile paperclip oval.

However, Lupton did make one NASCAR Cup Series start at Martinsville during the 2016 season, competing in the Goody’s Fast Relief 500, piloting the No. 83 BK Racing Toyota Camry.

The Truck Series set the tone for a huge weekend of racing in the “Old Dominion” with the Xfinity Series set for their elimination race in their second round of the Playoffs in Saturday afternoon’s National Debt Relief 250.

On Sunday, Nov. 3, the NASCAR Cup Series will have their final opportunity to set the Championship 4 lineup with the final race in the Round of 8 Playoffs with a tense afternoon of racing in the Xfinity 500.

Martinsville Speedway marks the 11th race of the second half of the 2024 Truck Series season.

Dylan Lupton Truck Series Career Stats: Entering Martinsville Speedway, Lupton, since 2016, has 15 career Truck Series starts with an average finish of 17.7.

During his limited Truck Series career, Lupton has tallied one top-five and four top-10 finishes, including a career-best fifth-place finish at Kentucky Speedway driving for TRICON Garage.

Young’s Motorsports’ NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway: This weekend will mark Young’s Motorsports’ 33rd NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series start at Martinsville Speedway.

The organization posted a team-best finish at the track of ninth in the 2018 edition of the Alpha Energy Solutions 250 on March 26, 2018, with Xfinity Series championship contender Austin Hill at the wheel.

Since 2012, the Mooresville, N.C.-based Young’s Motorsports team has had an average starting position of 21.9 and an average finish of 21.9 in 32 Martinsville Speedway starts overall.

Young’s Motorsports’ NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series History: Since entering the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series in 2012, the Mooresville, N.C., – based organization has logged 506 starts from 70 drivers, resulting in solid performances that include two victories (Talladega Superspeedway 2019 and 2021), seven top-five finishes and 33 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 23.1 and an average finishing position of 22.1.

Follow on Social Media: For more on Dylan Lupton like him on Facebook (Lupton Racing) and follow him on Instagram (@luptondylan) and X | Twitter (@LuptonDylan).

For more on Young’s Motorsports, please visit YoungsMotorsports.com, like them on Facebook (Young’s Motorsports), and follow them on Instagram (@youngsmotorsports) and X |Twitter (@youngsmtrsports).

Dylan Lupton Pre-Race Quote:

On Martinsville Speedway: “I am happy to be back with the Young’s Motorsports team this weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Obviously, it’s been a while since I’ve raced at Martinsville, so getting some extra laps in a truck will help not only for the Xfinity Series race but also hopefully give us the opportunity to duplicate or better the Young’s Motorsports team’s strong finish at Martinsville in the spring.”

Race Information:

The Zip Buy Now Pay Later 200 (200 laps | 226.1 miles) is the 22nd of 23 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series races on the 2024 schedule. Practice begins on Friday, November 1, 2024, from 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Qualifying will follow from 2:05 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The 36-truck field will take the green flag later that night shortly after 6:00 p.m. ET with live coverage on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. All times are local (ET).

Young’s Motorsports | NASCAR Xfinity Series

Martinsville (Va.) Speedway | National Debt Relief 250

Fast Facts

No. 42 Young’s Motorsports Team:

Driver: Leland Honeyman Jr.

Primary Partner(s): Quix Rx

Manufacturer: Chevrolet Camaro

Crew Chief: Andrew Abbott

2024 Driver Points Position: 22nd

2024 Owner Points Position: 26th

Engine: Earnhardt-Childress Racing

Notes of Interest:

Stretch Drive: In January, Young’s Motorsports announced they would graduate from the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series to the NASCAR Xfinity Series full-time in 2024 with rising star Leland Honeyman Jr. behind the wheel of the team’s No. 42 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro for the entire 33-race season continuing with Saturday afternoon’s National Debut Relief 250 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

About Leland: The Phoenix, Ariz. native began honing his racing skills at the tender age of two racing Quads. By four years old, he moved into Trophy Karts and then collected three series championships in off-road racing Trophy Karts.

After an instrumental tenure in Go Karts, he moved into the Bandolero competition in 2015 and was crowned a Bandolero National Champion two years later. From there, he moved into Limited Late Models before graduating to the Carolina Pro Late Model Series division in 2021, where he earned championship-runner-up honors and picked up an astounding victory in the annual Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway Fall Brawl.

