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Meyer Shank Racing Looking For Toronto Turnaround

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Official Release
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Pataskala, Ohio (17 July 2024) – The summer stretch that features four NTT INDYCAR SERIES races in a three-week stretch will wrap up this weekend in Toronto and Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) is looking to reclaim some momentum after a pair of hard-luck weekends.

Both MSR machines will enter the Toronto race weekend with new looks as the No. 60 and No. 66 MSR cars will adorn SiriusXM Canada branding with the series set to race across the border. David Malukas’ No. 66 SiriusXM Honda will feature a special livery in collaboration with SiriusXM Canada to showcase Canadian rock band, The Tragically Hip (SiriusXM channel 757).

After starting the season with four consecutive top-10 results, MSR has been in the top half of the 27-car field in most races since, but has struggled to card a top-10 result in the last five events. The team has made solid progress since putting Malukas (No. 66 SiriusXM Honda) in the cockpit of the No. 66 car as the young driver has taken that mount to its best finishes of the 2024 season including a season-best 12th-place run at Mid-Ohio after starting third.

Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 SiriusXM Honda) has maintained his solid qualifying form with top-five starting positions at Laguna Seca and the second Iowa Speedway race, but has suffered some unforeseen problems such as the mechanical failure last Sunday that scuttled a potential top-five run in Iowa.

Rosenqvist has led the team’s efforts thus far in 2024, scoring seven top-10 qualifying results through the year’s 11 points-paying races. He brought MSR its first-ever NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole when he led Long Beach qualifying and is just seven points out of the top-10 in the championship standings.

Toronto would seem to be a proper launching point for a Rosenqvist turnaround as the Swedish driver has always shown an affinity for the 11-turn, 1.786-mile street course that weaves throughout the city’s Exhibition Place. Rosenqvist has three previous Toronto starts and has started eighth or better in all of them and has top-10 results in all three starts – capped by a third-place run in 2022. Malukas has two starts, highlighted by a fifth-place qualifying results in his 2022 debut.

MSR will wrap up a three-weekend streak of racing with the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto, which takes place on the streets of the Canadian city. Qualifying takes place on Saturday 2:45 p.m. E.T., with the race broadcast set for Sunday July 21st at 1p.m. on Peacock. The races, along with all other INDYCAR action can be heard live on Sirius XM Radio, Channel 218.

Meyer Shank Racing Driver Quotes:

Felix Rosenqvist: “We had a rough weekend in Iowa and the last few rounds have been a little but disappointing for different reasons, especially with the pace that we started out the season with. Toronto is certainly a track that I have been good at in the past and I have enjoyed racing there. Normally our street course car is pretty good. We’re excited because we have a new chance to bounce back from Iowa.”

David Malukas: “I’m looking forward to switch things up at my first street course this season at the Honda Indy Toronto! Although our recent race results haven’t been what we hoped for, we’re focused on turning things around and are optimistic about what this weekend holds. The Meyer Shank Racing team has been working hard, and I have full confidence in our abilities. Together we’re ready to rise to the occasion and show what we can do on track.”

Layne Riggs and the No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford F-150

By
Official Release
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Indianapolis Raceway Park Competition Notes

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (July 17, 2024) – Layne Riggs is back in action this Friday night, under the lights of the Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP).

Following a 30th place finish at the Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Riggs and the team look to bounce back at a place that has been good for the 22-year-old rookie. With only two previous starts at the 0.686-mile track, Riggs has finished in the Top-10 twice, posting a seventh-place result in 2022 and a third-place result in 2023.

Long John Silvers will join Riggs in his return at IRP, bringing the fan-favorite scheme to the No. 38 Ford F-150.

It will be a one day show for the team with practice and qualifying at 3:30 pm ET. The 200-lap event is scheduled for later that evening at 8:30 pm ET. Fans can watch the action live on FS1 or listen in from the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM channel 90.

No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford F-150:

DRIVER LAYNE RIGGS:

“This is a big weekend for the team and me. We have shown a lot of speed on short tracks this year, and it’s the type of racing I grew up on in my late model days, so I am confident in our performance this weekend. Like I’ve been saying all year, just need to bring a fast Long John Silver’s Ford F-150 and execute on all fronts and I think we have a shot to win.”

CREW CHIEF DYLAN CAPPELLO:

“This track has Layne’s (Riggs) name written all over it. He is a short track guy through and through. We had a good sim session and are confident that we can execute a solid race, it just comes down to qualifying up front and staying up there.”

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. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

NHRA AT SEATTLE: Team Chevy Race Advance | Notes & Quotes

By
Official Release
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CHEVROLET IN NHRA
2024 NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS
PACIFIC RACEWAYS
KENT, WASHINGTON
TEAM CHEVY RACE ADVANCE | NOTES & STATS
JULY 19-21, 2024

CHEVROLET KICKS OFF NHRA’S WESTERN SWING AT PACIFIC RACEWAYS WITH JOHN FORCE RACING FOR THE NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS

Notes:

  • Team Chevy heads to the 2024 NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceway near Seattle, Wash., the 11th round of the season, July 19-21.
  • Returning to competition, Brittany Force will driver her Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster at Seattle this weekend, a place where she holds the Pacific Raceways speed record at 334.73 mph. Force currently sits No. 10 in the NHRA Top Fuel championship standings.
  • Austin Prock, driver of the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, enters the NHRA Northwest Nationals leading the Funny Car championship points standings with 914 points, over Bob Tasca III in second by 178 points, and Matt Hagan by 181 in third.
  • Prock, who captured his first pro victory in NHRA at Seattle five years ago, is also the quickest qualifier in seven of the first 10 events this season while also owning the quickest 1,000-foot time over the last seven years (3.820 seconds at Gainesville).
  • John Force Racing last raced to the Seattle winner’s circle with Robert Hight in 2022, defeating JR Todd while also setting low event E.T. (3.960 seconds) and best reaction time (.050). In the same event, B. Force raced to the final round.
  • Pro Stock returns to competition at Pacific Raceways this weekend after a brief hiatus, last competing at the northwestern track in 2022. Troy Coughlin, Jr. took the win over Erica Enders.

Quotes:

AUSTIN PROCK, DRIVER OF THE CORNWELL TOOLS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS FUNNY CAR:

“The Funny Car is such a challenge to drive. You have the same amount of horsepower (as a dragster) but you’re missing 175 inches of wheelbase. I loved driving the Top Fuel car, but Funny Car is where I belong. I always dreamed of driving one like my grandpa (Tom Prock, a Funny Car contemporary of Don “the Snake” Prudhomme and Tom McEwen) and I am having an absolute blast. I’m loving every second of it. I love the challenge. I love sitting behind the engine. I love the body dropping (down over me) and, to top it off, I’m doing all of it with my family (dad Jimmy is crew chief on the Cornwell Camaro along with brother Thomas).”

