JUSTIN HALEY | CODY WARE
Pocono Advance

Event Overview

● Event: The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VisitPA.com (Round 21 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, July 14
● Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway
● Layout: 2.5-mile triangle
● Laps/Miles: 160 laps/400 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 30 laps / Stage 2: 65 laps / Final Stage: 65 laps
● TV/Radio: USA / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Justin Haley, Driver of the No. 51 Walmart Health and Wellness Ford Mustang Dark Horse

● After looping the streets of downtown Chicago, the NASCAR Cup Series treks to the Pocono Mountains for Sunday’s Great American Getaway 400 presented by VisitPA.com. The 2.5-mile, triangle-shaped Pocono (Pa) Raceway first hosted NASCAR on Aug. 4, 1974, nearly 50 years ago. The first Ford driver to visit victory lane at the “Tricky Triangle” was Bill Elliott on June 9, 1985. Six weeks later, Elliott won the second Cup Series visit to Pocono to complete that year’s sweep for Ford.

● Justin Haley, driver of the No. 51 Walmart Health and Wellness Ford Mustang Dark Horse, looks to become the 25th driver to win for Ford at Pocono in his fourth Cup Series start at the track. He has a best Cup Series finish of 21st at Pocono, earned in 2021. In three Xfinity Series races, Haley has a best finish of ninth, earned in his first series start at the track in 2019.

● The Cup Series’ return to Pocono lands just shy of a year since Haley announced that he would join Rick Ware Racing (RWR) fulltime beginning in 2024. Since then, Haley has equaled or bettered the team’s previous best effort at eight different tracks, and earned RWR’s best finish on a non-superspeedway-type track with his ninth-place finish at Darlington on May 12. He matched that with another top-10 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois on June 2. Two weeks later, Haley said he’s committed to owner Rick Ware and his team for as long they will have him – “Without Rick, I wouldn’t even be in the Cup Series right now. Whatever Rick wants my future to be, you know, if that’s for me to stay for 5 to 10 years, I’ll stay for 5 to 10 years just because he gave me the opportunity when no one else would. I kind of owe everything to him.”

● In 2017, Haley pulled double duty at the Tricky Triangle. He started the weekend by winning his third ARCA Menards Series race and second of the season after starting second and leading 28 laps. The next day, he drove to a 10th place finish in his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start at Pocono. He returned the following year to finish fifth in the Truck Series race.

● Haley is fresh off a 16th-place finish in last weekend’s Chicago Street Race. It was his sixth top-20 in the last nine races and moved the No. 51 team to 29th in the driver standings.

Cody Ware, Driver of the No. 15 Jacob Construction Ford Mustang Dark Horse

● Cody Ware returns to the No. 15 Jacob Construction Ford Mustang Dark Horse for his third start of 2024. He has four previous starts at Pocono with a best finish of 25th, earned in 2021.

● Ware’s first start this season came at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on April 21. The 28-year-old driver started 34th and steadily worked his way toward the top-20 throughout the race. He was on pace for a top-20 finish when the leaders made contact on the final lap and collected several cars in the aftermath, including Ware’s. He took the checkered flag in 24th for his second-best career result at Talladega.

Rick Ware Racing Notes

● The Progressive American Flat Track (AFT) series wrapped its 10th event of the season last weekend at the DuQuoin (Ill.) Mile. AFT Singles rider and defending class champion Kody Kopp finished second by .001 of a second to earn his ninth podium of the year. He holds onto the top spot in the championship standings by 32 points. Mission SuperTwins rider Briar Bauman just missed out on a podium finish with a fourth-place result and is currently fourth in the standings with two podium finishes, including a win at the Ventura Short Track in Chico, California.

● Rick Ware has been a motorsports mainstay for more than 40 years. It began at age six when the third-generation racer began his driving career and has since spanned four wheels and two wheels on both asphalt and dirt. Competing in the SCCA Trans Am Series and other road-racing divisions led Ware to NASCAR in the early 1980s, where he finished third in his NASCAR debut – the 1983 Warner W. Hodgdon 300 NASCAR Grand American race at Riverside (Calif.) International Raceway. More than a decade later, injuries would force Ware out of the driver seat and into fulltime team ownership. In 1995, Rick Ware Racing was formed, and with wife Lisa by his side, Ware has since built his eponymous organization into an entity that fields two fulltime entries in the NASCAR Cup Series while simultaneously campaigning successful teams in the Top Fuel class of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, Progressive American Flat Track and FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX), where RWR won the 2022 SX2 championship with rider Shane McElrath.

Justin Haley, Driver Q&A

Why is Pocono so “tricky?”

“I’ve really enjoyed racing at Pocono in the past. I’ve had really good finishes there – a win, and also some pretty big hits. There are just so many things that it takes to be good there. Track position will be important, as it always is, but we’re really going to have to try to get the car driving well in every corner. They’re all different, so you know that there’s probably going to be one or two corners where the car isn’t doing exactly what you want. We’ve also seen Pocono turn into a strategy race, which has helped us at a few other places this year. It’ll just come down to making the right calls and having a fast car. The Rick Ware cars have been really strong lately, so we just need to keep that going.”

It’s been about a year since you announced your decision to move to Rick Ware Racing. Is there anything that stands out when you reflect on that time?

“I think a lot of people were confused and didn’t understand why I was making the decision. I knew why. I think that’s become pretty clear by now, that in my conversations with Rick (Ware) and Robby (Benton), they gave me what I needed to know improvement was coming. They put in the work to invest in people and commit to being better, and I’ve done the same for them. It’s a team and we all work together to find that success. We’re a small group but we’re competing right alongside teams with a lot more resources than we have, and it’s working. I owe everyone in that shop a lot and I’m glad I can go out and give them the finishes that they work hard for.”

Cody Ware, Driver Q&A

In your last two starts, you really focused on getting comfortable in the car and trying to better your previous performances. Is that the goal for this weekend?