Honeyman, 19, returns to the Mooresville, N.C.-based organization, where he ran an impressive ARCA Menards Series East Series campaign, finishing third in the 2022 championship standings.

During the 2023 season, he made eight NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, highlighted by a 21st-place finish at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Road Course.

All-Aboard!: For the 32nd of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races this season, Young’s Motorsports welcomes Quix Rx who will partner with the Mooresville, N.C.-based team as the primary partner on the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro for the 250-lap race on Saturday afternoon.

Quix Rx is an easy-to-use platform offering huge savings on prescriptions and helping Americans save up to 90% on prescriptions and over-the-counter medication.

The price of medication varies significantly between pharmacies, and many patients never realize there are better prices available online than at their local pharmacy.

Quix Rx offers online discounts on an extensive range of pharmacy products. We help you find the best prices at pharmacies across the country, so you get the prescriptions and over-the-counter medications you need, at a price you can afford.

Leland Honeyman Jr. NASCAR Xfinity Series Martinsville Speedway Stats: Saturday afternoon’s National Debut Relief 250 at Martinsville Speedway will mark Honeyman’s third Xfinity start at the 0.526-mile track located in the Old Dominion.

In his track debut last April, Honeyman finished a track-best 25th after starting 30th in the 2023 edition of the Call 811 Before You Dig 250 for Alpha Prime Racing.

This weekend is part of a doubleheader elimination race of the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Playoffs with the Xfinity and Cup Series respectively.

Honeyman and the Young’s Motorsports team join the non-Playoff Xfinity Series teams looking to spoil the Playoff parade which continues on Saturday afternoon with the final race of the semifinal round.

On Sunday, Nov. 2, the NASCAR Cup Series will take the green flag in their elimination round of 8 expected slugfest for a tense afternoon of racing in the Xfinity 500.

The Xfinity Series rookie driver will look to improve his overall short track average Xfinity finish of 24.2.

Leland Honeyman Jr. NASCAR Xfinity Career Stats: Entering Martinsville, Honeyman has 39 career NASCAR Xfinity Series races to his credit, earning a career-best fourth-place finish at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway after starting 33rd in the Ag-Pro 300 for Young’s Motorsports in April 2024.

Since 2023, he has carried an average finish of 23.4.

Homestead-Miami Speedway | Credit One NASCAR Amex Credit Card 300 Race Recap: In the 31st race of the 2024 Xfinity Series season, Young’s Motorsports and Honeyman searched for another solid finish in the team’s Xfinity Series solo trip to Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Once again showcasing speed in practice, Honeyman immediately moved forward from his 26th-place qualifying and contended for a top-20 finish until mechanical gremlins haunted the team and took them out of contention for a satisfying finish.

A relentless effort from the team, however, allowed Honeyman to remain on the track, persevere, and take the checkered flag in 30th position for the final intermediate race of the season.

Calling the Shots: Guiding Honeyman Jr. as crew chief of the No. 42 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro is longtime crew chief Andrew Abbott.

On Saturday, he will be crew chief in his 129th NASCAR Xfinity Series race. In his previous 128 races, he has four top-five and 13 top-10 finishes.

The season’s 32nd race will be his fifth tango at Martinsville Speedway as crew chief in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Young’s Motorsports’ NASCAR Xfinity Series at Martinsville Speedway: This weekend will mark Young’s Motorsports’ second NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Martinsville Speedway.

In April, the team started 25th but finished 31st with rookie Leland Honeyman Jr. at the wheel.

While the family-owned team has limited NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Martinsville, the team since 2012, the Young’s Motorsports team has had an average starting position of 21.9 and an average finish of 21.9 in 32 Martinsville Speedway Truck Series starts overall.

On March 26, 2018, the organization posted a Truck Series-team best finish of ninth at the track in the Alpha Energy Solutions 250 with Xfinity Series championship contender Austin Hill behind the wheel.

Young’s Motorsports’ NASCAR Xfinity Series History: Since entering the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2024, the family-owned organization has logged 31 starts and maintains an average starting position of 27.4 and an average finish of 22.8.

Follow on Social Media: For more on Leland Honeyman Jr., please visit LelandHoneymanRacing.com, like him on Facebook (Leland Honeyman Racing) and follow on Instagram (@lelandhoneymanjr) and X |Twitter (@lelandhoneyman3).