BRITTANY FORCE, DRIVER OF THE FLAV-R-PAC CHEVROLET TOP FUEL DRAGSTER:

“I’m glad to get back to the racetrack after a tough few weeks. I want to thank (crew chief) David Grubnic, John Collins and my team for their patience and support of my decision to stay with my father while racing continued in Norwalk. Missing a race was tough, but I needed to be with my dad and family.

“I’m proud to be running our Flav-R-Pac dragster this weekend to honor our longtime partner, Frank Tiegs. He always reminded me to make sure I was still having fun because that is when you perform at your best. We won a championship together in 2022 and I’m proud to carry him and his family on the car this weekend.

“Our team’s current focus is to improve our starting position in the Countdown. We’ve made great strides in our last few races and I’m eager to take that next step and put our Flav-R-Pac dragster in the winners’ circle for the Tiegs family and my dad!”

How to Watch:

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series action from Pacific Raceways near Seattle airs first with qualifying from the weekend on Friday, July 19 at 10:30 p.m. ET. Saturday’s qualifying airs Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, with Finals starting at 4 p.m. ET on FOX. Qualifying will air with the NHRA on FOX team on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Coverage streams live throughout the weekend on NHRA.tv, and is available via AppleTV, Android TV, and Roku devices.

TEAM CHEVY BY THE NUMBERS:

1,460: Round wins for John Force (1st all-time).
626: Round wins for Robert Hight; 13th all-time. Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), sits 12th, with 630.
167: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for John Force (1st all-time).
164: Number of Chevrolet Racing Funny Car wins since 1967.
84: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for Robert Hight (6th all-time). Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel) is fifth with 88.
84: Number of Chevrolet Racing Funny Car wins with the Camaro SS body.
47: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for Brittany Force.
28: Number of NHRA championships Chevrolet holds as a manufacturer since entering the first in 1966. This is the seventh consecutive award and ninth in 11 seasons. No other manufacturer has won it more than Chevrolet.
26: Wins by John Force in a Chevrolet-bodied Funny Car.
20: Chevrolet career Top Fuel wins in NHRA.
16: Number of Chevrolet career wins by Brittany Force.
7: Number of Funny Car driver championships.
2: Number of Top Fuel driver championships.

About Chevrolet

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

Michael McDowell and the No. 34 Horizon Hobby Ford Mustang Dark Horse

By
Official Release
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Indianapolis Motor Speedway Competition Notes

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (July 17, 2024) – Michael McDowell and the No. 34 team return to The Brickyard for the final race before the two-week Olympic Break.

McDowell is the defending winner at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, winning the Verizon 200 last year on the road course and locking his place in the NASCAR Playoffs. For the oval configuration, it will be his 12th career Cup Series start with a best finish of 7th-place in 2020, the last time the Cup Series raced on the oval.

Horizon Hobby is back on the 34 for the first time since the Phoenix Raceway in March, where McDowell scored his second Top-10 of the season with an 8th-place finish. The 34 will also have LOSI branding on the car, the makers of the 1/12th scale NASCAR RC Race Car, featuring McDowell’s Ford Mustang Ford Dark Horse.

On track action for the Cup Series will begin Friday July 19 with practice at 2:30 p.m. ET on the NBC Sports App and qualifying on Saturday, July 20 at 1:00 p.m. ET on USA Network. The Brickyard 400 will be at 2:30 p.m. ET, Sunday July 21, televised on NBC. Fans can also listen to the action on SiriusXM Channel 90.

No. 34 Horizon Hobby Ford Mustang Dark Horse:

DRIVER MICHAEL MCDOWELL:

“It is cool to go back there because we won last year and there will be banners there with us in victory lane. That is cool. It is going to be fun. It’s a great feeling returning to Indy as the defending race winner – even though we’re back on the oval, not the road course. There’s something really special about going to Indy – it’s almost hard to explain. That track has so much history and so many emotions associated with it, it’s a place where you really want to win. At the end of the day, a lot of the time you’re battling the track itself. It can be difficult to pass because the corners are so tight and you can’t really run well in a pack. Track position and restarts will be the key to a good run.

“It’s super exciting to see Horizon Hobby back on our Ford Mustang Dark Horse. They have been such a fun partner to represent and it’s going to be fun to see them again this weekend.”

CREW CHIEF TRAVIS PETERSON:

“We’re excited to go back to Indy. It’s the track where I got my first win as a crew chief, so it will always be a special place, personally. Being back on the oval will have its own set of challenges compared to the road course. It’s a tough place to pass and track position and strategy will be key. Michael is one of the few Cup drivers with experience on the oval, so we’ll have a good gameplan for this weekend. We just need to capitalize on the opportunity.”

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. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

William Ashley is the official trophy provider of the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto

By
Official Release
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Defending Toronto race winner Christian Lundgaard will reveal this year’s Waterford Crystal trophies tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. ET at the William Ashley store on 131 Bloor St. West

TORONTO (July 17, 2024) – William Ashley is back as an official partner and the trophy provider of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES race this Sunday at Exhibition Place, headlining the 36th edition of the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto weekend, set for July 19-21.

The 2024 versions of the William Ashley Waterford Crystal trophies will be revealed tomorrow (July 18) at 10:30 a.m. ET inside William Ashley’s downtown Toronto flagship store located at 131 Bloor St. West with help from NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver Christian Lundgaard. Lundgaard, driver of the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, claimed his first career INDYCAR win with his victory last year on the streets of Toronto.

The celebrated retailer for tableware, home décor and kitchenware has provided the spectacular William Ashley Waterford Crystal trophies to the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto winner at every race since 2011. These custom-made masterpieces are crafted by Waterford and hand blown at their factory in Waterford, Ireland. The first-place trophy takes an artisan 48 hours to make and is etched by hand with a remarkable rendering of the Toronto skyline.

“We are proud to continue this decade-plus tradition of awarding these iconic William Ashley Waterford Crystal trophies at the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto,” said Jeff Atkinson, president of the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto. “The dedication and craftsmanship required to make these beautiful pieces reflects the same skill and precision INDYCAR drivers possess as they compete to win on Toronto’s downtown streets. We look forward to unveiling the 2024 William Ashley trophies tomorrow!”

Media members are invited to attend the event at the William Ashley store at 131 Boor St. West. The trophy will be revealed, and then both Jeff Atkinson, Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto president, and Christian Lundgaard will be available for interviews.

Your Ontario Honda Dealers Present Honda Present Free Fan Friday returns for the 13th time at the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto this year offering complimentary general admission on Friday, July 19, with a voluntary contribution to Make-A-Wish® Canada. These fundraising activities have been an integral part of Toronto’s marquee racing event for more than a decade with over $1 million raised toward granting wishes for children living with critical illnesses.

General Admission tickets for the weekend are still available with 2-Day Weekend General Admission tickets priced at $80. Single Day General Admission is $50 for Saturday and $65 for Sunday. Children 12 and under are admitted free (general admission) with a ticketed adult providing an exceptional family value.

About Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto:

Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto is a world-class motorsports festival which takes place annually on a 2.874-kilometre (1.786-mile), 11-turn temporary circuit using the streets surrounding Exhibition Place near Lake Ontario in downtown Toronto. The event features many attractions, food trucks, interactive displays and activities, and supports local charities. Your Ontario Honda Dealers Present Free Fan Friday offers general admission courtesy of the Ontario Honda Dealers Association through a voluntary donation. To date, over $1 million has been raised for Make-A-Wish® Canada. As one of Ontario’s largest annual sporting events, the first race held in 1986 was known as the Molson Indy, later became the Honda Indy Toronto and is now titled Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto. It has become a prestigious meeting place for some of the world’s fastest race car drivers including past NTT INDYCAR SERIES champions like Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Alex Palou and Will Power as well as Canadian racing greats Scott Goodyear, James Hinchcliffe, Greg Moore, Alex Tagliani, Paul Tracy, Jacques Villeneuve, Robert Wickens and more. Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto is owned and operated by Green Savoree Toronto, ULC, whose affiliates also promote three additional INDYCAR SERIES races: Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding (March 8-10, 2024), The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid (July 5-7, 2024) and BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland (Aug. 23-25, 2024).

For more information, visit hondaindy.com, ‘like’ its Facebook page @IndyToronto or follow the event on X (formerly Twitter) @HondaIndy and Instagram @HondaIndy using #indyTO.

JR Motorsports — NXS Indianapolis Preview

By
Official Release
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JR Motorsports Team Preview
TRACK – Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5-mile oval)
NXS RACE – Pennzoil 250 (100 laps / 250 miles)
TUNE IN – USA, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM Channel 90 at 3:30 p.m. (ET)

Sam Mayer

No. 1 – Huck’s Market Chevrolet

Mayer 2024 NXS Stats

Starts: 19

Wins: 2

Top 5s: 7

Top 10s: 10

Laps Led: 118

Avg. Finish: 15.7

Points: 10th

  • Sam Mayer heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series start on the famed 2.5-mile oval configuration.
  • In 20 starts on oval tracks measuring greater than two miles in length, the Franklin, Wis. native has earned four top-five and seven top-10 efforts, with a best of second coming last season at Pocono Raceway.
  • Huck’s Market is back on board the No. 1 Chevrolet with Mayer for its third appearance at The Brickyard.
  • After the 19th race of the regular NXS season, the driver of the No. 1 JRM Chevrolet currently sits 10th in the NXS point standings and is locked into the playoffs with seven races remaining in the regular season.

Sam Mayer

“I am super excited to run the oval at Indy for the first time in my career. I love coming to this track and we have run really well on the road course in the past, so I am anxious to see how we can do on this historic oval. Mardy (Lindley, crew chief) and the guys continue to unload rocket ships every weekend for me and I have complete confidence that we can keep the momentum going this weekend at The Brickyard.”

Justin Allgaier

No. 7 Jarrett Chevrolet

Allgaier 2024 NXS Stats

Starts: 19

Wins: 1

Top 5s: 6

Top 10s: 11

Laps Led: 517

Avg. Finish: 13.5

Points: 2nd

  • Justin Allgaier is a former winner on the hallowed ground of Indianapolis, taking the checkered flag on the oval in 2018.
  • Overall, in six career NXS starts at the legendary oval, Allgaier has scored three top fives and three top 10s to accompany the 2018 victory.
  • The Illinois native also scored a runner-up finish in the most recent NXS event on the 2.5-mile rectangular oval after leading for 24 laps.
  • This weekend marks the return of Jarrett Logistics onboard Allgaier’s No. 7 Chevrolet for the fourth time this season.

Justin Allgaier

“It’s great to be going back to the oval at Indianapolis. This is such a special place. I grew up watching races here and to be able to have the opportunity to go to Victory Lane again on the oval definitely means a lot. Hopefully our Jarrett Chevrolet will be just as strong as we have been throughout this season and we can put ourselves where we want to be in the end. If we can do that, I see no reason why we won’t have the opportunity to kiss the bricks come Saturday afternoon.”

Sammy Smith

No. 8 TMC Chevrolet

Smith 2024 NXS Stats

Starts: 19

Wins: 0

Top 5s: 3

Top 10s: 10

Laps Led: 55

Avg. Finish: 16.1

Points: 11th

  • Sammy Smith’s first visit to Indianapolis was last year on the road course. Although this is his second trip to IMS, he will now tackle the 2.5-mile speedway for the first time.
  • According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Smith ranks second among all drivers in quality passes throughout the 2024 season with 764.
  • Smith heads to Indianapolis off the heals of a top-10 finish last weekend at Pocono, a ninth-place effort which marks his best finish of the season on tracks two miles or greater.
  • Smith additionally will be running double-duty this weekend as he will be competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on Friday evening.

Sammy Smith

“I haven’t run the Indy oval yet so I’m looking forward to racing in a place with so much history. It’s going to be a busy weekend with us also running the Truck at IRP Friday night, so I’m grateful for my teams for bearing with me as I split my time between both tracks. We had a good car last weekend, we just needed more green laps to be able to put our original strategy to the test. I’m hoping we can carry that into this weekend for a good turnout with TMC.”

Brandon Jones

No. 9 Menards / Pennington Chevrolet

Jones 2024 NXS Stats

Starts: 19

Wins: 0

Top 5s: 1

Top 10s: 5

Laps Led: 20

Avg. Finish: 19.1

Points: 14th

  • Brandon Jones has made four career starts on the 2.5-mile oval at IMS in the NXS and has finished inside the top 10 each time. His best finish of sixth came during his last race on this configuration in 2019.
  • In 56 starts on tracks measuring greater than two miles, the 27-year-old Georgia native has eight top-fives, 24 top-10s and had paced the field for 168 laps.
  • Pennington, a provider of lawn and garden products created with industry-leading innovation and excellence for over 70 years, will be making its first appearance at IMS on the hood of Jones’ No. 9 Chevrolet this weekend.

Brandon Jones

“I am looking forward to being back on the oval at Indy this weekend. I have had some great runs here in the past, so I am confident that we will have speed and hopefully be in contention to run up front. This No. 9 team is putting in the work to make sure I have a great car this weekend and I am ready to get them the finish they deserve.”

Carson Kvapil

No. 88 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet

Kvapil 2024 NXS Stats

Starts: 5

Wins: 0

Top 5s: 3

Top 10s: 3

Laps Led: 38

Avg. Finish: 8.4

Points: 30th

  • In a season of firsts, Carson Kvapil will make his first attempt at historic IMS in the NXS. It will be his sixth career NXS start.
  • Kvapil will be seeking his fourth top-five result on Saturday at The Brickyard. In his starts so far this year, the second-generation driver has second-, fourth- and fifth-place finishes.
  • The 21-year-old driver will jump to a speedway over two miles in length for the first time, taking on the 2.5-mile oval track. The largest track he has competed on thus far in the NXS is Darlington (1.366 miles).
  • In 11 starts as a crew chief in the NXS, Andrew Overstreet has led his drivers to seven top-five and nine top-10 finishes.