“I think so. It takes a couple of laps to get refamiliar with the car, especially at a place like Pocono. You carry so much speed down the straightaways and really have to hit your marks, so the quicker I can get reacclimated, the quicker I can give the team feedback that can help us keep the car dialed in throughout the race. The team has been doing really well lately. They’ve been showing a lot of speed and I’m excited to see what we’re able to do on a bigger track like Pocono.”

Other than only having only three turns, what makes Pocono such a unique track?

“The shape is certainly unique, but having three very different corners with long straightaways on top of everything else that makes a race tough can lead to a long day. Your car will never handle perfectly, but if it’s close enough and you can get off of each corner the way you need to, your biggest battle is probably going to be dirty air or whatever else is going on around you.”

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team are headed to Pocono Raceway hoping to build on their strong run a year ago on the 2.5-mile track known as the Tricky Triangle.

“I’ve had Pocono circled on the schedule after looking back at Harrison’s results from 2023,” said crew chief Jeremy Bullins. “He brought the 21 car home eighth last year at this race, and I’m hoping for more of the same this year.”

Pocono is a special place for Bullins as he got the first of his nine Cup wins as a crew chief at Pocono in 2017 with Ryan Blaney driving the No. 21 Ford.

Bullins pointed out that the No. 21 DEX Imaging team has had some promising runs in recent weeks, and he hopes that continues this weekend.

“We’ve had a couple of opportunities lately to bring home some good finishes, and hopefully this week we can do just that with our DEX Mustang,” he said.

Practice for The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VisitPa.com is set for Noon on Saturday (Eastern Time) to be followed by qualifying at 12:45 p.m.

Sunday’s 160-lap, 400-mile race is expected to get the green flag just after 2:30 p.m., with Stage breaks at Laps 30 and 95.

USA Network will carry the TV coverage all weekend.

About DEX Imaging
DEX Imaging is the digital document imaging division of Staples, the world’s largest business solutions provider. DEX sells and services the broadest selection of copiers, printers and data management solutions, such as HP, Konica Minolta, Canon, Kyocera and numerous others.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES:
Reducing Operating Costs
Reducing Paper Consumption
Increasing Productivity

DEX Imaging has been the recipient of virtually every industry award since the company’s inception, including the JD Power & Associates Award for Best Customer Experience, the prestigious ProTech Service award by Konica Minolta, the Diamond Premier Dealer Award by Kyocera, and the Elite DEALER Award by ‘ENX’ magazine. Other accolades include being named ‘Best Place to Work’ by numerous business journals in the markets DEX serves.

Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glenn Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glenn’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Harrison Burton in the famous No. 21 racer.

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
Pocono Raceway
Long Pond, Pennsylvania
July 12-14, 2024

Returning from an idle weekend, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) will rejoin the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) at Pocono Raceway for the sport’s 10th tripleheader weekend of the 2024 season. One of the most unique venues on the NASCAR circuit, the 2.5-mile, three-turn track lying within the Pocono Mountains has over 50 years of experience hosting NASCAR’s premier series, with Sunday’s The Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VisitPA.com marking the series’ 91st appearance at the track. The NCTS will kick-off the “Tricky Triangle” tripleheader on Friday, July 12, with the CRC Brakleen 175, followed by the NXS in the Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 on Saturday, July 13.

 
Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono Raceway:

In the NASCAR Cup Series’ 90-race history at Pocono Raceway, Chevrolet leads the series with 34 all-time victories – a double-digit advantage over the next leading manufacturer, Ford, with 24 victories. In over 50 years of competition at Pocono Raceway, 40 different drivers have earned a victory at the “Tricky Triangle” in NASCAR’s top division, with Benny Parsons becoming the first driver to win under the Chevrolet banner at the track in July 1977. With six career NCS victories to his name, NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon continues to share the top position of Pocono’s all-time wins list with Toyota’s Denny Hamlin. Among the drivers entered in Sunday’s event are 10 past Pocono winners, including Chevrolet’s two most recent winners at the track with Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott (2022) and Alex Bowman (2021). Team Chevy’s Kyle Busch has also found success at the 2.5-mile Pennsylvania venue – sitting second among the series’ active drivers with four victories at the track (2021, 2019, 2018, 2017).

BOWTIE BACK TO DEFEND IN THE TRUCK, XFINITY SERIES

Chevrolet will make its return to Pocono Raceway as the track’s defending winners in both the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. One year ago, Team Chevy’s Kyle Busch took Kyle Busch Motorsports on a monumental trip to victory lane at Pocono Raceway – collecting the organization’s 100th, and ultimately final, triumph in the NCTS. In the same afternoon, Busch’s Richard Childress Racing teammate, Austin Hill, also tallied a win in the NXS to give the Bowtie brand a sweep of the victories across the two series.

On top of being the most recent winning manufacturer in the NCTS and NXS at Pocono Raceway, Chevrolet also scored the inaugural race win at the “Tricky Triangle” in both series with victories courtesy of Elliott Sadler in the NCTS (July 2010) and Kyle Larson in the NXS (June 2016). Heading into the weekend, Chevrolet stands at six all-time NCTS wins and three all-time NXS wins at the 2.5-mile Pennsylvania venue. If Chevrolet successfully defends its race-winning title in both series this weekend, the Bowtie brand would tie the manufacturer-leading wins record at Pocono Raceway in each division.

HENDRICK TOPS “TRICKY TRIANGLE”

Among the 26 different organizations that have won in NASCAR’s top division at Pocono Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports leads the way with 19 wins – all recorded in partnership with Chevrolet. There have been nine different drivers that have contributed to the organization’s series-leading feat at the “Tricky Triangle”, with Jeff Gordon sitting at a series-best six victories. Hendrick Motorsports’ two most recent trips to victory lane at the track have come with a pair of its current active drivers including Chase Elliott, who picked up the victory in the debut season of the Next Gen Camaro ZL1 (2022). Alex Bowman also contributed to the organization’s winning record with a victory during the 2021 season.