For more on Young’s Motorsports, please visit YoungsMotorsports.com, like them on Facebook (Young’s Motorsports), and follow them on Instagram (@youngsmotorsports) and X |Twitter (@youngsmtrsports).

Leland Honeyman Jr. Pre-Race Quote:

On Martinsville Speedway: “We’re heading to Martinsville looking to get this monkey off our back. We’ve had incredible speed with our No. 42 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet Camaros for the last two weeks. Unfortunately, we’ve been plagued by some bad luck and don’t have much to show for our performance.

“Martinsville is a good place to rebound with our No. 42 Quix Rx Chevrolet Camaro and get some momentum on our side heading to Phoenix for the season finale.”

Race Information:

The National Debt Relief 250 (250 laps | 131.5 miles) is the 32nd of thirty-three (33) NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2024 schedule. Practice will occur on Friday, November 1, from 3:35 p.m. to 4:10 p.m. Qualifying will immediately follow. The 38-car field will take the green flag on Saturday, November 2, shortly after 4:00 ET, with live coverage on the CW Network, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. All times are local (Eastern).

Silver Hare Eyes Titles at COTA Season Finale

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Official Release
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Jake Drew Looks To Lock Down Rookie, Young Guns Championships Joined by Boris Said Jr., TA2 Series Newcomer Vincent Apple

HIGH POINT, N.C. (Oct. 31, 2024) – A pair of season-long championships are on the line in the Silver Hare Racing camp as it heads to the 2024 Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series finale Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas.

First-year TA2 competitor Jake Drew, the 24-year-old from Fullerton, California, heads to the 3.4-mile, 20-turn circuit that just two weekends ago hosted Round 19 of the 2024 Formula One World Championship hoping to emerge with both Rookie of the Year honors and first place in the Young Guns standings for drivers under 25. Drew will be joined in the three-car Silver Hare camp by season-long teammate Boris Said Jr., as well as series newcomer Vincent Apple, for Sunday’s 30-lap, 75-minute race.

Drew will contest the 12th and final round of the 2024 TA2 Series season behind the wheel of the No. 57 Silver Hare Racing/Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro. He didn’t make his TA2 debut until the season’s second round in March at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, where he finished just one position short of the podium, but has been a model of consistency ever since with three podium finishes and seven top-fives in 10 races. He arrives for COTA SpeedTour weekend atop the Rookie of the Year standings by a hefty, 76-point margin over second-place Josh Hurley, and is within striking distance in the Young Guns race, trailing leader Thomas Annunziata by 21 points. Drew sits fourth in the overall TA2 standings despite missing the season opener at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway by the same 21-point margin behind third-place Annunziata, who’s contested all 11 rounds thus far. Drew’s most recent podium finish of third came in the Oct. 6 round at Virginia International Raceway, High Point, North Carolina-based Silver Hare Racing’s home track. Drew came to Silver Hare after running a half-dozen NASCAR Truck Series events in 2023 and a 23-race slate of ARCA Menards Series outings from 2021 to 2023 that featured three road-course victories in 2022.

Said, the 20-year-old first-year driver of the No. 75 HendrickCars.com/Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro, returns to the scene of his 2023 season-best finish of seventh a year ago this weekend. He, too, has been a model of consistency in his second fulltime TA2 season, having scored back-to-back career-best finishes of sixth May 25 at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut, and June 22 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington during a string of five top-eight finishes. The son of NASCAR and sportscar racing veteran Boris Said arrives at COTA eighth in the TA2 standings and fourth among the Young Guns despite also missing a round this season, the June 9 race at Pittsburgh International Race Complex.

Making his TA2 Series debut this weekend in the No. 5 Silver Hare Racing/Hope for the City Chevrolet Camaro will be the 43-year-old Apple, an open-wheel racing veteran who hails from Las Vegas who made his mark driving Formula Fords in the U.S. and on the European Formula Renault circuit as a teenager in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He began racing go-karts against the likes of Patrick Long and Danica Patrick at the age of 12, and competed against name drivers, including Kimi Räikkönen, during his three-year Formula Renault run in Europe. As his schedule running the family mining company has allowed in recent years, Apple has dabbled in sportscar endurance races in the West. Last November, he co-drove to a class victory in the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willows, California. He was behind the wheel for eight of the race’s 25 hours for his five-driver team, which was victorious by a 12-lap margin.

