nascar

Kurt Busch to Serve as Grand Marshal for NASCAR Truck Series Race at Atlanta Motor Speedway

by Mike
Kurt Busch to Serve as Grand Marshal for NASCAR Truck Series Race at Atlanta Motor Speedway

CONCORD, N.C. (March 12, 2020) – NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) competitor and former champion, Kurt Busch, will serve as the Grand Marshal for the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series (NGROTS), Vet Tix Camping World 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 14. Busch started his NASCAR National touring series career racing in the NGROTS in 2000 and was a four-time winner in NGROTS competition, in just one full-time season on the circuit. (more…)

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Kurt Busch to Serve as Grand Marshal for NASCAR Truck Series Race at Atlanta Motor Speedway Read More

Hendrick Motorsports Media Advance: Atlanta – 9 24 48 88

by Mike
Hendrick Motorsports Media Advance: Atlanta – 9 24 48 88

ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY (1.5-MILE OVAL)

LOCATION: HAMPTON, GEORGIA
EVENT: NASCAR CUP SERIES (RACE FIVE OF 36)
TUNE IN: 2 P.M. ET, SUNDAY, MARCH 15 (FOX/PRN/SIRIUSXM)

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Chase Elliott
No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

Driver Chase Elliott   Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
Age 24                       Resides Dawsonville, Georgia
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2020 Season

  • 3rd in standings
  • 4 starts
  • 0 wins
  • 1 pole position
  • 1 top-five finish
  • 2 top-10 finishes
  • 186 laps led

Career

  •  153 starts
  • 6 wins
  • 9 pole positions
  • 45 top-five finishes
  • 76 top-10 finishes
  • 2,030 laps led

Track Career 

  • 4 starts
  • 0 wins
  • 0 pole positions
  • 1 top-five finish
  • 3 top-10 finishes
  • 0 laps led
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Dawsonville, Georgia, native Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, will be available to members of the media on Friday, March 13, at 1 p.m. local time in the Atlanta Motor Speedway media center.

LEADING THE FIELD: Through the first four races of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, Chase Elliott has led more laps (186) than any other driver and 27 laps more than Kevin Harvick, who has the second most.

GEORGIA ON HIS MIND: On Sunday, Elliott could become just the second Georgia-born driver to win a race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, joining his father, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, who won five races at the track.

ATLANTA BASED: In addition to NAPA AUTO PARTS, Elliott’s primary sponsor this weekend at Atlanta, fellow No. 9 team primary partner Hooters also is headquartered in Atlanta. Hooters, a casual dining establishment with a deep history in NASCAR, will make its season debut next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

ELLIOTT AT ATLANTA: The 24-year-old driver has made starts at Atlanta in each of NASCAR’s top-three series – four in the Cup Series, two in the Xfinity Series and one in the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series. Last season was the only time he finished outside the top 10 in the Cup Series (19th). Elliott currently holds a 10.5-average finish at Atlanta, the best among active drivers at the 1.5-mile track. He also has finished in the top five in all of his Xfinity Series and NASCAR Truck Series starts at Atlanta.

DOUBLE DUTY: In addition to his full-time duty piloting the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in the Cup Series, Elliott will compete in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race, driving the No. 24 Hooters Chevrolet for GMS Racing on Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He also will drive the No. 24 Chevy in the upcoming Kansas Truck race on May 30.

HEADING HOME: Elliott hails from Dawsonville, Georgia, just 84 miles north of the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Last month, Elliott spent a little extra time around his hometown to promote this weekend’s race. He visited students at Dawson County Middle School, helped unveil Atlanta’s 60th anniversary pace car at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame and finished the day off with media and signing autographs for fans in attendance.

FIRST FOUR: Four races are in the books as the Cup Series heads back east this weekend. In just four events, Elliott has collected one pole award, one top-five finish and two top 10s. The driver of the No. 9 also has earned more stage points (50) than any other driver this season. He ranks third in the point standings, a big improvement of being ranked 13th after four races last season.

DESI9N TO DRIVE: As part of the Chase Elliott Foundation’s fourth annual “DESI9N TO DRIVE” art collaboration with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, patient-designed racing shoes will be worn by Elliott and Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron, Alex Bowman and Jimmie Johnson during the NASCAR Cup Series race this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Elliott’s shoes were designed by 8-year-old Brooke Winokur and features a colorful outer space design with Mars, stars and astronauts. They will be signed and put on the auction block starting March 13 at the NASCAR Foundation online auction site to benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s summer camps.

CHECK OUT THOSE HATS: For the second time this month, the No. 9 team will wear special, limited-edition NAPA hats at the track. The hats are part of NAPA AUTO PARTS’ March in-store promotion. During the month of March, when customers spend $25 in store, they will receive the No. 9 NAPA Racing-Chase Elliott hat while supplies last.

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William Byron
No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

Driver William Byron   Hometown Charlotte, North Carolina
Age 22                         Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
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2020 Season

  • 19th in standings
  • 4 starts
  • 0 wins
  • 0 pole positions
  • 0 top-five finishes
  • 1 top-10 finish
  • 1 lap led

Career

  • 76 starts
  • 0 wins
  • 5 pole positions
  • 5 top-five finishes
  • 18 top-10 finishes
  • 295 laps led

Track Career 

  • 2 starts
  • 0 wins
  • 0 pole positions
  • 0 top-five finishes
  • 0 top-10 finishes
  • 0 laps led
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FINAL STOP, PHOENIX: Qualifying 17th at Phoenix Raceway for the final race of the West Coast swing, William Byron methodically worked his way through the field, ultimately finding himself battling inside the top-five running order with under 100 laps to go. However, right-side damage on a restart forced Byron down pit road for repairs, lining him up outside the top 15 when the field went back green. As the race came to a close, multiple restarts aided in the 22-year-old driver’s march back to the front and he crossed the finish line in 10th.