PACING IN THE PLAYOFF PICTURE

In just the series’ second-ever street course event, Alex Bowman and the No. 48 Camaro ZL1 team snapped an 80 race winless streak by taking the checkered flag at the Chicago Street Course. Of the now 12 different winners in the NASCAR Cup Series this season, Bowman is the fifth Team Chevy driver to earn a victory, with the 31-year-old Arizona native giving the Bowtie brand the most playoff berths, to-date, among its manufacturer competitors.

With Bowman’s victory, all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers have now clinched a position in the series’ 16-driver playoff field to compete for the championship title. This also marks the sixth season that all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers have won races in the same year, with the organization also accomplishing the feat in 2003, 2006, 2007, 2012 and 2021.

SVG SCORES SERIES-LEADING TRIUMPH

Returning to the hallowed grounds of his history-making NASCAR Cup Series win, Shane van Gisbergen’s first career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at the Chicago Street Course ended in similar fashion – by taking his No. 97 Kaulig Racing Camaro SS to victory lane. The victory came after yet another stout performance by the 35-year-old New Zealander, with van Gisbergen earning the pole and a stage win en route to the victory. Despite competing in his rookie campaign, the victory marks van Gisbergen’s third victory this season – making him the series’ winningest driver heading into the Pocono race weekend.

“TRICKY TRIANGLE” MARKS THREE-TO-GO FOR THE NCTS

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ most recent event at Nashville Superspeedway saw McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Christian Eckes post a perfect performance in his No. 19 Silverado RST – leading every lap of the event en route to his third victory of the 2024 season. The dominant execution by the 23-year-old New York native marked the first time in 12 years that a driver led every lap of a single event in the series. Adding yet another victory to his resume, Eckes continues to build his points lead with the Team Chevy driver sitting at a 40-point advantage over second-place Corey Heim with three races remaining in the series’ regular season.

Among the four drivers that have already solidified a playoff berth by virtue of a win, three come from the Chevrolet camp, including McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Christian Eckes (three wins), Rev Racing’s Nick Sanchez (two wins) and Spire Motorsports’ Rajah Caruth (one win). Of the six positions that remain up for grabs in the series’ 10-driver playoff field, Team Chevy’s Tyler Ankrum and Grant Efinger will enter the Pocono race weekend above the cutline, with Ankrum in the sixth position (+47) and Enfinger in the ninth position (+33).

BOWTIE BULLETS:

· Chevrolet will pace the field in the tripleheader race weekend at Pocono Raceway. The Silverado RST will lead the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in Friday’s CRC Brakleen 175; the Camaro SS will lead the NASCAR Xfinity Series in Saturday’s Explore The Pocono Mountains 225; and the Camaro ZL1 will lead the NASCAR Cup Series in Sunday’s The Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VisitPA.com.

· With 52 races complete across NASCAR’s three national series this season, Chevrolet has a winning percentage of 55.8% with 29 victories (NASCAR Cup Series – nine wins; NASCAR Xfinity Series – 11 wins; NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – nine wins).

· NASCAR Cup Series victories by active Chevrolet drivers at Pocono Raceway:

Kyle Busch – four wins (2021, 2019, 2018, 2017)

Chase Elliott – one win (2022)

Alex Bowman – one win (2021)

· In 90 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Pocono Raceway, Chevrolet has recorded 34 victories and 35 poles – both of which are series-leading records.

· In nine tripleheader weekends this season, Chevrolet is the only manufacturer to earn a weekend sweep – accomplishing the feat three times (Daytona International Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway).

· In 92 points-paying races in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 46 victories – a winning percentage of 50%.

· With his victory at Sonoma Raceway, Kyle Larson is the second driver to hit a double-digit win record in the NASCAR Cup Series’ Next Gen era with 10 triumphs. Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, William Byron, leads the series’ all-time win record in the Next Gen era with 11 victories.

· With its 42 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 860 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

 
FOR THE FANS

· Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at the Pocono Raceway.

· Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: Blazer EV, Silverado EV, Silverado ZR2, Corvette Z06, Equinox RS, Trax 2RS, Traverse Z71, Colorado Trail Boss.

· Fans can also view William Byron’s No. 24 Camaro ZL1 show car.

Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display:

Friday, July 12

· Ty Dillon: 4 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

Saturday, July 13

· Josh Williams: 12 p.m. – 12:15 p.m.

· Anthony Alfredo: 12:15 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.

· Jeb Burton & Parker Retzlaff: 1 p.m. – 1:20 p.m.

Sunday, July 14

· Zane Smith: 10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

· Daniel Suarez & Ross Chastain: 10:45 a.m. – 11 a.m.

· Alex Bowman: 11:05 a.m. – 11:20 a.m.

· Kyle Busch & Austin Dillon: 11:20 a.m. – 11:35 a.m.

Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:

· Friday, July 12: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.

· Saturday, July 13: 8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

· Sunday, July 14: 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Manufacturer Points Standings

Chevrolet: 725
Toyota: 716 (-9)
Ford: 696 (-29)

Manufacturer Points Standings

Chevrolet: 677
Toyota: 641 (-36)
Ford: 564 (-113)

Manufacturer Points Standings

Chevrolet: 498
Toyota: 459 (-39)
Ford: 414 (-84)
 
TUNE-IN:

NASCAR Cup Series

The Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VisitPA.com

Sunday, July 14, at 2:30 p.m. ET

(USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Explore The Pocono Mountains 225

Saturday, July 13, at 3 p.m. ET

(USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

CRC Brakleen 175

Friday, July 12, at 5:30 p.m. ET

(FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

 
QUOTABLE QUOTES:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Busch Light Peach Camaro ZL1

What is difficult about racing at Pocono?

“Pocono is a challenging track because all three turns are different and you have to figure out which turn you’re going to sacrifice some handling in to make up for it at another turn. We’ve had some good runs there the last couple of races and I’m confident we’ll have good Busch Light Peach Chevy this weekend and get a solid result.”

Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Parity in Paris Camaro ZL1

What are your thoughts heading to Pocono in the final push before the break?