This weekend’s COTA SpeedTour kicks off with a pair of TA2 test sessions at 10:55 and 4:55 p.m. EDT Friday. Official practice is set for 11:30 a.m. Saturday, followed by qualifying at 4:45 p.m. Race time is 10:35 a.m. EST Sunday with live television provided by series partner MAVTV, augmented by live-streaming video on the Trans Am and SpeedTour channels on YouTube. MAVTV will air a 60-minute race show at 8 p.m. EST on Thursday, Nov. 7.

Silver Hare Racing leverages its Trans Am effort to promote its arrive-and-drive program, where aspiring racers and even tenured professionals hone their road-racing skills on some of the most revered tracks in North America. NASCAR Cup Series drivers Daniel Suárez, Christopher Bell, William Byron and Harrison Burton have all wheeled Silver Hare Racing-prepared cars to burnish their road-racing abilities in top-flight equipment.

The team offers six, professionally built and maintained TA2 chassis from Howe Racing for both competition and private testing. Silver Hare Racing has a dedicated, fulltime crew and operates out of a state-of-the-art facility in High Point, North Carolina. At the track, two 53-foot Featherlite transporters serve as the team’s base, each outfitted with a lounge and smart TVs for data and video review, as well as for hospitality.

“With NASCAR having so many more road-course races, it’s our goal for Silver Hare Racing to be the preferred team for drivers to get that road-course experience,” said Laura Hull, Silver Hare Racing co-owner and team manager. “We want to be that important step in the ladder for the young, up-and-coming drivers. We want people to know we have an arrive-and-drive program, where for people who want to run this track or another, we provide the opportunity to do that and be successful.”

Jake Drew, driver, No. 57 Silver Hare Racing/Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro:

You’re down to the last race of your first career season in TA2. How are you planning to approach the weekend at COTA?

“We’ll try and win this thing. I mean, it’s the last race of the year, and of course everybody wants to win, but that’s one of the last things on our list of things to achieve. We have a couple of poles, some podiums, we’ve brought the car back clean every race, looking good for Rookie of the Year. You can’t ask for much more other than let’s go and end the year with a win, give everybody something to stay pumped over the offseason. I haven’t really gotten much advice about how to get around the track at COTA, but I’ve definitely watched a lot of race broadcasts from the last couple of years and it definitely looks like it gets pretty racy and pretty wild at times. So I’ll just have to keep my head on a swivel and try to be ahead of the game on that. I think just keeping everything clean for the whole 100 miles is the biggest part of it. It looks like tempers get going pretty high and there are definitely a lot of danger zones with curves and stuff that can tear up the car. So we’ll try to take care of the car throughout the weekend and throughout the race, and I think we can be in the hunt for a win at the end if we can do that.”

In recent years, while your career centered around stock cars, most notably the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, did you ever think you’d be racing in a road racing series like Trans Am?

“Not really, to be honest with you. I mean, as I started my racing career, I guess I kind of always wondered what it would be like if I got the opportunity to run primarily road courses because it was my whole background, so it’s been really cool to run this whole year with Silver Hare, with the support of Cube 3 and Franklin Road to help finish this year. It’s been humbling, really. It’s been a really tough year, but in a good way, and I appreciate that. I’ve had to push myself really hard to do well and pushing to keep getting better, and we’ve had pretty consistent results. It seems like we’re just looking for that last couple of percent and looking to try and extract that this weekend with our first win together.”

Do you feel a particular cool factor being able to race on a track that just two weeks ago hosted the Formula One World Championship?

“I mean, I think the track’s cool, for sure. I’ve been watching races on it for years and it’s pretty much like a lot of the places we’ve been to this year, and places I got to go to last year and stuff. As I keep progressing in my professional career, it’s cool to visit a lot of these well-known and famous racetracks and look forward to checking one of the bigger ones off the list this weekend. Hopefully we can go out and make it a really memorable one.”

Boris Said Jr., driver, No. 75 HendrickCars.com/Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro:

Your overall thoughts about heading to COTA this weekend in your HendrickCars.com/Silver Hare Camaro, particularly in light of your 2023 season-best finish of seventh there a year ago this weekend?