Carson Kvapil

“Getting to race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a big deal. It’s a big place, really has a lot of history to it. We’ll have a fast Clarience Technologies Chevrolet Camaro, thanks to Andrew (Overstreet) and the No. 88 team, and I look forward to my first laps at IMS.”

JRM Team Updates

JR Motorsports at Indianapolis Motor Speedway: JR Motorsports has competed on the oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway a combined 25 times in the NXS since its first trip there in 2012. In those starts at the 2.5-mile speedway, the organization has recorded two wins, 10 top-fives and 15 top-10s, with an average finish of 12.6.

Souvenir Rig: JRM drivers Sam Mayer, Justin Allgaier, Sammy Smith, Brandon Jones and Carson Kvapil will be signing autographs at the JR Motorsports / Legacy MC souvenir rig on Saturday, July 20 from 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. ET.

What went down in the Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono

By
SM Staff
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Photo by Kirk Schroll for Speedwaymedia.com

Ryan Blaney returned to victory lane Sunday at Pocono Raceway in the Great American Getaway 400. This was Blaney’s second NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) win in the last five races this season and the 12th of his career. The 2023 NASCAR champion won the inaugural NCS race last month at Iowa Speedway, and the Penske No. 12 Ford team could win the championship again this season.

The win also marks Team Penske’s 97th series win and Ford’s 733rd all-time in NCS competition.

“I am super proud of the whole 12 team. The Wabash Ford Mustang was amazing. I appreciate Menards, Body Armour, the Wurth Group, Advance Auto Parts, DEX Imaging, and everyone that makes this possible. It is so cool to win here again. I won here seven years ago for my first Cup win. The crowd, you guys, were amazing. Thank you for being here all weekend.” Blaney said.

Race Notes

  • There were eight caution flags for 34 laps.
  • There were eight lead changes among eight drivers.
  • Blaney led the most laps with 41.
  • Martin Truex Jr. won stage one.
  • Denny Hamlin won stage two.
  • The race lasted 2 hours, 13 minutes, and 59 seconds.
  • The margin of victory was 1.312 seconds.

What went down behind Blaney

Denny Hamlin started fourth, led 31 laps, won stage 2, and drove his No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE to second place finish, 1.3 seconds back. This was Hamlin’s eighth top-five of the season.

“Hats off to this whole Mavis Tires and Brakes team. Dave (Sorbaro), the CEO and 100 associates were here today, so we were proud to host them. Would’ve loved to give them a victory, but second is close and at least, it’s good to get back on track. We’ve had some slides over the last month-and-a-half.” Hamlin said.

Alex Bowman and the No. 48 Ally Best Friends Camaro ZL1 team finished third. Bowman ran in the top-10 throughout most of the race most of the race and collected points in both stages. Bowman has six top-fives and 12 top-10s this season.

“Proud of my No. 48 Ally Best Friends Chevy team. It was a good run; we just needed a little bit more to get to the No. 12 (Ryan Blaney). Once I abused the right-rear tire for so long, it made Denny’s (Hamlin) job pretty easy to get around me. But yeah, it was a solid third-place day.” Bowman said.

William Byron finished fourth, and Joey Logano finished fifth.

“We were just kind of okay. Definitely had a decent No. 24 Raptor High Heat Chevy. Really good execution and everyone did a good job of just keeping their heads in it.” Bryon said. “Not every situation went our way with the strategy, but we were able to have decent restarts, especially at the end there, and just kind of maintained it to the end. Definitely a lot of things to dissect, but really proud of the team and just good to get a top-five, for sure.”

“Overall, a top five, you have to be somewhat happy with that. We had speed there toward the end of the race and I think we could have run in the top two. I don’t know if we could have been better than Ryan or not, but it just took us too long to get the balance right.” Logano said.

RFK Racing had a great day. Brad Keselowski finished seventh, Chris Buescher finished 11th, and both drivers led a series of laps.

It was another bad day for Kyle Busch. An on-track incident ended the day early for Busch, resulting in a 32nd finish.

“We ended up getting hit from behind and it ended our day early. That’s just racing these days and it’s what happens. I just want to give thanks to all of our partners.” Busch said. “It’s just unfortunate circumstances. Thank you to Rowdy Nation and all the fans for their continued support. We’ll go back to work and get ready for Indianapolis.”

What’s Next

The NCS heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the 30th running of the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, July 21, at 2:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Kyle Busch to make 700th Cup career start at Indianapolis

By
Andrew Kim
-
Photo by Mike Biskupski for SpeedwayMedia.com.

As the NASCAR Cup Series makes a historic return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s oval-shaped circuit for the Brickyard 400 after three years of competing on the circuit’s road-course layout, Kyle Busch is set to achieve a milestone start of his own. By competing in this weekend’s Brickyard 400, the driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will reach 700 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series.

A native of Las Vegas, Nevada, Busch made his inaugural presence in the Cup Series at his home track, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, in March 2004. By then, he had made seven career starts in the Craftsman Truck Series and 10 in the Xfinity Series as he was also contending in the latter series for Hendrick Motorsports. Driving the No. 84 Chevrolet for HMS, Busch started 18th and finished 41st in his Cup debut after retiring early following an early incident. He made five additional Cup starts throughout the 2004 season and achieved a season-best 24th-place run at Auto Club Speedway in September.

The following season, Busch graduated to a full-time Cup role in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, where he replaced two-time series champion Terry Labonte as Labonte retired from full-time competition. After finishing 38th in his first Daytona 500 career start at Daytona International Speedway, Busch notched his first Cup career pole position at Auto Club in February, where he ended up in 23rd place, before he recorded a runner-up finish behind teammate Jimmie Johnson and in front of older brother, Kurt Busch, at Las Vegas in March. Throughout his next 21 starts, Kyle Busch recorded a total of seven top-10 results, including another runner-up result at Dover Motor Speedway in June. Then at Auto Club in September, he capitalized on a two-lap shootout to score his first Cup career win in his 31st series start and become the youngest winner in series’ history at age 20 years, four months and two days. Despite missing the 2005 Cup Playoffs, Busch would notch another runner-up result at Dover in September before capturing his second Cup career victory at Phoenix Raceway in November following a late duel against Greg Biffle. With a 20th-place finish in the final standings to coincide with nine top-five results, 13 top-10 results 362 laps led and an average-finishing result of 21.0, Busch captured the 2005 Cup Rookie-of-the-Year title.

Busch would remain as the driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for the following two Cup seasons. During the two-year span, he claimed one victory per season and made the Playoffs during both seasons. In 2006, he won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July amid a two-lap shootout and recorded one pole, 10 top-five results, 18 top-10 results, 571 laps led and an average-finishing result of 15.5 before settling in 10th place in the final standings. The following season, he fended off a hard-charging Jeff Burton to win at Bristol Motor Speedway in March and record the first victory for the Car of Tomorrow stock car as he also recorded the 200th NASCAR national touring series victory for Hendrick Motorsports and the 600th in the Cup circuit for Chevrolet. Busch would proceed to record 11 top-five results, 20 top-10 results, 637 laps led and an average-finishing result of 14.1 throughout the 2007 campaign before boosting to fifth place in the final standings. By then, he surpassed 100 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series.