“Pocono is one of the most unique tracks in the world and a great weekend on the schedule. We’ve had some good runs there in past years, but our results haven’t matched our speed the last few trips. We will change that this weekend. The next two weeks are very similar in character, so we’ll also use this weekend as an opportunity to tune in our Brickyard package.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Zone Camaro ZL1

Which end of the racetrack in Pocono is most critical for a good lap?

“Pocono has three very distinct corners and you need to be fast in each one in order to have a fast race car and to have a good day. I would say the biggest compromise between turns is between Turn 1 and Turn 3.”

Last year at Pocono the track had a huge crowd. Do you think that’s because the facility has just one race a year?

“I was pleasantly surprised to see such a good crowd at Pocono last year. I do believe it has to do with us only going there once a year. When we go to some of these tracks twice a year, fans will decide which one they want to go to Instead of just knowing that they only have one chance to go so they better get their tickets as soon as they can.”

There’s a lot of shifting at Pocono. Would you be in favor of NASCAR making a rules change to limit that or is that something that you enjoy?

“I think at Pocono, since the track is so big and with the three corners being as different as they are, it needs shifting. I think shifting at Pocono is an okay thing. What I don’t agree with is when we have to shift when we go to a short track.”

Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Poppy Bank Camaro ZL1

“Pocono can be rewarding with good fuel strategies and good straightaway speed. The key is getting off turn three and ride quality over the bumps in track. I feel like we are better on this aero-package than the short-track package, so hopefully we can keep the momentum going that we’ve had the last couple weeks.”

Zane Smith, No. 71 Focused Health Camaro ZL1

Back-to-back solid weekends for you and your team. Can you say that the momentum is building.

“I think the momentum is building. We have been competing up front the last two weeks, even leading a few laps last weekend in Chicago. It’s crazy how much cleaner the air is up front. My No. 71 Spire Motorsports team has been working hard every day in the shop and at the track, so it feels good to be able to show what we are capable of. Chicago was a super cool event but I’m looking forward to this weekend. I’ve never raced the cup car at Pocono but have had some success in the truck series there. It definitely fits its nickname, it’s a tricky track.”

Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Delaware Life Camaro ZL1

You’ve performed well at Pocono in Truck Series competition, but it’s your first time at the track in a Cup car. How confident are you feeling heading into this weekend’s race given your previous experience at Pocono?

“Pocono is a very difficult racetrack. I’ve put in a lot of extra time with the team and will be getting in last minute simulator time right up until I fly out. It’s nice because we have similar set ups for Indianapolis, so the goal the next two weeks is to run really well. We can go into Pocono this weekend with a mindset to do well, but to also learn a lot for the following week.”

In the five races leading up to Chicago, you averaged a 14th-place finishing position. Racing is a momentum sport, and with the Olympic break coming up in a couple weeks, how do you look to ride that wave of momentum into the break?

“We’ve also had the opportunity to finish in the top-10 in the last two weeks. From getting caught behind someone running out of gas, to getting caught in the middle of an incident with nowhere to go, the results do not show how fast these cars are right now. My team is doing everything right, and I am excited for luck to finally go our way, show how well we’re running and how fast these cars are.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1

What are your thoughts with six races left in the regular season?

“We are improving each week. We were very fast at Chicago. We got blocked there when Bubba (Wallace) and (Alex) Bowman got together and took us out of the top 10. My team rebounded really well. We made a great call to switch to dry tires and passed a lot of cars. We are learning a lot each week. We will be ready for the playoffs.”

What do you think of Pocono Raceway?

“It was cool to get the pole there in 2018 and then we finished second in the race that weekend. At Pocono, it always helps to have a good starting spot. Pocono is a track where you can’t make mistakes on the track, and you can’t have mistakes on pit road. Everyone has to do their part to execute perfectly.”

What do you feel is most important to be successful at Pocono?

“Track position is extremely important every weekend, but it’s especially important at Pocono. If you make a mistake, it takes so much longer and is so much harder to recover from. It’s a tough place for sure.”

Connor Mosack, No. 7 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Silverado RST

All three corners at Pocono are modeled differently and require a different approach. How much do you rely on your road racing background to tackle the track?

“Pocono has similarities to a road course in the sense that all three corners are very different. How you look at the optimal way to go through each corner is similar to how you would look at values on a road course. But the track definitely races more like a normal oval when you look at momentum and dirty air.”

You were having a great day in the Xfinity Series race last year before a mechanical problem knocked you out. Are you eager to get back to Pocono and build on your success?

“The Xfinity race was going well for us last year before the rotor issue. I certainly learned a lot about how to keep my momentum going in traffic and completing passes. The speed was definitely there, so I’m excited to go back in a fast truck with Spire this year and build on that momentum.”

Bayley Currey, No. 41 DQS Silverado RST

You made your first start for the team here five years ago. What do you remember about that experience compared to how it is today?

“It’s been really cool seeing this whole group grow together, honestly. I remember where the team was before my first start for them in 2019, starting in the shop where they were at with only two trucks. Now, we’re in a way bigger shop and have three full-time trucks. There’s a lot of stuff that we do in-house where it wasn’t like that when I first got here. It’s been great to see all the progression that Al (Niece) and Cody (Efaw) have made over those five years, and I’m excited to go back to Pocono this week with that group.”

Matt Mills, No. 42 J.F. Electric / Utilitra Silverado RST

This is one of the shortest races all year in terms of laps, so does that raise your intensity level?

“Yeah, I’ve never really been able to run a truck here before, but it’s all going to be about track position. The straightaways are so long and the trucks punch such a big hole in the air, so that’s going to be tough to learn and figure out how to time your runs and keep momentum. It’s another good track for us at Niece Motorsports, so I’m going to go there with a good mindset to learn as much as I can from my guys.”

Ross Chastain, No. 45 Mar-Del Watermelon Association Silverado RST

With there being only two starts left in the Truck Series for you, how bad do you want to go back to victory lane before your season ends?

“Everyone on the crew wants to make it back to victory lane, but I think for us on the No. 45 team, the most important thing we need to do is execute in both of these races to get as many points as we can. We all love winning, but for me, what would feel just as good would be to keep Al (Niece) in the fight for the owner’s championship. I’m not able to run any truck races during the Playoffs, so my goal is to help with some good runs before I pass the baton off to Kaden (Honeycutt) and Connor (Mosack) as they finish out the year.”