LIBERTY U RETURNS: After making its 2020 NASCAR Cup Series debut at the Clash during Daytona Speedweeks, Liberty University will be back on board Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for this weekend’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. With a long history with Byron dating back in 2014 in the late model ranks, Liberty University is in the midst of its sixth season sponsoring the 22-year-old driver. Liberty has been Training Champions for Christ since it was founded in 1971. Located in the mountains of central Virginia, Liberty is a liberal arts institution with 17 colleges and schools that offers more than 600 degree programs from the certificate to the doctoral level, on campus and online. Working on an undergraduate degree in business communication, Byron now is in his junior year at Liberty University through its online program.

THE ATL ARCHIVE: With two previous Cup Series starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Byron has a track-best finish of 17th from last spring’s race. Byron has two other NASCAR starts at the 1.5-mile track, including one in the NASCAR Xfinity Series where he finished seventh, the third-highest of the Xfinity Series regulars. He also has one start at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Series, where he was running second before losing an engine, leaving him with a 32nd-place finish.

KNAUS HOT AT HOTLANTA: Calling the shots for 28 NASCAR Cup races at the weathered track, crew chief Chad Knaus has snagged the checkered flag five times at Atlanta Motor Speedway, most recently in back-to-back wins from 2015 and 2016. Out of the 28 races as crew chief, Knaus’ car has left the 1.5-mile oval with 14 top-five and 15 top-10 finishes. In fact, Knaus has a knack for intermediate tracks in general, collecting 34 wins across his Cup Series crew chief career.

DESI9N TO DRIVE: This year, Byron will take part in the Chase Elliott Foundation’s “DESI9N TO DRIVE” shoe program. Benefiting Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s summer camp program, Byron and his Hendrick Motorsports teammates selected racing shoe designs created by patients at the hospital. Byron will sport 9-year-old Julia Hope Sears’ design on his racing shoes that encompasses the theme of “Dream Big.” With a variety of colors present, Sears’ design also includes stars throughout and the phrase “lights, camera, action.” Not only will Sears get to meet the Hendrick Motorsports drivers before Sunday’s race, she will see her design transfer from paper to real life when Byron wears her racing shoe design during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. After the event, the race-worn shoes will be signed by Byron and auctioned off online by the Chase Elliott Foundation.

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Jimmie Johnson
No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

Driver Jimmie Johnson   Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 44                             Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
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2020 Season

  • 5th in standings
  • 4 starts
  • 0 wins
  • 0 pole positions
  • 1 top-five finish
  • 2 top-10 finishes
  • 13 laps led

Career

  • 655 starts
  • 83 wins
  • 36 pole positions
  • 228 top-five finishes
  • 366 top-10 finishes
  • 18,847 laps led

Track Career 

  • 28 starts
  • 5 wins
  • 0 pole positions
  • 14 top-five finishes
  • 16 top-10 finishes
  • 586 laps led
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DEDICATION: This weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Jimmie Johnson will receive an honor only the two other seven-time NASCAR champions, Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty, have received at the track – a grandstand named after him. The dedication will take place on Friday, March 13 at the base of Stair Tower 8.

DUTY CALLS:  Before the green flag drops on this year’s race in Hampton, Georgia, the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and five-time Atlanta Motor Speedway winner will be the grand marshal of the race. Johnson will give the command and recite the “most famous words in motorsports” for drivers to start their engines from the cockpit of his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet.

PERFORMANCE: Johnson has the third-best average finish of all active drivers at Atlanta with 12.0 over his 28 starts. He is the proud owner of five wins at Atlanta and, of the last nine races at the 1.5-mile track, Hendrick Motorsports has won four of them – with Johnson’s victories coming in the 2015 and 2016 events.

1.5-MILE WIN PERCENTAGE: Johnson has the most all-time wins on a 1.5-mile racetrack with 28 victories overall. The next-best record is 17 wins by NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon, followed by competitor Kevin Harvick with 16 from an active driver standpoint. In 190 starts on 1.5-mile tracks, Johnson has won 14.7% of those races, which is second of all time. Johnson trails former driver Fred Lorenzen, who won 21.1% of his races with 38 starts and eight wins on this type of track.

BEST SHOES EVER: To support teammate Chase Elliott’s “DESI9N TO DRIVE” initiative, Johnson will don unique Alpine Stars racing shoes this weekend – designed by 5-year old Evelyn O’Dell. She created Johnson’s shoes with one thing in mind – her sister, Ellie. The design features a predominantly green and orange scheme, with five hearts for Ellie’s five heart surgeries, and two butterflies – one for each sister. Evelyn’s hope is that her sister will be able to dream big and be happy. Each shoe will be signed by the respective drivers and will be auctioned off online for nine days (March 13–22) with proceeds going to the Chase Elliott Foundation to benefit the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta summer camp program. Participating corporate partners of the program are “matching” the highest-winning auction bid for his racing shoes.

NOT DONE YET: There are some huge milestones on the horizon for Johnson. The next time he crosses the finish line first, he will have scored his 84th points-paying Cup Series win to tie Hall of Famers Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison for fourth of all time. Johnson currently is 10 wins behind former teammate Jeff Gordon, who has 93 victories and is third on the list. Johnson has the most wins of all active drivers with 83.

GOING HOME: Jackman Kyle Tudor, who hails from Augusta, Georgia, calls Atlanta Motor Speedway his home track. Tudor played football at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, as a linebacker and has been on the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet team for four seasons.