In June 2007, Busch was announced of his departure from Hendrick Motorsports at season’s conclusion, where he would be replaced by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Two months later, he announced his move to Joe Gibbs Racing to pilot the No. 18 Toyota Camry for the 2008 Cup season. Throughout the 26 regular-season stretch, Busch’s move to JGR made both the driver and team a lethal combination for the competition that commenced with top-four finishes through the first three-scheduled events. Then at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March, the Las Vegas native led a race-high 173 laps en route to his first Cup victory of the season and first driving for JGR as he also recorded the first Cup Series win for the Toyota nameplate. Five races later, Busch rallied from losing a lap and nearly getting collected in an incident with Jamie McMurray to assume the lead with five laps remaining and retain the top spot prior to a multi-car wreck on the final lap to claim his second victory of the season at Talladega Superspeedway in May. Busch’s early hot streak extended throughout the regular-season stretch as he claimed victories at Darlington Raceway in May Dover Motor Speedway, Sonoma Raceway in June, Daytona, Chicagoland Speedway in July and at Watkins Glen International in August. To go along with a total of 17 top-10 results, Busch secured his spot into the 2008 Cup Playoffs as he also earned the top seed in his bid to win his first title. Throughout the Playoffs, however, Busch’s title hopes evaporated as he commenced the Playoffs with a 34th-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September after plummeting from first place and being involved an early multi-car wreck followed by a last-place finish during the following event at Dover after his engine expired. Despite recording four top-10 results during the final eight events on the schedule, he could only climb his way up to 10th place in the final standings. Amid his early exit in the championship bid, Busch achieved a career-high eight victories, two poles, 17 top-five results, 21 top-10 results, 1,673 laps led and an average-finishing result of 12.5 in his first season driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Poised for another title bid in 2009, Busch commenced the season by finishing in 41st place in the 51st running of the Daytona 500 after being involved in a late multi-car wreck despite leading a race-high 88 laps. He would rally by finishing third at Auto Club before notching his first victory of the season at Las Vegas in an event where he rallied from starting at the rear of the field. Two races later, he won at Bristol for the second time in his career after leading a race-high 378 laps before collecting his third victory of the season at Richmond Raceway five races later in May, the latter victory making Busch the second competitor to win on a birthday date.

Busch would then endure a difficult summer stretch as he would only record three top-10 finishes in 13 events, results that eventually dropped him below the top-12 cutline to make the 2009 Playoffs. Despite claiming his fourth victory of the season at Bristol in August following a late battle with Mark Martin, Busch would end up 13th and fifth, respectively, during the final two regular-season events of the season, which resulted in him missing the Playoffs by eight points.

He would proceed to finish in the top 10 four times during the final 10 events on the schedule before settling in 13th place in the final standings. By then, Busch only earned half the total victories accumulated from the previous season (four) along with eight less top-five (nine) and top-10 (13) results as he capped off the season with an average-finishing result of 15.3 and 1,157 total laps led.

Busch would return to the Playoffs in 2010 as he claimed three victories throughout the regular-season stretch, starting at Richmond in May followed by Dover two races later and then at Bristol in August as part of his historic NASCAR top three national touring series sweep. Amid the three races where he was victorious, he racked up a total of 13 top-10 results. With four top-10 results recorded throughout the 2010 Cup Playoffs, Busch ended up in eighth place in the final standings as he also surpassed 200 Cup career starts. The following season, he would rack up four victories throughout the regular-season stretch (Bristol in March, Richmond in May, Kentucky Speedway in July and at Michigan International Speedway in August) along with 16 top-10 results. Then after recording only two top-10 results throughout the first seven Playoff events, including a strong runner-up result at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October, Busch was suspended from competing in the Cup Playoff event at Texas Motor Speedway in November following his actions during the Truck Series event at Texas two days earlier, where he intentionally wrecked Ron Hornaday Jr. under caution at full speed. Returning for the final two events on the schedule, where he finished 36th and 23rd, respectively, Busch ended up in 12th place in the final standings. With seven victories recorded throughout the two-year span, which accumulated his wins total to 23, he also achieved three poles, 24 top-five results, 36 top-10 results, 2,726 laps led and average-finishing results within the top 15.

The 2012 Cup Series season initially commenced with a hot start for Busch as he rallied from two near spins to edge reigning three-time champion Tony Stewart by 0.013 seconds to win the non-points Budweiser Shootout at Daytona in February. After recording three top-10 results during the first eight events on the schedule, Busch claimed his first points victory of the season at Richmond after muscling away from the field during a nine-lap shootout. Despite finishing in the top four during his next three starts, he would then finish in the top 10 only three additional times during the following 13 events as he was left battling within the cutline to make the Playoffs. Despite notching back-to-back sixth-place finishes at Bristol and Atlanta between August and September that kept him within the cutline, Busch ended up in 16th place during the regular-season finale at Richmond, which left him three points below the cutline and out of the Playoffs for the first time since 2009. With his championship hopes of the season evaporated, Busch concluded the 2012 campaign on a strong note by finishing in the top seven in eight of the remaining 10 events before settling in 13th place in the final standings.

In the early stages of the 2013 Cup Series season, Busch finished in the top five twice during the first four-scheduled events before capitalizing on a last-lap skirmish involving teammate Denny Hamlin and ex-teammate Joey Logano to claim his first victory at Auto Club in March and deliver the first Auto Club Speedway win for both Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota. Two races later, Busch achieved his second victory of the season at Texas in April, which marked his 300th Cup career start as he joined Ned Jarrett, Rusty Wallace and Kasey Kahne as competitors to win on the milestone start. Despite recording eight top-10 results during his next 14 starts, Busch would record his third victory of the season at Watkins Glen in August following a late duel against Brad Keselowski before winning for the fourth time of the year at Atlanta in September, victories that enabled him to clinch his spot into the Playoffs. With a total of five top-five results and seven top-10 results recorded throughout the Playoffs, Busch settled in fourth place in the final standings. By then, he recorded three additional top fives (16) and two additional top 10s (22) compared to his previous season. Despite leading 209 less laps (1,227) compared to the previous season, Busch boosted his final average-finishing result from 13.3 to 12.7.

Like the 2013 season, Busch emerged victorious for the first time in 2014 at Auto Club, the fifth event on the schedule, amid a two-lap shootout that resulted with the driver of the No. 18 JGR Toyota navigating his way from fifth to first, which kept his winning streak in the Cup Series alive to 10 consecutive years. To go along with a total of nine top-10 results, including three runner-up results, throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, he made the Playoffs for a seventh time. Despite transferring from the Playoff’s Round of 16 to 12 amid three consecutive top-10 results followed by two top-five runs during the first two Round of 12 events, Busch’s title hopes came to a crashing end during the Round of 8 finale at Talladega in October after he was involved in a late multi-car wreck and could only salvage his way up to 40th place in the final running order, which prevented him from advancing past the Round of 12. Managing only a single top-five finish during the final four-scheduled events, Busch ended up in 10th place in the final standings for the fourth time of his career and with an average-finishing result of 17.6 amid a total of 15 top-10 results.