Rajah Caruth, No. 71 HENDRICKCARS.COM Silverado RST

Pocono is a much different racetrack than anything else on the schedule. What technique and experience at other tracks can you utilize to prepare?

“Pocono is a very unique racetrack in its own right. Turn One is a traditional corner at a majority of the racetracks we go to. Turn Two isn’t really applicable to anything we go to in terms of its character and its angle. Turn Three is super similar to Milwaukee, where I’ve run at a few times between ARCA and the truck race last year. You just have to do your due diligence in preparation before getting to the race track.”

Last time out, you earned a much-needed top-five at Nashville. How do you look to build on that with three races remaining before the playoffs?

“I’m trying to get my mind right and get into it mentally with the playoffs right around the corner. I’m really excited for the last few months of the season and to have a chance to compete for the big trophy come November. With that said, I prepare one race at a time. For right now, all focus is on Pocono. The momentum is there, and I hope we can parlay the successes from Nashville into this weekend and end of the regular season as a whole. Fourth in the regular season standings is still within reach and I think we have the speed to make it happen.”

Chase Purdy, No. 77 Bama Buggies Silverado RST

How are you feeling heading to Pocono, a track in which you have ran well in the past.

“I feel confident for this weekend! This place is always one of my favorites to go to. I’m looking forward to this one and I think we have the opportunity for a great run.”

 
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships:

Total (1949-2023): 42

First title for Chevrolet: 1958

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

Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023

Drivers Championships:

Total (1949-2021): 33

First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)

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

Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021)

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021

Event Victories:

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

2024 STATISTICS:

Wins: 9

Poles: 7

Laps Led: 1,627

Top-five finishes: 36

Top-10 finishes: 76

Stage wins: 12

· Chase Elliott: 1

· Kyle Larson: 8

· Ross Chastain: 1

· William Byron: 1

· Shane van Gisbergen: 1

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:

Total Chevrolet race wins: 860 (1949 to date)

Poles won to date: 750

Laps led to date: 250,802

Top-five finishes to date: 4,334

Top-10 finishes to date: 8,936

Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:

       General Motors: 1,194

       Chevrolet: 860

       Pontiac: 154

       Oldsmobile: 115

       Buick: 65



       Ford: 832                                                           

       Ford: 732

       Mercury: 96

       Lincoln: 4



       Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467

       Dodge: 217

       Plymouth: 191

       Chrysler: 59



       Toyota: 187

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.

Pocono (Pa.) Raceway Competition Notes

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (July 10, 2024) – Michael McDowell and the No. 34 team head to the beautiful Pocono Mountains in Long Pond, Pennsylvania for the NASCAR Cup Series race at the Pocono Raceway.

Coming off of a 5th place finish at the Chicago Street Race, McDowell and company look to carry the momentum to The Tricky Triangle in search of a win to lock themselves into the 2024 playoff field. Along with the momentum, McDowell will carry a new look to his No. 34 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, debuting a new Gunk scheme.

For more than 60 years of American heritage, Gunk has taken on the grease and grime of the garage to earn the trust of trade professionals, weekend wrenchers, and auto enthusiasts alike. Gunk’s formulas evolve as vehicles do, and their product portfolio grows as their customers’ needs change. Gunk is dedicated to developing performance-driven products and innovative solutions that help their customers take on the toughest cleaning challenges.

McDowell is no stranger to the 2.5-mile triangle oval, he has two Top-10s including his best-career finish sixth in 2022.

The Cup Series will kick off the weekend with practice and qualifying a 12:00 p.m. ET and Sunday’s 400-mile race will be at 2:30 p.m. ET. Both days will be televised on USA Network and fans can also listen to the action on SiriusXM Channel 90 and the Motor Racing Network.

No. 34 GUNK Ford Mustang Dark Horse:

DRIVER MICHAEL MCDOWELL:

“Through the first months of our summer stretch we have continued to perform well. We have put together results that we know we are capable of. With that, comes the next step of getting that win. I think we have more confidence at Pocono because of our recent runs. It’s also a good weekend for us with having GUNK on our Ford Mustang, the car looks great and can’t wait to get it out on track.”

CREW CHIEF TRAVIS PETERSON:

“The win we need is feeling closer and closer. Hopefully, we can take the Top-5 at Chicago and turn it into a few spots better this week. Michael has had several good runs at Pocono over the years and its usually an interesting strategy race. We should be able to bring a fast car and use some strategy to put us in contention.”

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.

Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Front Row Motorsports Announcement | Wednesday, July 10, 2024

Front Row Motorsports announced today that Noah Gragson will be joining the team for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. The team held a press conference today to discuss the signing. Following is a transcript of the on stage remarks.

BOB JENKINS, Owner, Front Row Motorsports – “We’re pretty excited to announce that Noah Gragson will be joining us at Front Row Motorsports for next year in 2025 and beyond. We’re super excited. Noah is a guy who has been successful on every level of racing he’s ever been in and we’ve just watched him grow over the last couple of years in the Cup Series and we believe he’s just starting to scratch the potential of what he can do. This wouldn’t be possible without the support of Ford and Ford Performance and just the partnership that they’ve given us. Without being a tier one Ford team, we could never, ever think about signing a driver like Noah and just so excited to see what we can do together with Ford Performance and with Noah.

“The other thing I would say about Noah that really impressed me. We sat down when we met and talked is how much respect he has for this sport. He really understands it’s a fan-driven sport. He just relates so well with fans. He’s only been in this series a couple of years but he’s already become one of the most popular drivers. We really think that translates with our marketing partners to what we can do and achieve, so we’re just super excited about what the future holds for Noah and so glad he’s going to be with us for several years.”