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Alex Bowman
No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE

Driver Alex Bowman   Hometown Tucson, Arizona
Age 26                         Resides Concord, North Carolina
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2020 Season

  • 4th in standings
  • 4 starts
  • 1 win
  • 0 pole positions
  • 1 top-five finish
  • 1 top-10 finish
  • 113 laps led

Career

  • 157 starts
  • 2 wins
  • 2 pole positions
  • 11 top-five finishes
  • 27 top-10 finishes
  • 587 laps led

Track Career 

  • 4 starts
  • 0 wins
  • 0 pole positions
  • 0 top-five finishes
  • 0 top-10 finishes
  • 0 laps led
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AXALTA ON BOARD: This weekend’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway marks the second event of the 2020 season in which the Axalta colors will adorn Alex Bowman’s No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. The leading global supplier of liquid and powder coatings and Hendrick Motorsports announced an extension last month that will take their partnership through the 2027 season. Read more here.

ATL BOUND: The driver of the No. 88 machine has four previous starts in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Bowman’s best finish of 15th came in last year’s event at the 1.5-mile facility. He has one start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2013, where he qualified 18th. In 2017, Bowman ran in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, where he finished sixth after qualifying fifth.

1.5-MILE STATS: In 2019, Bowman had 11 starts on tracks measuring 1.5 miles in length. The 26-year-old driver had an average start of 13.7 and an average finish of 9.3 on these tracks last season. Bowman captured three top-five finishes and six top 10s at intermediate tracks, including the win at Chicagoland Speedway. In the last nine events on tracks of this length, Bowman’s average finish of 7.9 is the second best of all drivers and his six top-10 finishes over the last nine are tied for the second most. Earlier this year, the team finished 13th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after battling inside the top 10 for most of the event.

NEW KICKS: During this weekend’s event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bowman will be sporting some new shoes. The Chase Elliott Foundation is supporting the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta through the “DESI9N TO DRIVE” shoe program. The shoes, designed by 14-year-old Justin Mingo, will be autographed by Bowman and auctioned off by the Chase Elliott Foundation for nine days (March 13–22). Proceeds will go to the foundation to benefit Children’s summer camp program. Visit the auction page here.

IVES IN ATLANTA: Crew chief Greg Ives will call the shots for the sixth time on Sunday with the No. 88 team at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Michigan native has two top-five finishes at the track, which includes a runner-up finish with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2016. Ives has two career starts as a crew chief in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the 1.5-mile facility. In 2014, Ives’ driver sat on the pole for the 195-lap event and led 36 laps en route to a fifth-place finish. From 2006-12, Ives was a race engineer for the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team. During that time, he was a part of two wins and one pole award.

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Hendrick Motorsports

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT ATLANTA: The organization has 14 wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the most among all teams. Hendrick Motorsports also has 59 top-five finishes, 90 top-10s and a total of 3,031 laps led. Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon are tied for fifth with the most wins at the Hampton, Georgia, track, along with Bill Elliott and Bobby Allison.

WINS IN THE PEACH STATE: Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick’s first Atlanta Motor Speedway win in the Cup Series came on March 19, 1989, with driver Darrell Waltrip. The organization has posted Atlanta victories with six different drivers: Gordon (five wins), Johnson (five wins), Waltrip, Ken Schrader (1991), Jerry Nadeau (2000) and Kasey Kahne (2014).

2020 IN A NUTSHELL: Three of Hendrick Motorsports’ four drivers are in the top five in the points standing after four races this season. Chase Elliott is in third place, followed by Alex Bowman in fourth and Jimmie Johnson in fifth. Elliott leads all drivers with the most stage wins (three), while Bowman is one of three drivers this season to have a win under his belt.

LUCKY MARCH: Bowman’s victory in Fontana, California, pushes Hendrick Motorsports to the all-time leader in wins during the month of March with 23, which ranks fourth on the organization’s winningnest month list. The team has 35 total wins in June, 33 in September and 32 in October. The 88 team’s win on March 1 also makes the first of the month Hendrick Motorsports’ most winningnest date with 13.

ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 12 championships, 257 race victories, 226 pole positions, 1,074 top-five finishes and 1,854 top-10 finishes in points-paying NASCAR Cup Series competition. Its teams have led more than 68,000 laps since 1984. With Bowman’s win at Auto Club Speedway this season, the organization extended its streak to 35 consecutive seasons with at least one win, the longest streak all-time.

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QUOTABLE / 

Chase Elliott’s expectations and improvements going to his home track:
“We started off there and I thought 2016 went really good. That was kind of my first 1.5-mile with the No. 24 team at the time and I thought things went really good. In 2017, we went back and were even better. I thought we had a real chance that day. And then in ’18 and ’19 (we) have been dismal. So, hopefully this weekend is better and you never want to run bad at your home track. So, hopefully we can turn that around. It’s been, I feel like, it’s been a rough go the past two years. So, yeah, hopefully we can improve and be back like we were in 2017.”

William Byron on his feelings about Atlanta Motor Speedway being repaved:
“Oh yeah. I mean I don’t think Atlanta is a bumpy track, but it’s just really worn out and slick. The rubber doesn’t really build up there, it just stays slick all the time. It’s a very interesting track because of it. We only go there once year, like Auto Club, so you have to go in with a different mindset this weekend and learn what you can.”

Jimmie Johnson on the challenges at Atlanta Motor Speedway:
“For a 1.5 mile track, Atlanta has the most banking and the asphalt is so old. For qualifying, it’s truly one of the most gnarliest tracks we go to — the bumps, speed and commitment level is off the charts. I’ve often climbed out of the car and been shaking like a leaf — it’s intense. Winning there as much as we have has been so special, one of my greatest races was the battle with Carl Edwards where he edged me at the start finish line. It’s a great track, I’m looking forward to it.”