The 2015 season was a breakthrough year for Busch that commenced with the driver potentially having his racing career ending following a harrowing accident during the Xfinity Series’ season-opening event at Daytona in February that resulted with the driver hitting head-on into a concrete wall and suffering both a massive compound fracture in his right leg and a minor fracture to his left foot. With the injuries causing Busch to miss the first 11 events on the schedule, he made his return at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the All-Star Race in May, where he ended up sixth. Needing at least one victory and enough garnered points to remain above the top-30 cutline in the standings that would guarantee him in Playoff contention as part of his medical waiver by NASCAR, Busch finished no higher than ninth in his first four races back in contention before accomplishing his first feat: a victory that occurred at Sonoma in June, which marked his 30th victory in the Cup Series and extended his winning streak to 11 seasons.

Despite finishing 17th during the next event at Daytona, Busch notched three consecutive victories at Kentucky, New Hampshire and Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July. Managing four top-10 results, including two runner-up results, throughout the final six regular-season events in 2015, Busch was able to climb his way inside the top-30 cutline and make the Playoffs. Utilizing consistency throughout the Playoffs in the form of five top-five results and six top-10 results, he proceeded to transfer from the Round of 16 into the Championship 4 round at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November. Then during the finale, Busch capitalized on a seven-lap restart to overtake Keselowski and fend off title rival Kevin Harvick to win both the finale and his first Cup Series championship. With the title occurring in his 11th season in competition, Busch became the 31st different competitor to win a championship in NASCAR’s premier series as he also delivered the first Cup title for Toyota and the fourth for Joe Gibbs Racing. In total, he accumulated five victories, one pole, 12 top-five results, 16 top-10 results, 736 laps led and an average-finishing result of 10.8 in 25 starts, which made him the first competitor to win a championship despite not competing in every scheduled event since Richard Petty made the last accomplishment in 1971.

Commencing the 2016 Cup season as the reigning champion, Busch recorded four top-five finishes during the first five-scheduled events before notching back-to-back victories at Martinsville Speedway and at Texas in April. Four races later, he notched his third Cup victory of the season at Kansas Speedway in May before winning at Indianapolis for a second consecutive season nine races later. To coincide with 16 top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, Busch made the Playoffs for a ninth time. Implementing consistency throughout the Playoffs, he finished in the top eight in eight of the first nine Playoff events, which enabled him to transfer from the Round of 16 and back into the Championship 4 round for a second consecutive season. During the finale, however, Busch, who made a late pit stop, could only climb his way up to sixth place on the track, which resulted in him settling in third place in the final standings. Despite falling two spots short of defending his title, Busch concluded the 2016 campaign on a strong note with four victories, two poles, 17 top-five results, 25 top-10 results, 1,379 laps led and an average-finishing result of 11.5. By then, he also surpassed 400 Cup career starts.

The following two Cup seasons would feature Busch making competitive championship runs as he notched multiple victories and transferred all the way to the Championship 4 round. In 2017, Busch endured the first 20-scheduled events winless before notching his first victory at Pocono Raceway in July. In the midst of the winless streak, he achieved his first All-Star Race win at Charlotte in May, which marked his 12th attempt of winning the event’s million dollar prize. Busch would proceed to win at Bristol in August as part of his second triple series weekend sweep before winning the following Playoff events at New Hampshire, Dover and Martinsville. During the finale, however, Busch ended up in the runner-up spot both on the track and in the final standings to Martin Truex Jr. In 2018, Busch achieved a career-high eight victories, which marked his second time achieving the feat since 2008. His victories included winning three consecutive races at Texas, Bristol and Richmond in April before emerging triumphant for the first time at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the Coca-Cola 600 in May. He would then bump and overtake Kyle Larson amid a last-lap skirmish to win at Chicagoland in early July before muscling away from teammate Daniel Suarez during a two-lap shootout to win at Pocono in late July.

Once the Playoffs commenced, Busch, who claimed the 2018 Cup Series regular-season title, would win at Richmond during the Round of 16 and at Phoenix during the Round of 8 finale in November, to which by then, he had made the Championship 4 round for a fourth consecutive season. Ultimately, he would end up in fourth place both during the finale at Homestead and in the final points standings in 2018. During the two-year span, Busch notched 13 victories, bringing his wins total to 51. He also recorded a total of 36 top-five results, 50 top-10 results, 12 poles, with 20,285 laps led and average-finishing results within the top 11, with the 2018 season generating career-high stats in top fives (22), top 10s (28) and average-finishing result (8.3) while the 2017 season generated the most poles (eight) and laps led (2,023) in a season.

For the 2019 season, which marked his 12th season driving for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Cup Series, Busch commenced the season by finishing in the runner-up spot during the 61st running of the Daytona 500 before finishing sixth at Atlanta, which marked his 500th Cup career start. Two races later, he secured his first victory of the season at Phoenix in March and backed it up with a dominant win at Auto Club, where he achieved his 200th NASCAR national touring series victory. As Busch proceeded to win at Bristol in April before winning at Pocono in June, he would accumulate a total of 21 top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch before qualifying for his 12th appearance in the Playoffs and winning his second consecutive regular-season title. Then after finishing in the top 10 five times throughout the Playoffs that enabled him to transfer from the Round of 16 into the Championship 4 for a fifth consecutive time, Busch led a race-high 120 laps en route to his second Cup Series championship during the finale at Homestead.

With his accomplishment, Busch became the 16th different competitor to achieve multiple Cup Series titles as he also delivered the fifth championship to Joe Gibbs Racing and the third for Toyota. Overall, Busch capped off his second championship season with five victories, one pole, 17 top-five results, 27 top-10 results, 1,582 laps led and an average-finishing result of 8.9.

Compared to the 2019 season, the 2020 Cup Series season generated a difficult season for Busch both during the regular-season stretch and throughout the Playoffs that prevented him from contending for his third series title. Despite recording 11 top-five results and 13 top-10 results throughout the regular-season stretch that enabled him to make the 2020 Cup Playoffs, Busch finished no lower than sixth throughout the Round of 16 before transferring into the Round of 12. Then amid respective finishes of sixth, 27th and 30th throughout the Round of 12, he was eliminated from title contention. Busch quickly rallied during the second Round of 8 event by notching his first elusive Cup victory of the season at Texas in October following a late battle against Martin Truex Jr. and having enough fuel to snatch the victory, which extended his winning streak to 16 consecutive seasons. Managing respective finishes of ninth and 11th during the final two events on the schedule, Busch settled in eighth place in the final standings.