“The first thing I’m looking forward to is it’s a good field this week with 45 cars out there. There will be a lot of fast cars and it’s going to be really competitive, which is always a good thing. It’s a cool track for TA2 cars and it’s fun, and I like it a lot, so I’m excited. Last year was pretty good. It was very chaotic, but it was a fun and it ended up well. There were quite a few yellows but luckily we ended up missing them all. I’m looking forward to going there this time in my HendrickCars.com Camaro.”

How would you describe what it’s like to race at COTA?

“I think it’s a tighter track than people might think. It has the most slow corners of any track we go to, a lot of hard braking into slow corners, so that’s an element of fun in its own way. I like turn 19 the best, the second-to-last corner, a left-hand sweeper that leads you to the last turn that puts you onto the front straight. I think our Silver Hare cars should be really good there like they have been the last few years.”

Looking back on your first season with Silver Hare Racing, what stands about working with the team?

“It’s been a good year. I’m happy to have done some good racing with Silver Hare this season and I’m looking forward to whatever the future holds. The team has such a tight-knit, family feel to it and everyone really cares a lot about each other and about doing everything the right way. It’s a good place to be, and it’s been a really good experience. Right now, we’re just focused on getting a good, strong finish this weekend, for sure.”

Vincent Apple, driver, No. 5 Silver Hare Racing/Hope for the City Chevrolet Camaro:

With your extensive open-wheel racing background, how did you end up in the Trans Am Series and with Silver Hare Racing?

“I’ve been interested in the Trans Am Series for probably a year and a half now. I’ll be one of the older guys out there, so when I was growing up racing, we didn’t have all the electronics and paddle shifts and ABS and traction control that they have in so many forms of racing today. So I was looking at the Trans Am Series because they call it a driver’s car, there’s not all the computers and aids, it’s up to the driver, which really interested in me. My search for a team led me to Silver Hare and everything kind of came to fruition, which has been really nice. I flew to the shop to do a seat fitting just because I know how important it is to fit in the car properly, so that’s all I’ve had a chance to do. It’ll be out of the pan and into the fire when we get to COTA.”

This will be not only your first time in a TA2 car, but your first outing at COTA. What have you been doing to prepare, and how are you going to approach the weekend?

“COTA’s a track that always kind of stood out to me, one that I know I would love to drive. So here we are, it’s COTA, it’s a TA2 car, I can’t wait to see what I’m capable of. I’ve been telling a lot of people this weekend is going to show me if I’m delusional or not, do I really have what I think, and how this will test me? And that’s what I really want is to see what I’m capable of, see if I’m really as fast as I think I am. I’ve raced against some big names and done fairly well against them, so hopefully some of that will come back and I’ll be good. I’ve been watching a lot of in-car on YouTube to get an idea of shift points, breaking points, and stuff like that so at least I have some kind of an idea. And a lot of it for the weekend for me is just keeping the car in the right direction and just building up slowly, just get used to the car, go out and make sure to get the laps in. I’ll need to be in the upper half of the field in qualifying so that way I can race on Sunday, and of course the biggest thing that I could see is getting through turn one because that seems like a crazy turn with everybody going five- and six-wide and crazy stuff like that.”

About Hendrick Automotive Group:

Representing 131 franchises and 25 manufacturer nameplates from the Carolinas to California, Hendrick Automotive Group is the largest privately held automotive retail organization in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the company employs more than 10,000 people in its 94 dealership locations, 21 collision centers and four accessories distributor installers in 13 states. For more information, please visit HendrickCars.com.

About HendrickCars.com:

HendrickCars.com is the online home for everything Hendrick Automotive Group. Visitors can shop thousands of 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.

About Silver Hare Racing:

Silver Hare Racing is a fulltime competitor in the TA2 division of the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli. The multicar team has won the TA2 masters class championship three times (2018, 2019 and 2020) with driver and team co-owner Maurice Hull. Under the leadership of Hull’s wife, co-owner and team manager Laura Hull, Silver Hare Racing provides a variety of services that includes private testing and arrive-and-drive programs. The team offers six, professionally built and maintained TA2 chassis from Howe Racing and operates from a state-of-the-art facility in High Point, North Carolina. For more information, please call 336-870-5151 or visit SilverHareRacing.com.

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