Alex Bowman’s thoughts on going into Atlanta with Hendrick Motorsports’ strong intermediate program:
“We should be good. Atlanta is a lot of fun. I’m excited about the new Camaro ZL1 1LE and what we’ve seen with it so far. I think we can be really strong there. It’s another place where you can move around a lot. Tire management is really key. You can move to the top and pass a lot of cars and five laps later, you’re going backwards. So, managing that is a lot of fun. It should be a good race for us.”

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TRENDING / 

Look what made its way back to the shop from@ACSupdates!

@TeamHendrick via Twitter
3/10/20, 12:40 p.m. ET

Follow Hendrick Motorsports on
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No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang: Cole Custer Folds of Honor 500 Race Advance

by Mike
No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang: Cole Custer Folds of Honor 500 Race Advance
KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (March 11, 2020) – Cole Custer and the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) will compete at Atlanta Motor Speedway Sunday in this season’s second event at an intermediate track. Custer will make his first career NASCAR Cup Series start at the 1.54-mile track in Sunday’s Folds of Honor 500.

 

Custer heads to Atlanta coming off of his best career Cup Series finish, ninth, earned at Phoenix Raceway. The young driver was also the highest finishing 2020 Rookie of the Year contender. The Haas Automation driver started 16th and battled an intermittent power steering problem along with a tight-handling Mustang and finished ninth in the 316-lap event. It was a solid day for the four-car SHR organization with all four entries finishing in the top-10 in the season’s fourth race.
For the last five seasons, Atlanta was the second race of the season. The track is significant because it’s a 1.5-mile layout and a majority of the tracks on the Cup Series circuit are that length and similarly shaped. If things go well this weekend at Atlanta for Custer and the SHR organization, it bodes well for the team’s competitiveness on the same style of track for the rest of the season.
SHR has two wins at the Georgia track – Kevin Harvick in 2018 and team co-owner Tony Stewart in September 2010. Additionally, the Kannapolis, North Carolina team has amassed four pole awards and a total of nine top-fives and nine top-10s, in 39 starts there.
Custer has three starts at Atlanta in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with two top-10 finishes in three starts. Last year, he captured the pole position and finished second to Christopher Bell. He has one Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series start at Atlanta. He started sixth in 2016 and finished 17th.
In his last nine Xfinity Series starts at 1.5-mile tracks, Custer earned two wins, four top-fives, six top-10s and one pole award. The victories were captured at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, and Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. He led a total of 410 laps in the nine starts on his way to an average finishing position of 10.4 and an average starting position of 3.2.
The 22-year-old has made two starts at intermediate tracks behind the wheel of a Cup Series car, both at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The first occurred in March 2018, when he started 30th and finished 25th for the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing team. The second was in his No. 41 Mustang last month, when he started 17th and finished 19th.
“The Xfinity cars have more horsepower than the Cup cars at the bigger tracks, but the Cup cars have a lot more downforce and drag,” Custer said. “The Cup cars are going slower down the straightaways, but much faster in the corners. For me, the biggest difference is getting used to how much speed I can actually carry into the corner with the Cup car, when I’ve been doing something different for three years.”
Haas Automation, founded in 1983 by SHR co-owner Gene Haas, is America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools. The company manufactures a complete line of vertical and horizontal machining centers, turning centers and rotary tables and indexers. All Haas products are constructed in the company’s 1.1 million-square-foot Oxnard manufacturing facility and distributed through a worldwide network of Haas Factory Outlets.
Even though Custer had a trio of starts in the Cup Series in 2018, 2020 officially marks his Rookie of the Year campaign in NASCAR’s most prestigious series. He’s competing for the honor with notables Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick. The three have battled against each other in the Xfinity Series and are making the full-time transition to the Cup Series together.

Cole Custer: Driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
What do you do to decompress after a race?
“It’s hard to decompress because all we think about is racing. I try and hang out with friends. We have a lake near the house in North Carolina and I like to go out on the boat with friends as a way to relax. I golf a little here and there, too.”
What is the biggest difference for you between the Xfinity and Cup Series?
“I think, for me, it is getting used to the cars. They are a lot different, especially with the 550 package, and how you work the throttle and everything. How you are going to do that is a lot different than Xfinity. At the same time, you make one little mistake and are a little off in one area, you will lose a ton of spots. Everybody here is pushing it to the limit. Everyone in the top-25 in the Cup Series is probably capable of winning races. It is a matter of trying to perfect every part of it.”
Have you had any pranks pulled on you as a Cup Series rookie?
“Nothing yet, but I’m waiting for it. I feel a guy like (Clint) Bowyer is probably going to be the first one to pull a prank on me. Who wouldn’t pick Bowyer as the first person to do it?”
No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang Team Report
Race 5 of 36 – Folds of Honor 500 – Atlanta
 
Car No. 41: Haas Automation Ford Mustang Team Report

At Track PR Contact: Mike Arning with True Speed Communication (Mike.Arning@TrueSpeedCommunication.com)

Primary Team:

 

Driver: Cole Custer

Hometown: Ladera Ranch, California

Crew Chief: Mike Shiplett

Hometown: Amherst, Ohio

Engine Specialist: Evan Cupples

Hometown: Hudson, Illinois

Car Chief: Tony Cardamone

Hometown: Bristol, Virginia

Engine Builder: Roush Yates Engines

Headquarters: Mooresville, North Carolina

Spotter: Andy Houston

Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

Over-The-Wall Crew:

Fuelman: Chad Emmons

Hometown: Tyler, Texas
Carrier: Dwayne Moore

Hometown: Griffin, Georgia

Jackman: Brett Morrell

Hometown: Windham, Maine

 