In 2021, Busch notched two victories that occurred during the regular-season stretch: the first at Kansas in May as he won on his birthday for a second time and the second at Pocono in July after overtaking teammate Denny Hamlin prior to the final lap while running on fumes with a low gas tank. Amid the victories, he also won the non-points Busch Clash at Daytona in February following a last-lap skirmish involving the reigning champion Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney. The pair of victories along with 16 top-10 results throughout the regular-season stretch allowed Busch to make the Playoffs for a 14th season, which he would record five top-10 runs throughout the Playoffs and transferred past the Rounds of 16 and 12 before coming up three points short of transferring into the Championship 4 round, which resulted with the two-time champion settling in ninth place in the final points standings. By then, Busch had recorded a total of 14 top-five results, 22 top-10 results, 334 laps led, an average-finishing result of 12.8 and surpassed 600 Cup career starts.

For the 2022 season, Busch’s lone victory of the season occurred during the Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Course in April, where he capitalized on a final lap incident involving Tyler Reddick and Chase Briscoe to beat Reddick by 0.330 seconds. The victory not only marked Busch’s 60th in NASCAR’s premier series, but it also marked his 18th consecutive season of winning at least one event in a Cup season, a record feat that was also made by Richard Petty. Despite recording a total of 13 top-10 results, including his Bristol Dirt victory, throughout the regular-season stretch that enabled him to make the Playoffs, Busch was eliminated from title contention following respective finishes of 30th, 26th and 34th throughout the Round of 16. Managing four top-10 results throughout the final seven events on the schedule, Busch ended up in 13th place in the final standings in a season where he accumulated a total of 17 top-10 results, 627 laps led and an average-finishing result of 16.7.

In September 2022, Busch announced his move to Richard Childress Racing to pilot the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the 2023 Cup season, where he replaced the departing Tyler Reddick. The move came amid a termination to Busch’s 15-year partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing due to longtime sponsor Mars, Incorporated departing NASCAR following the 2022 season and JGR unable to secure a primary sponsorship for Busch prior to the 2023 season. After ending up in 19th place during the 65th running of the Daytona 500 while being collected in a final lap, multi-car wreck, Busch achieved his first victory of the season and his first driving for RCR at Auto Club in February, which made him the new holder of the longest winning streak in Cup Series history at 19 consecutive seasons. Eight races later, he dodged a final lap, multi-car wreck to notch his second victory of the season at Talladega in April before grabbing his third Cup win at World Wide Technology Raceway in June, where he led a race-high 121 laps. The three regular-season victories along with a total of 14 top-10 results enabled Busch to make his 16th entrance into the Playoffs. Despite transferring into the Round of 12 amid no finishes lower than 20th throughout the Round of 16, Busch was unable to transfer into the Round of 8 amid respective finishes of 34th, 25th and third throughout the Round of 12. Finishing as high as third for the final four events on the schedule, he concluded his first campaign with RCR in 14th place in the final standings. By then, he had also accumulated a total of 17 top-10 results, 241 laps led and an average-finishing result of 15.0.

This season, Busch has started on pole position once, which occurred at Dover in late April and has finished in the top 10 six times through 21-scheduled events, with his best result being a third-place run at Atlanta in February. With his current average-finishing result being a 19.4, Busch is currently ranked in 18th place in the 2024 regular-season standings and trails the top-16 cutline to make the 2024 Playoffs by 102 points as he also strives to collect his first victory of the 2024 season that would extend his record-setting wins of consecutive seasons to 20.

Through 699 previous Cup starts, Busch has achieved two championships, 63 victories, 34 poles, 248 top-five results, 378 top-10 results, 19,280 laps led and an average finishing result of 14.0. He is set to become the 20th competitor overall to reach 700 career starts in NASCAR’s premier series. Should he win this weekend’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis, Busch would become the first competitor to win in a 700th Cup start.

Kyle Busch is scheduled to make his 700th Cup Series career start at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the return of the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, July 21. The event’s broadcast time is slated to commence at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

Matt Swiderski to call 100th Cup event as crew chief at Indianapolis

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

In his fourth season as a crew chief in the NASCAR Cup Series and first paired with Daniel Suarez and Trackhouse Racing, Matt Swiderski is primed to reach a milestone feat. By participating in this weekend’s return of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Swiderski will call his 100th career event as a crew chief in NASCAR’s premier series.

Swiderski, a Chicago native who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering at Kettering University and a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University, spent the early portions of his career as a data acquisition and race engineer for Richard Childress Racing across the Xfinity and Cup Series divisions before becoming a loads engineer for SpaceX in 2012. Returning to NASCAR eight months later and reuniting with Richard Childress Racing, where he became a chief race engineer before working his way up to being the head of vehicle performance.

In 2017, Swiderski made his inaugural presence as a crew chief in the Xfinity Series, where he worked atop the pit box of RCR’s No. 3 Chevrolet team piloted between Ty Dillon, Scott Lagasse Jr. and Brian Scott throughout the season, with the entry recording 18 top-10 results and finishing in 11th place in the owner’s standings. He then spent the following three seasons as a part-time Xfinity crew chief for Team Penske, where he worked with Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Paul Menard, before working as Ty Dillon’s crew chief for two events in 2021.

During the 2021 season, Swiderski made his inaugural presence as a crew chief in the Cup Series as he joined forces with Kaulig Racing to lead the team’s No. 16 Chevrolet entry on a part-time basis that was split between AJ Allmendinger, Justin Haley and Kaz Grala.

After leading the No. 16 team to three top-seven results during the entry’s first five starts between February and June, Swiderski achieved his first NASCAR career victory as a crew chief during the Cup Series’ inaugural event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in August after Allmendinger capitalized on an overtime shootout to achieve his second Cup career win and the first for Kaulig Racing in NASCAR’s premier series. The No. 16 Kaulig entry would end up finishing no higher than 20th in its final three starts between mid-August to October.

The following season, Kaulig Racing’s No. 16 entry led by Swiderski became a full-time Cup Series entry as Allmendinger, Noah Gragson and Daniel Hemric took turns splitting the entry. During the season, Swiderski was suspended for four events throughout May, including the non-points All-Star Race, due to a loose wheel that came unattached at Dover Motor Speedway in early May. In the remaining 33 points-paying events, Swiderski led the No. 16 entry to a total of three top-five results and nine top-10 results, including a season-best runner-up result at Watkins Glen International in August, before the team settled in 26th place in the final owner’s standings.

In 2023, Swiderski was paired with Allmendinger on a full-time basis as Allmendinger became a full-time competitor of Kaulig’s No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the Cup Series. Despite commencing the season with a sixth-place result during the 65th running of the Daytona 500, the duo would proceed to finish in the top five twice and rack up two additional top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, but they fell short of making the 2023 Cup Series Playoffs.

Then after finishing no higher than 13th during the first five Playoff events, Swiderski and Allmendinger made triumphant returns to Victory Lane at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course after Allmendinger led a race-high 46 of 109 laps en route to his third Cup career win and the second for Kaulig Racing. Managing a single top-five finish during the final four events on the schedule, Allmendinger settled in 21st place in the final driver’s standings.