NOAH GRAGSON, Driver, Front Row Motorsports in 2025 – WHY DID YOU WANT TO JOIN FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS? “It’s definitely exciting times. When we started out this year I didn’t know how I was gonna run. I didn’t know if I had the potential to run in the Cup Series just based off how the 2023 season went, and to be able to get my feet underneath me with the opportunity at Stewart-Haas it definitely opened peoples’ eyes and with the challenges that have come about with Stewart-Haas, we were looking for a home for a long time and that’s when I got introduced to Bob and Jerry and being able to sit down with them and talk and see what their goals were and what their vision was. The thing that stuck out in my mind most importantly is what Jerry said when we met was Bob’s goal is grow each and every year and through the experiences that I’ve had in the last several years, it’s been fun to challenge myself and there are challenges and adversity along the way, but during that building process I really enjoy that time to step up as a leader and help grow the organization. With Bob’s vision of wanting to become better and better each and every year, it seemed like the right place. He’s obviously very financially invested in the team. There are a lot of great partners over there and they want to grow and build and his investment into a third charter, he wants to expand this thing. Bob, I appreciate the opportunity and I’m excited to get to work next year.”

THIS ALLOWS YOU TO STAY WITH FORD PERFORMANCE. HOW ADVANTAGEOUS WILL THAT BE? “Ford and Ford Performance have been a family from the top down. Everybody involved, whether it be Pat, Jeannee, Mark, everybody that’s involved on the Ford Performance side it’s been a lot of fun developing the relationship with them throughout this year. We’re only halfway through the year and they feel like family to me. We’ve had a lot of fun times together. The other drivers in the Ford group. the Ford camp, they’ve been really fun to work with, especially on the superspeedways. We’ve run pretty good there too. The Ford horsepower under the hood. The Robert Yates engines have been great, so it’s been a lot of fun working with the Ford camp and I can’t wait to continue to grow the relationship there.”

WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOU BRING TO FRONT ROW? “That’s probably a better question for my peers to answer, but, for me, I feel like people are the most important thing and being able to bring a group of people together and change the atmosphere of a building is important to me. If you can get everybody pulling the same rope and working hard together and making an atmosphere that people want to come to work, when you get to week 20 or week 30 of this Cup grind that’s when times are tough. It’s easy to fire off with a lot of excitement throughout the year, but if not everybody is working together on week 20, this deal is a grind and it’s challenging. You’ve got to create that excitement and bring energy to the shop, so I feel like I could probably bring quite a bit of energy to the atmosphere of Front Row and I’m really looking forward to it.”

HOW MUCH HAS THE UPTICK IN PERFORMANCE AT FRONT ROW THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS MADE YOU WANT TO JOIN THEM? “It’s definitely been eye opening. They’ve run good, Michael and Todd, obviously run good. Layne has been running good in the Truck Series, so coming in I’ve been teammates with Todd in the past and being able to work with him. I think we can build our chemistry. He’s learned a lot of stuff throughout the years since we’ve been removed from the Kyle Busch Motorsport days. I don’t know who the third driver will be, but I’m sure we can all work together and come together and have success on the racetrack. Like I said earlier, Bob’s vision is to keep on growing and become better each and every year. This deal has been going since their start, so with that being said, Michael and Todd’s performance on the racetrack has definitely been eye opening. It doesn’t go unnoticed, not only myself but I think everybody in the garage. The Front Row Motorsports guys have speed throughout the weekends, each and every weekend, so they also have an alliance with Penske, so having that and being able to rely on the teammates over there with all their drivers, I think it’s all thumbs up for me.”

HOW WILL IT BE TO WORK WITH TODD AGAIN? “Todd and I have been racing each other for probably the last 10 years, dating back to the K&N West Series. He was in the 16 car for Bill McAnally and we were racing for Jefferson PItts Racing and we had some fierce battles on the racetrack. We became teammates over at Kyle Busch Motorsports and it’s gonna be nice to be able to rekindle that relationship on the racetrack as teammates now. It’s been a few years in between, but I think from all of our learnings from the past organizations that we’ve both been at, we can definitely work together and help each other to become better.”

JERRY FREEZE, General Manager, Front Row Motorsports – WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT NOAH’S PROGRAM FOR NEXT YEAR? “It’s a big day for Front Row and we’re really excited to have Noah join the team. He brings a lot of enthusiasm across the board, not just with his driving talent, but from what I understand of how he’s worked with the groups that he’s with, whether it be road crew guys, pit crew guys, marketing people, whatever, so we’re really excited to kick it off today and get started with Noah joining our team and really adding an exciting element to our group.

“We’ve got some holes to fill still with Noah’s team. We’re pretty close on figuring out who the crew chief is and some of the main parts of it. There’s still another driver to be determined at Front Row, but we’re zoning in on that, so we’re leaving it a little loose of who is in what car number and it’s just trying to make all the pieces of the puzzle fit just right, but I think we’ve got a pretty good idea of where it’s all going and we should be able to announce it all real soon. But again, just touching on Noah, we’re just excited to have him join our group and having the partnerships that we can bring to the table, there are some partners what will be coming along that we’ll announced at a later date, and also new relationships to be forged over the year. I’m excited to have him here. He’ll be with Front Row on a multi-year deal. Touching on the relationship with Ford. We’ll continue that. We’re a Ford team for the foreseeable future and with this alliance with Team Penske it has us in a tier one platform. It’s the first time Front Row has been in that place in our 14 years with Ford, so it’s starting to show up on the racetrack with more consistent speed in our race cars. I know in talking to the leadership at Team Penske about Noah joining our team, they’re just as excited about it as we are and what he can bring to the group every Sunday at the racetrack. I’m really looking forward to 2025. There’s still work to do in ‘24, but really excited where the lineup is going at Front Row with the youth we have in Todd Gilliland really coming into his own this year, with Noah kind of in a similar place in his career. Layne Riggs driving our truck is the future for Front Row and I think we’re gonna have another exciting piece to the puzzle here in the next few weeks.”