Front Changer: Josh Leslie

Hometown: Mount Clemens, Michigan

Rear Changer: Coleman Dollarhide
Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

Road Crew:

 

Transporter Driver: Eddie DeGroot and Scott Robbins

Hometown: Baldwinsville, New York and Woodfield, New Hampshire, respectively
Shock Specialist: Aaron Kuehn

Hometown: Kensington, Connecticut
Mechanic: Nick McIntosh

Hometown: Havre, Montana
Tire Technician: Thomas Gagliano

Hometown: East Hampton, Connecticut
Engineers: Scott Bingham and Davin Restivo

Hometowns: Lawrenceville, Georgia and Ashboro, North Carolina, respectively
Mechanic: Joe Zanolini

Hometown: Sybertsville, Pennsylvania 

Atlanta Motor Speedway Notes of Interest:
  • Cole Custer will make his first Atlanta Motor Speedway Cup Series start on Sunday to bring his total of career Cup Series starts to eight.
  • The Haas Automation driver finished ninth last weekend at Phoenix Raceway. Custer was the highest finishing Rookie of the Year contender at the suburban Phoenix track.
  • 2020 marks Custer’s first fulltime season in the Cup Series and he will contend for Rookie of the Year honors along with four other Cup Series competitors.
  • The Ladera Ranch, California native has three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Atlanta. In last year’s race he started from the pole position and finished runner-up in the 163-lap event. He also has one NASCAR Truck Series starts at the intermediate oval.
  • Custer will sign autographs at the SHR merchandise hauler in the fan midway on Sunday, March 15 beginning at 10:55 a.m.
Views: 708
No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang: Cole Custer Folds of Honor 500 Race Advance Read More

NASCAR Cup Series News & Notes – Atlanta Motor Speedway

by Mike
NASCAR Cup Series News & Notes – Atlanta Motor Speedway

Next Race: Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500
The Place: Atlanta Motor Speedway
The Date: Sunday, March 15
The Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: FOX, 1 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 500.5 miles (325 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 105),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 210), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 325)
2019 Race Winner: Brad Keselowski (more…)

Views: 675
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NASCAR Xfinity Series News & Notes – Atlanta Motor Speedway

by Mike
NASCAR Xfinity Series News & Notes – Atlanta Motor Speedway

Next Race: EchoPark 250
The Place: Atlanta Motor Speedway
The Date: Saturday, March 14
The Time: 4 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 3:30 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 251.02 miles (163 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 40),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 80), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 163)
2019 Race Winner: Christopher Bell (more…)

Views: 609
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NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series News & Notes – Atlanta Motor Speedway

by Mike
NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series News & Notes – Atlanta Motor Speedway

Next Race: Vet Tix Camping World 200
The Place: Atlanta Motor Speedway
The Date: Saturday, March 14
The Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 1 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 200.02 miles (130 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 30),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 60), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 130)
2019 Winner: Kyle Busch (more…)

Views: 640
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Hunt Brothers Pizza/FIELDS Racing: Kevin Harvick Folds of Honor 500 Advance and Team Report

by Mike
Hunt Brothers Pizza/FIELDS Racing: Kevin Harvick Folds of Honor 500 Advance and Team Report
KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (March 11, 2020) – Kevin Harvick will have a new look for Sunday’s Folds of Honor 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

 

The No. 4 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) will be sponsored by Hunt Brothers Pizza and FIELDS, two longtime supporters of Harvick.

 

Hunt Brothers Pizza has sponsored Harvick in NASCAR for 11 years and last visited victory lane with him when he won the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Atlanta.

 

Harvick has also won two NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series races with Hunt Brothers as a sponsor at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth and at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, both in 2011. The company also sponsored him in the non-points NASCAR All-Star Race in 2014 and 2015, which were conducted at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Harvick finished second in both races.

 

For 2019, Hunt Brothers moved up to the Cup Series for three races and, in 2020, will be on Harvick’s car five times.

 

With more than 7,800 locations in 30 states, Hunt Brothers Pizza is the nation’s largest brand of made-to-order pizza in the convenience store industry. Hunt Brothers Pizza offers original and thin crust pizzas available as a grab-and-go “Hunk” perfect for today’s on-the-go lifestyle, or as a customizable whole pizza that is an exceptional value with “All Toppings No Extra Charge®.” Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, Hunt Brothers Pizza is family owned and operated with more than 25 years of experience serving great pizza to convenience store shoppers through its store partners. To find a Hunt Brothers Pizza location, download the Hunt Brothers Pizza app by visiting www.huntbrotherspizza.com/app/

 

FIELDS has sponsored Harvick in Xfinity Series races in 2017 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, where he finished sixth, and in June 2018 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, where he scored an eighth-place result. Harvick took FIELDS to victory lane in 2017 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race.

 

FIELDS, one of the Sports Fields Inc., companies, is the preeminent builder of fields and sports parks in the country. FIELDS is committed to “Building Sports Parks of Distinction.” The fields produced facilitate peak team performance and are constructed using the industry’s best resources and embody the essence of durability, precision, technological innovation, service and quality.

 

By combining the premium quality of the fields with the best in customer care, FEILDS creates sports parks of distinction that wow teams, coaches and guests.

 

As both Hunt Brothers and FIELDS have won with Harvick, they’re now teaming up in hopes the No. 4 Hunt Brothers Pizza/FIELDS Ford Mustang will find victory lane at Atlanta.

 

Harvick has only two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins at Atlanta, but has been strong there since 2008 with 12 top-10 finishes in 15 races. He’s led a series-high 1,197 laps and has led 100 laps in six of the last eight races. He’s also won four of his last six NASCAR Xfinity Series races at the 1.54-mile oval.