In early January 2024, Kaulig Racing and Trackhouse Racing engaged in a crew chief swap that resulted in Swiderski replacing Travis Mack to serve as the crew chief for Daniel Suarez and the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team while Mack took over Swiderski’s role as crew chief for Kaulig’s No. 16 Cup team. After ending up in 34th place due to crashing out of the 66th running of the Daytona 500, the new duo of Swiderski and Suarez emerged victorious during the following event at Atlanta Motor Speedway when Suarez edged the reigning champion Ryan Blaney and two-time champion Kyle Busch in a three-wide finish to snap a 57-race winless drought and record both a second Cup victory for himself and the third for Swiderski.

Despite recording only three top-10 runs through 21 scheduled events of the 2024 season, Swiderski and Suarez, both of whom are in 17th place in the regular-season standings, are currently guaranteed a spot into the Playoffs based on the Atlanta victory.

Through 99 previous Cup events, Swiderski has achieved three victories, 11 top-five results and 23 top-10 results while working with six different competitors.

Matt Swiderski is scheduled to call his 100th Cup Series event as a crew chief at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the return of the Brickyard 400. The event is scheduled to occur on Sunday, July 21, and air at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

Chris Gayle to call 200th Cup event as crew chief at Indianapolis

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images.

In his sixth full-time campaign as a crew chief in the NASCAR Cup Series, Chris Gayle, who works as a crew chief for Ty Gibbs and the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry XSE team, is within reach of achieving a milestone feat. By participating in this weekend’s return of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Gayle will call his 200th event as a crew chief in NASCAR’s premier series.

A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, and a graduate of the University of North Carolina in Charlotte with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Gayle made his inaugural presence as a Cup Series crew chief at Kansas Speedway in April 2013, where he was atop the pit box of the No. 81 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry team piloted by veteran Elliott Sadler. By then, he had recently served as a senior engineer for Kyle Busch and was serving as Sadler’s full-time crew chief in the Xfinity Series. In Gayle’s first event as a Cup crew chief, Sadler, who started 24th, finished 40th after being eliminated in an early accident.

Four years later, Gayle was named a full-time Cup Series crew chief of the No. 77 Furniture Row Racing Toyota Camry entry piloted by Erik Jones, who was set to compete in the series for the first time following a four-win season during the previous Xfinity season. Despite being suspended for two races in August due to a post-race infraction at Pocono Raceway in July, Gayle led Jones to his first Cup career pole at Bristol Motor Speedway in August, where he went on to finish a career-best second place following a late duel against Kyle Busch. Despite earning 11 top-10 results throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch, the duo did not make the 2017 Cup Playoffs. Nonetheless, they went on to post two top-10 results during the 10-race Playoff stretch before finishing in 19th place in the final standings. By then, Jones captured the 2017 Cup Rookie-of-the-Year title and became the first competitor to achieve a rookie title across NASCAR’s top three premier series (Truck, Xfinity and Cup divisions).

In 2018, Gayle and Jones moved back to Joe Gibbs Racing and took over the No. 20 Toyota Camry team for the upcoming Cup season. Following a consistent start to the season that was highlighted by six top-10 results during the first 16-scheduled events, Gayle and Jones earned their first career victory in the Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway in July after Jones overtook former teammate Martin Truex Jr. on the final lap to win. After notching six additional top-10 results during the following eight events, the duo qualified for the 2018 Cup Playoffs. Their title hopes, however, came to an early end following respective finishes of 40th, 11th and 30th during the Round of 16. Despite rallying to finish in the top 10 four times during the final seven events, Gayle and Jones capped off the season in 15th place in the final standings.

Remaining as Jones’ crew chief in 2019, Gayle led the No. 20 team to a strong third-place result during the 61st running of the Daytona 500. After enduring an up-and-down regular-season stretch highlighted with eight top-five results and 12 top-10 results during the first 24 regular-season events, Gayle and Jones achieved their first elusive victory of the season in the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in September, where Jones held off teammate Kyle Busch to win in his 100th Cup career start and notch the second career victory for himself and Gayle. The Southern 500 victory was more than enough for the duo and the No. 20 team to clinch a Playoff spot for a second consecutive season. Following another early exit from the Playoffs after posting three consecutive results outside the top 30 during the Round of 16, Gayle and Jones went on to finish 16th in the final standings.

Gayle and Jones commenced the 2020 season on a high note by winning the Busch Clash at Daytona in February, where Jones rallied from being involved in three multi-car wrecks to nurse his damaged car to the win with drafting help from teammate Denny Hamlin. The rest of the season, however, ended up being a struggle for the duo as they recorded seven top-10 results during the regular season and failed to make the Playoffs. In addition, Gayle served a one-race suspension during the second of a Darlington Raceway doubleheader feature in May after Jones’ No. 20 Toyota had two unsecured lugnuts during the first Darlington feature. Five finishes in the top 10 during the 10-week Playoff stretch, however, were enough for Gayle and Jones to end up in 17th place in the final standings, the highest-finishing team in the standings to not make the Playoffs.

Following the 2020 season, Gayle and Jones were replaced by Adam Stevens and Christopher Bell, respectively, for the 2021 season. While Jones moved on to Richard Petty Motorsports, Gayle remained at JGR and scaled back as a full-time Xfinity Series crew chief for the team’s No. 54 Toyota Supra entry piloted by a multitude of competitors. Between 2021 and 2022, Gayle earned 17 Xfinity victories between Christopher Bell, Kyle Busch, Ty Gibbs and John Hunter Nemechek. He also won the 2022 Xfinity Series championship with Ty Gibbs in a season where the duo notched seven victories, including the season finale to claim the fourth Xfinity title for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Nearly a week and a half after winning the previous season’s Xfinity championship, Gayle was promoted back to the Cup Series to serve as Gibbs’ crew chief in 2023, with Gibbs retaining the No. 54 and embarking in his first full-time campaign in NASCAR’s premier series. The duo would rally by finishing no higher than 16th during the first four-scheduled events before notching four consecutive top-10 finishes in their next four events. Gayle and Gibbs would proceed to collect two top-five results and another top-10 result throughout the remaining 18 regular-season events on the schedule, but they would miss the cutline to the 2023 Cup Series Playoffs. Nonetheless, they proceeded to record two top-five runs during the final 10-scheduled events before ending up in 18th place in the final driver’s standings. As a result, Gibbs claimed the 2023 Cup Series Rookie-of-the-Year title, which marked the second time and the first since being paired with Erik Jones in 2017 where Gayle navigated a competitor to a Cup rookie title.

Through 199 previous Cup events, Gayle has achieved two victories, four poles, 40 top-five results and 78 top-10 results while working with three different competitors. He and Ty Gibbs are currently ranked in 11th place in the 2024 regular-season standings on the strength of five top-five results, nine top-10 results and two poles, including this past weekend at Pocono Raceway, through 21-scheduled events. In addition, they are 40 points above the top-16 cutline to make this year’s Playoffs with five regular-season events remaining on the schedule.

Chris Gayle is scheduled to call his 200th Cup Series event as a crew chief at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the return of the Brickyard 400. The event is scheduled to occur on Sunday, July 21, and air at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

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