WHAT DID THE TIMELINE LOOK LIKE TO GET NOAH ON BOARD? “I don’t know. I remember talking to his people in early May, I think, kind of when some of the buzz was going around about Stewart-Haas. I think at the time he had a multi-year commitment with Stewart-Haas that was still to be determined, so we didn’t really have any real serious dialogue at that point, but we definitely conveyed that we were very, very interested if he were able to get freed up. Once Stewart-Haas made their formal announcement, we were certainly really aggressive because he was our number one player on the board, so to speak.”

WHAT ROLE IS NOAH PLAYING IN DETERMINING ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL THAT WILL BE PART OF THE RACE TEAM? “As far as crew chief, spotter and things of that nature, a hugely significant role. Those are relationships that are kind of like marriages and you can’t just force two people together. You’ve got to make sure they want to work together, so I think that’s something that we’re on the same page with. We’ve just got to put it all together and I think we’re pretty close on that.”

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES KNOWING YOU’LL HAVE THREE CARS NEXT YEAR? “I think the biggest challenge you have is communication. We’ve tried three cars at Front Row in the past. I’ve been a part of three car teams in prior times and the biggest challenge I see that I want to try to address right from the start is you always seem to get two teams that line up pretty good together and there’s third team that’s kind of the red-headed stepchild of the group. The crew chief doesn’t get along with the others because the other two are buddies, so we’re gonna have three teams under that roof. They’ve all got to get along. I think it starts with the drivers. If the drivers, and having Noah and Todd with a prior relationship is hugely important. If they’re on the same page, it’ll be a lot harder to keep secrets from each other, so we’ll work really hard on the communication piece. I think the parts and pieces, we’re way ahead of it. We’re gonna be in a good place. We’ve kind of figured out shop space, so I think we’ve got the groundwork laid to make it all work.”

WHAT’S THE TEAM’S RECEPTION BEEN TO NOAH JOINING THE GROUP? “We told the team this morning and there was a lot of enthusiasm about it, for sure. Noah is a likeable guy, for sure, and brings a big personality to the team and an energy and I think people are just excited to know that filling the void of Michael McDowell leaving is hard without a doubt, so Noah coming in – somebody that people are excited about, kind of a very different personality than where Michael is in his life, I think, has brought a real spirit to the shop and I think people are just excited to get to know Noah and get to work.”

WAS NOAH THERE AT THE SHOP? “No, he’s still doing his full-time job right now. He had a sim session this morning, so he couldn’t make it. We’ll have to bring him over later.”

BOB JENKINS CONTINUED – WHAT IS A COMMONALITY BETWEEN THE DRIVERS WE’VE SEEN OVER THE YEARS AT YOUR ORGANIZATION? “I just think they’ve been really close. Michael has been a great mentor to Todd. They race well together. They work well together. That’s probably the thing I’m most proud of is just the culture. It’s a close-knit group and I think the thing that Noah brings is just a level of excitement. He’s just got contagious energy. Anybody that’s spent five minutes around him can see that. I remember being at Talladega one time and seeing a guy going down the boulevard on a scooter. I’m like, ‘Who is that guy?’ That’s Noah Gragson. He’s just one of those, for whatever reason people just relate to him and he relates well with them.”

AS YOU LOOK AT GOALS OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, WHERE DO YOU SEE THIS TEAM GOING? “Without knowing exactly who is going to be driving our third car it’s hard for me to say everything, but I think this is what you can expect. I think you’re gonna have three young but experienced drivers that their youthful but they’ve gotten that first couple of years out of the way. I think people will look at Front Row Motorsports and say, ‘This is a team that could be together for a long time.’ So, the thing I’m most excited about with Noah is that he’s not even really hit his ceiling. He’s still growing in this sport and getting better every week and I’m just excited to see where it goes.”

• In 12 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) starts at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Spire Motorsports has logged one top-20 and three top-25 finishes. Corey LaJoie, driver of the No. 7 Gainbridge Chevy Camaro, earned a team/venue-best 19th-place finish in the division’s 2022 visit to the “Tricky Triangle.” Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NCS with LaJoie, Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar, respectively.
• The Great American Getaway 400 from Pocono Raceway will be televised live on USA Network, Sunday, July 14, beginning at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 21st of 36 races on the 2024 NCS schedule will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Corey LaJoie – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Corey LaJoie heads to Pocono Raceway behind the wheel of the No. 7 Parity in Paris Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
• Sunday’s Great American Getaway 400 will mark LaJoie’s 12th Cup Series start at Pocono Raceway and 257th career start. In 11 previous NCS starts at the uniquely-configured, three-turn racecourse, he has logged one top-20 and three top-25 finishes including a venue best 19th-place finish. Over those 11 starts, the Concord, N.C., native has led five laps, recorded a 27.7 average start, a 27.5 average finish and completed 1,493 of 1,667 laps contested (89.6 percent).
• This weekend, the No. 7 Chevy will showcase a one-of-a-kind Parity in Paris paint scheme to highlight the 75-plus members of the Parity community who have qualified for the Olympics and Paralympics this summer, while also celebrating the fact that Paris will be the first summer Olympics to feature equal numbers of male and female athletes. Gainbridge®, a Group 1001 company, along with its sister company Parity, a brand sponsorship platform, are committed to closing the gender income and opportunity gap in professional sports.
• The 32-year-old started 12th and finished 27th in the division’s lone 2023 stop at Pocono Raceway last July.
• LaJoie started 20th and finished 27th in last weekend’s Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Course. The 32-year-old, father of three has led 38 laps in 2024 and is currently 31st in points.
• Over 256 career NCS starts, LaJoie has earned four top-five and nine top-10 finishes and led 161 laps in NASCAR’s premier division.

Corey LaJoie Quotes
What are your thoughts heading to Pocono in the final push before the break?
“Pocono is one of the most unique tracks in the world and a great weekend on the schedule. We’ve had some good runs there in past years, but our results haven’t matched our speed the last few trips. We will change that this weekend. The next two weeks are very similar in character, so we’ll also use this weekend as an opportunity to tune in our Brickyard package.”