 

Atlanta has always been a special place for Harvick as he scored his first career Cup Series victory there in 2001. Following Dale Earnhardt’s death on the final lap of that year’s Daytona 500, Harvick was named the driver of the No. 29 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing and made his series debut the following weekend at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway, where he finished 14th. On March 11, less than one month since his debut in

NASCAR’s top series and in just his third start, Harvick won his first Cup Series race at Atlanta.

 

Harvick is hoping that he can take two longtime partners to victory lane in Atlanta. And, as a bonus, it would be the site of his first and 50th NASCAR Cup Series wins.

 

KEVIN HARVICK, Driver of the No. 4 Hunt Brothers Pizza/FIELDS Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing: 
You’ve had a solid start to the year so far. What are your thoughts going to Atlanta?

“I don’t know. As you go there, Atlanta is a place where you expect to run well. As you look at all the differences in cars and changes in tires and the differences we’ve had to face this year, you’ve got to go run the race and wrap your arms around where everything is.”

 

What do you like about the Atlanta Motor Speedway layout?

“I just love the abrasiveness of the racetrack. It still has a lot of speed for the first three or four laps, but then it has a lot of fall-off and a lot of bumps that give it character. As a driver, you just love the challenge that comes with racing at Atlanta. This is always one that I circle on my calendar as a favorite and I look forward to racing in Atlanta this weekend.”

 

You were a rookie in 2001 and won your first race at Atlanta. What do you remember about your rookie year?

“Well, it wasn’t supposed to be my rookie year. We didn’t run the Daytona 500, obviously. And then, you know, Dale Earnhardt died, (I) got in the car the next week, I got married. I think 70 or 71 races between the Cup Series and the Busch Series that year. Raced for both championships. Won my first Cup race, we won a Busch Series championship, we won the Cup rookie of the year. But I was so sheltered from everything that was going on. The only real taste I got of the magnitude of the Earnhardt situation, really, I can think back to and say, ‘You know, that was a massive situation.’ Obviously, I know it was, now. But when I think back to that first press conference that we had in Rockingham and the magnitude and the reach of what was in that tent that day, that was really the only thing I was exposed to that year was, ‘Um, wow, this is a huge moment.’ Even winning that first race and I’m not one to go back and just watch the videos and listen to the chatter of the media and the things that are happening. And we were testing either the Busch car or the Cup car or we were racing. We built our first truck that year. I ran that at Richmond. So there were so many things that were moving around that I honestly don’t remember really anything from that year. Other than, you know, I remember building that truck in Ed Berrier’s garage with my Busch team – with Todd Berrier and those guys. After we would get done at work, they’d come over and help me build the truck. But really, everything else is kind of a blur because there was so much happening. And it wound up being a good thing to be sheltered from what was going on and all the talk and all the hype and everything.”

Hunt Brothers Pizza/FIELDS Racing Team Report
Round 5 of 36 – Folds of Honor 500 –Atlanta

 

Car No.: 4 – Hunt Brothers Pizza/FIELDS Ford Mustang

 

PR Contact: Joe Crowley, True Speed Communication (704) 875-3388 ext. 808 or Joe.Crowley@TrueSpeedCommunication.com)

Primary Team Members:
Driver: Kevin Harvick
Hometown: Bakersfield, California
Crew Chief: Rodney Childers
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina
Car Chief: Robert Smith
Hometown: Whitewater, Wisconsin
Engine Builder: Roush-Yates Engines
Headquarters: Mooresville, North Carolina
Engine Specialist: Robert Brandt
Hometown: Mobile, Alabama
Spotter: Tim Fedewa
Hometown: Holt, Michigan
Over-The-Wall Crew Members:

Front Tire Changer: Shayne Pipala

Hometown: Frankfort Square, Illinois

 

Rear Tire Changer: Daniel Smith

Hometown: Concord, North Carolina

 

Tire Carrier: Mike “Shrek” Morneau

Hometown: Oxford, Maine

 

Gas Man: Evan Marchal

Hometown: Westfield, Indiana

 

Jackman: Stan Dolittle

Hometown: Ninety Six, South Carolina

 

Windshield: Shawn Hopkins (also serves as interior mechanic)

Hometown: Chesterfield, Virginia

Road Crew Members:

Truck Driver: Rick Hodges and Stephen Mitchell

Hometowns: Raleigh, North Carolina and Woodville, Ohio, respectively

 

Engineers: Dax Gerringer and Stephen Doran Hometowns: Gibsonville, North Carolina and Butler, Pennsylvania,respectively

 

Mechanic: Richie Bean

Hometown: Bradford, Vermont

 

Tire Specialist: Jamie Turski

Hometown: Trumbull, Connecticut

 

Shock Specialist: Michael McCarville

Hometown: Kensington, Prince Edward Island, Canada

 

Mechanic: Allen Mincey

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Atlanta Notes of Interest:
· Dynamic Duo: While this isHarvick’s 20th year in the NASCAR Cup Series, it’s his seventh with crew chief Rodney Childers, which is the longest pairing of any current driver-crew chief combination. Since joining forces at Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in 2014, Harvick and Childers have combined to produce 26 points-paying victories, a victory in the non-points-paying 2018 NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, 25 Busch poles, 108 top-five finishes and 157 top-10s while leading 9,770 laps. They won the 2014 championship, finished runner-up in the 2015 title chase to champion Kyle Busch, finished eighth in 2016 and third in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

 

· Harvick has career totals of 49 wins, 31 poles, 208 top-fives, 366 top-10s and 14,202 laps led in 686 starts.

 

· His most recent Cup Series win and Busch Pole bothcame in November 2019 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

 

· Harvick’s 49 career NASCAR Cup Series victories puts him in a tie with his boss, Tony Stewart, for 14th on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins list. He is third on the active driver list behind Jimmie Johnson and Busch. Harvick’s next win will tie him with Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett for 13th on the all-time list with 50 wins.

 

· At the Homestead season finale in 2019, Harvick became just the 11th driver to have led 14,000 laps in his NASCAR career. He’s led 14,202 and trails 10th-place Busch, who has led 17,446, and Johnson, who is ninth with 18,847 laps led.

 

· Points Position: Harvick arrives at Atlanta first in the NASCAR Cup Series standings with 164 points, one marker ahead of second-place Joey Logano.

 

· Overwhelming Start – First Cup Series Win: Following Dale Earnhardt’s death on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, Harvick was named the driver of the No. 29 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing and made his Cup Series debut the following weekend at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway, where he finished 14th. The following Wednesday, as the series headed west to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Harvick married his wife DeLana. The following Sunday, Harvick scored his first career Cup Series top-10. Then, on March 11, less than one month since his debut in NASCAR’s top series, Harvick scored his first Cup Series win at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

 

· Harvick in the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta: The Folds of Honor 500 will mark Harvick’s 30th career NASCAR Cup Series start at Atlanta. Harvick has two wins, eight top-five finishes and 14 top-10s at the 1.54-mile oval. The 44-year-old driver has led a series-best 1,197 laps, has an average starting position of 16.3, an average finish of 16.3, and has completed 98.2 percent (9,217 of 9,390) of the laps he’s contested there.

 

· Harvick in the Xfinity Series at Atlanta: Harvick has won four of his last six NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Atlanta Motor Speedway and has top-five finishes in 11 of his last 12 starts. Harvick has five wins, 11 top-five finishes and 13 top-10s and has led 937 laps. He is not scheduled to compete in the 2020 Atlanta Xfinity Series race.

 

· 110 and Counting – Harvick scored his 100th career win in NASCAR’s top three series with his March 2018 Las Vegas win. He now has 110 total victories – 49 in the Cup Series, 47 in the Xfinity Series and 14 in the Truck Series. Only three other drivers in NASCAR history have passed 100 wins in NASCAR’s top three series: Richard Petty, David Pearson and Busch.

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Cherry Vanilla Coke Racing: Daniel Suárez Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 at Atlanta Preview

by Mike
Cherry Vanilla Coke Racing: Daniel Suárez Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 at Atlanta Preview
MOORESVILLE, North Carolina (March 11, 2020) – Daniel Suárez and the iconic Coca-Cola brand have enjoyed a fun and flavorful relationship dating back to the Mexican driver’s first full season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2015. They celebrated an Xfinity Series championship together in 2016, and their partnership has grown to be as strong as ever through what is now Suárez’s fourth season in the top-tier NASCAR Cup Series.

 

This weekend, Suárez will help introduce a brand new flavor combination when he gets behind the wheel of his No. 96 Cherry Vanilla Coke Toyota for Gaunt Brothers Racing (GBR) during the Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, just down the road from Coca-Cola headquarters.

 

Cherry Vanilla Coke may be the newest addition to the company’s product lineup, but research shows it’s a pair of flavors its fans have combined on their own using the already existing Cherry Coke and Vanilla Coke products – the equivalent of more than 105 million cans of “Cherry Vanilla Coke” since 2017. That’s nearly a can a minute over a three-year span, and the research shows the combination has proven to be most popular on Christmas Day and the month of April.

 

With their racecar adorned with the colorful Cherry Vanilla Coke paint scheme, one of the newest driver-and-team combinations in the NASCAR Cup Series – Suárez and GBR – look to continue their inaugural, full-season run together at the fast, 1.5-mile Atlanta oval. They’re coming off the annual three-race West Coast Swing, where they showed steady progress with finishes of 30th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 28th at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, and 21st at Phoenix Raceway.

 

This weekend, they’ll take to the track where, in his three previous Cup Series appearances, Suárez has a best start of fourth in 2018 with Joe Gibbs Racing and a best finish of 10th from the fifth starting position last season with Stewart-Haas Racing. In two Xfinity Series outings at Atlanta, both with the Gibbs team, he has a best start of third and best finish of seventh, both en route to the series title in 2016. In a pair of NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series races at Atlanta, he has a best start and finish of fourth in 2015 driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

 

Crew chief Dave Winston, a native of Miami, Florida, and a veteran of 62 Cup Series races atop the pitbox, called the shots at two previous races at Atlanta. He collaborated with driver Alex Bowman in the No. 23 BK Racing Toyota in the 2014 race, starting 30th and finishing 35th. His driver Michael McDowell started 32nd and finished 33rd in the 2016 race driving the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing entry.

 

This weekend marks the second Atlanta Cup Series start for the No. 96 GBR Toyota. In the 2019 race, driver Parker Kligerman drove it to a 30th-place finish from the 34th starting position.

 

With the colors of the exciting new flavor combination adorning his racecar and firesuit and a legion of Coca-Cola associates and guests rooting them on at their home track, Suárez and his GBR teammates hope to take a giant step forward this weekend at Atlanta after showing steady progress in their first four weekends together this season.

Daniel Suárez: Driver of the No. 96 Cherry Vanilla Coke Toyota Camry for Gaunt Brothers Racing:
 

You’re introducing the brand new Cherry Vanilla Coke flavor combination at Atlanta this weekend. What does that mean to you?

“Coca-Cola has supported me since 2015 and it’s definitely an honor to be representing such an iconic brand that’s so popular all over the world. I grew up enjoying Coca-Cola in Mexico and I never dreamed I’d be driving a racecar for them in the U.S. It’s very exciting to have the unique Cherry Vanilla Coke paint scheme on my racecar and on my firesuit this weekend. We’ll be doing a lot of really cool things with the Coca-Cola folks this week, leading up to the race. We’ll also have an on-board camera on our racecar all weekend. So I hope we can give them our best result of the season on Sunday.”

 

What’s the key to posting a good result at Atlanta Motor Speedway?

“It’s a very fast mile-and-a-half oval and the surface is very old and very hard on the tires. So you have to have a well-balanced racecar that will make it possible to get the most out of your tire wear each run. You can usually run the top and the bottom of the racetrack, so you have to find where you’re going to get the most out of the car. All of that is why the races at Atlanta are always so exciting.”

 

You and the team nearly scored your first top-20 finish in just your fourth race weekend together Sunday at Phoenix. How do you feel about the progress you and the team have been making?

“The best thing about this team is all the great support we are getting from Coca-Cola, CommScope and Toyota, and we know that there will be a day when we will be competing for race wins with them. It’s obviously very early and everyone has very realistic expectations, considering this is a one-car team that is running the full season for the first time. I’ve said all along that the goal is to go out every weekend and do better than we did last weekend. So far, the results at the end of the race have shown that. But, believe me, it’s a very challenging process and we just have to keep working hard.”

 

No. 96 Cherry Vanilla Coke Toyota Camry Team Report
Race 5 of 36 – Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 – Atlanta
 
Car No. 96: Cherry Vanilla Coke Toyota Camry

At Track PR Contact: Laz Denes with True Speed Communication (Laz.Denes@TrueSpeedCommunication.com)

Primary Team:

 

Driver: Daniel Suárez

Hometown: Monterrey, Mexico

 

Crew Chief: Dave Winston

Hometown: Miami, Florida

 

Car Chief: Mark Hillman

Hometown: Lockport, New York

 

Engine Specialist: Kirk Butterfield

Hometown: Carrollton, Ohio

 

Engine Builder: Toyota Racing Development

Headquarters: Costa Mesa, California

 

Spotter: Steve Barkdoll

Hometown: Garrison, Iowa

Over-The-Wall Crew:

 

Gas Man: Cory White

Hometown: Vinson, Iowa

 

Front Tire Changer: Mike Mead

Hometown: Sherrills Ford, North Carolina

 

Rear Tire Changer: Brandon Traino

Hometown: Cherry Hill, New Jersey

 

Tire Carrier: Mason Harris

Hometown: Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia

 

Jackman: Joel Bouagnon

Hometown: St. Charles, Illinois

 

Windshield: Mark Hillman

Hometown: Lockport, New York

Road Crew:

 

Truck Driver: Gary “Turtle” Clem

Hometown: Eaton, Ohio

 

Shock Specialist: David Stillman

Hometown: Appleton, Wisconsin

 

Mechanic: Evan Snider

Hometown: Scottdale, Pennsylvania

 

Tire Specialist: Liz Prestella

Hometown: South Lake Tahoe, California

 

Mechanic: Cory White

Hometowns: Vinson, Iowa

 

Mechanic: Glenn “Cheeseburger” Hilchey

Hometown: Bennington, Vermont

Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 at Atlanta Notes of Interest:

 

  • After piloting the No. 19 NASCAR Cup Series Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2017 and 2018, then the No. 41 Cup Series entry for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2019, Suárez has joined the single-car No. 96 Toyota Camry effort for Gaunt Brothers Racing (GBR) for the full 2020 season.
  • Suárez will make his 112th career NASCAR Cup Series start in Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 on the 1.5-mile oval at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He has career totals of eight top-five finishes, 32 top-10s and 241 laps led, with an average start of 15.6 and an average finish of 17.3. He also has qualified on the pole twice.
  • In three previous Cup Series outings at Atlanta, Suárez has a best start of fourth in 2018, when he finished 15th in his Gibbs Toyota, and a best finish of 10th from the fifth starting position last year in his Stewart-Haas entry.
  • In a pair of NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Atlanta, Suárez scored a best start of third and a best finish of seventh in his most recent outing en route to the 2016 series championship for the Gibbs team.
  • He also has a pair of NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series outings at Atlanta with a best start and finish of fourth, both in 2015 driving the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota.
  • Suárez competed from 2009 through 2014 in the NASCAR Peak Mexico Series. In 76 starts, he earned 10 victories, 26 top-five finishes, 39 top-10s and qualified on the pole 13 times. He had an average start of 8.7, an average finish of 12.4, led 1,216 laps, and had best finishes of second and third in the season standings in 2013 and 2012, respectively.
  • Crew chief Dave Winston, a native of Miami, Florida, and a veteran of 62 Cup Series races atop the pit box, called the shots at two previous races at Atlanta. He collaborated with driver Alex Bowman in the No. 23 BK Racing Toyota in the 2014 race, starting 30th and finishing 35th. His driver Michael McDowell started 32nd and finished 33rd in the 2016 race driving the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing entry.
  • This weekend marks the second Atlanta Cup Series start for the No. 96 Gaunt Brothers Toyota. In the 2019 race, driver Parker Kligerman drove to 30th-place finish from the 34th starting position.
  • At last Sunday’s FanShield 500k on the Phoenix Raceway mile oval, Suárez started 31st and finished 21st. Suárez arrives at Atlanta 31st in the Cup Series standings, 132 points out of first.
  • Coca-Cola and CommScope continue their respective partnerships with Suárez at Gaunt Brothers Racing. The iconic Coca-Cola brand has been with Suárez since 2015 when he won the Xfinity Series rookie-of-the-year title. CommScope, a leader in communication network technology, has been with Suárez through its ARRIS and Ruckus Networks brands since 2014, when he first competed in the Xfinity Series.
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