Zane Smith – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Zane Smith will make his first NASCAR Cup Series appearance at Pocono Raceway on Sunday, driving the No. 71 Focused Health Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports.
• Smith arrives at Pocono after finishing 17th in Sunday’s Cup Series race on the streets of Downtown Chicago.
• While he’s never raced at Pocono in a Cup car, the rookie driver owns four starts at “The Tricky Triangle” in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. His record includes a start from the pole position (2022), 44 laps led, and one top-10 finish.
• Smith will drive the No. 91 Chevrolet Silverado in Friday afternoon’s truck series race. It marks the 2022 truck series champion’s fifth race this year with the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing team. He finished in the top-10 in all four races and led 38 laps.
• Focused Health is a national health insurance agency that assists consumers and employers in navigating the myriad of health insurance options in the government programs space. The company partners with payors and employers to deliver health insurance solutions for individuals and families. For more information visit AtFocusedHealth.com.
• Fans can visit Smith for a Q&A at the Chevrolet Fanzone Display on Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Zane Smith Quotes
Back-to-back solid weekends for you and your team. Can you say that the momentum is building.
“I think the momentum is building. We have been competing up front the last two weeks, even leading a few laps last weekend in Chicago. It’s crazy how much cleaner the air is up front. My No. 71 Spire Motorsports team has been working hard every day in the shop and at the track, so it feels good to be able to show what we are capable of. Chicago was a super cool event but I’m looking forward to this weekend. I’ve never raced the cup car at Pocono but have had some success in the truck series there. It definitely fits its nickname, it’s a tricky track.”

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

• Carson Hocevar will make his first NCS start at Pocono Raceway in Sunday’s Great American Getaway 400 behind the wheel of the No. 77 Delaware Life Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Spire Motorsports.
• Hocevar started 13th and finished 24th in last Sunday’s Grant Park 165 on the streets of Downtown Chicago.
• In three Truck Series starts at the 2.5-mile tri-oval, Hocevar has logged a 6.7 average start and a 9.7 average finish, all while completing 100 percent of the laps contested.
• Delaware Life Insurance Company (“Delaware Life”) has made its mission to deliver pure value to its network of financial professionals with a set of tools and products that help them empower their clients to plan for retirement with confidence. Delaware Life’s focus is delivering a seamless experience that gives clients exactly what they’re looking for: the comfort of understanding, the confidence of transparency, and streamlined products without needless features. Learn more at www.delawarelife.com
• The youngest NCS driver in the field is currently 25th in the division’s championship points. Over the course of the season’s first 20 races, Hocevar has notched two top-10s and five top-15 finishes.
• Friday at 8:30 a.m., Hocevar joins the NASCAR Foundation’s Bike Build and Speediatrics Fun Day Festival. The event focuses on building bikes and promoting healthy living for children in local racing communities through interactive racing activities.
• Peter Sospenzo, mechanic on the No. 77 team, was atop the box for Jeremy Mayfield’s victory in the 2000 Pocono 500. The race would be remembered for Mayfield’s “bump and run” move on Dale Earnhardt in Turn Three on the final lap.
• Crew chief Luke Lambert has called five top-10 finishes at “The Tricky Triangle” in the NCS with drivers Ryan Newman, Daniel Hemric and Chris Buescher.

Carson Hocevar Quotes
You’ve performed well at Pocono in Truck Series competition, but it’s your first time at the track in a Cup car. How confident are you feeling heading into this weekend’s race given your previous experience at Pocono?
“Pocono is a very difficult racetrack. I’ve put in a lot of extra time with the team and will be getting in last minute simulator time right up until I fly out. It’s nice because we have similar set ups for Indianapolis, so the goal the next two weeks is to run really well. We can go into Pocono this weekend with a mindset to do well, but to also learn a lot for the following week.”
In the five races leading up to Chicago, you averaged a 14th-place finishing position. Racing is a momentum sport, and with the Olympic break coming up in a couple weeks, how do you look to ride that wave of momentum into the break?

“We’ve also had the opportunity to finish in the top-10 in the last two weeks. From getting caught behind someone running out of gas, to getting caught in the middle of and incident with nowhere to go, the results do not show how fast these cars are right now. My team is doing everything right, and I am excited for luck to finally go our way, show how well we’re running and how fast these cars are.”
From the Top of the Box

Ryan Sparks – Crew Chief, No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Ryan Sparks serves in a dual role as both Spire Motorsports competition director and crew chief for driver Corey LaJoie and the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro in the NCS.
• Sparks, a Winston-Salem, N.C., native, has been paired with LaJoie since 2020.
• Combined, Sparks and LaJoie have earned four top-five and seven top-10 finishes, including a fourth-place finish in the 2024 Daytona 500.

Stephen Doran – Crew Chief, No. 71 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Stephen Doran begins his first full season as a Cup Series crew chief leading Zane Smith and the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet team during the 2024 season.
• In 2006, Doran got his start in NASCAR at Petty Enterprises.
• Prior to his arrival at Spire Motorsports, Doran worked at Stewart-Haas Racing as an engineer, most recently on the No. 4 car driven by Kevin Harvick.

Luke Lambert – Crew Chief, No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

• Luke Lambert is the crew chief for Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 team with 2024 NCS Rookie of the Year candidate Carson Hocevar.
• The 2005 North Carolina State graduate has led the competition efforts for some of the sport’s most notable names including Jeff Burton, Ryan Newman, Elliott Sadler and Chris Buescher.
• In 2014, Lambert led Newman to a berth in the Championship 4, and ultimately a runner-up finish in the NCS championship point standings.

About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports is a NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race team co-owned by long-time NASCAR industry executives Jeff Dickerson and Thaddeus “T.J.” Puchyr. In 2024, Spire Motorsports will campaign the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NASCAR Cup Series with drivers Corey LaJoie, Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar, respectively. The team will also field the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados full time in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. An all-star driver lineup will rotate throughout the 2024 season in the No. 7 Chevy. Rajah Caruth will drive the No. 71 entry and Chase Purdy rounds out the team’s fleet of Chevrolets in the No. 77.

Spire Motorsports earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville Speedway. The team’s most recent win came on April 12, 2024, when Kyle Busch took the took the checkered flag in the SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway.