2020 cup series

Kevin Harvick Darlington 400 Advance and Team Report

by Mike
Kevin Harvick Darlington 400 Advance and Team Report
KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (May 14, 2020) – It’s been an odd year and now the 2020 NASCAR Cup season gets even odder.

 

Kevin Harvick finished second in the FanShield 500k on March 8 at Phoenix Raceway. He led 67 laps but couldn’t quite catch winner Joey Logano and finished just .276 of a second behind him. Despite not yet having a win in 2020, Harvick left the mile oval with the points lead.

 

Then the racing stopped, along with every other sport on March 13 due to the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic.

 

Thankfully for drivers and their fans, the TV broadcasts turned to iRacing, which is a premier motorsport racing simulation. NASCAR, FOX and iRacing teamed up to show races on Sunday afternoons.

 

Now though, it’s time to get back to real racing with Sunday’s Darlington 400 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. The historic 1.366-mile oval has hosted some of the biggest and most important races in NASCAR history.

 

None may be more important that this one, though.

 

There will be no fans in attendance, an extremely limited number of workers in the infield, along with no practice and no qualifying. It’s unlike anything seen before in major-league automobile racing.

 

Harvick will pilot the No. 4 Busch Light #YOURFACEHERE Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) for the first time since March 8. Fans are what make every sport great, especially NASCAR. But right now, it’s best these events are run without fans in the stands for their safety, as well as the safety of the drivers and teams. Even if fans can’t be there in person, Busch Beer wants them to be there in spirit. So, the company is asking fans to tweet pictures of themselves with a Busch Light logo using the hashtags #YOURFACEHERE and #buschcontest for a chance to be featured on Harvick’s No. 4 car, along with a pair of tickets to a 2021 NASCAR race of their choice.

 

The upside for Harvick as NASCAR returns to racing is that he has some of the most experience of any driver in the field. This will mark his 687th start and his 24th at Darlington.

 

He’s had success at Darlington with one win, three poles, eight top-five finishes, 11 top-10s, and he’s led a total of 581 laps in his 23 career Cup Series starts there. His average start is 14.4, his average finish is 14.3 and he has a lap-completion rate of 96.1 percent, 7,842 of the 8,195 laps available.

 

Since 2014, the combination of Harvick competing at Darlington in SHR equipment is particularly impressive. In his last six Cup Series starts there – all of which have come with SHR – he has finished inside of the top-10 in each. Five of those were top-fives. He has an average finish of 4.1 during that span. And of the 581 laps Harvick has led at Darlington dating back to his rookie year in 2001, a total of 518, or 89 percent, have come with SHR despite only six, or 27 percent, of his 23 Darlington starts being with SHR.

 

Perhaps more important than anything is Harvick’s relationship with crew chief Rodney Childers. They’ve been paired together since 2014 and are longest-running current driver-crew chief combination in the garage. And Childers always seems to provide Harvick with a good car, which will be key as there is no practice or qualifying. As the old racing slogan says, “Run what ya brung.”

 

And that will be the key as Darlington is unlike any other racetrack where NASCAR competes. It’s an egg-shaped oval – the odd shape because the western portion needed at tighter turn radius as founder Harold Brasington promised Sherman Ramsey, who owned a farm next to the property, that he wouldn’t disturb his minnow pond when he built the track in 1949.

 

The odd shape means that, to find the fastest way around the track, drivers run against the outside walls in each turn, sometimes brushing up against it and thus earning what has affectionately become known as a “Darlington Stripe” on the right side of the car. And the black marks left on the walls by the tires rubbing up against them all race weekend have led to the track’s other nickname – “The Lady in Black.”

 

While the race is being run, it’s important to never forget the first responders, doctors, nurses and hospital workers who have fought COVID-19 during this pandemic. Those including Dr. Josh Hughes, an emergency medicine physician with the Mid-Atlantic Emergency Medical Associates practice and the assistant director of the emergency department at Novant Health Presbyterian in Charlotte, North Carolina. Hughes was part of a PSA that Harvick did with several athletes for “The Real Heroes Project.”

 

Hopefully, for a few hours Sunday, NASCAR can give everyone something exciting to watch.

 

KEVIN HARVICK, Driver of the No. 4 Busch Light #YOURFACEHERE Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing: 
 

How will Darlington change, just in logistics for you?

 

“When I go to the racetrack now, I’m going to bring all my own food and I won’t really need a change of clothes because it’s a one-day show, but I’ll bring a change in case it rains. That way, I don’t have any interaction with anybody else. I’ll take my helmet, my shoes and my uniform and I’ll bring it all with me to the car.”

 

What are your thoughts on what NASCAR has done and the rule for picking positions?

“I had many conversations with the folks from NASCAR and global pandemic isn’t in the playbook. As you look to getting back on track, everything is about doing that safely. I think for me, we are leading the points, so we get to pick the first pit box and then draw for one of the first twelve positions. And then 13 to 24 will draw for their positions. And then what happens next week? Because the goal in all of this is to get the teams caught up. They don’t have to overwork to get caught up. They can take one car to the racetrack and we don’t have to worry about crashing in practice and you don’t have to prep it for qualifying so you don’t have to bring all the extra parts and pieces to the racetrack. There is a need to change that rule in this instance, because of the fact we have to catch up on races. We only need to bring one car, but if you keep lining them up by points, pit road is going to look awfully similar, as is the starting grid. If you hit it at Darlington (Sunday), you’ll probably do well in the second Darlington (Wednesday). I think we had to look at coming back safely first and then make it entertaining. I think it’s worked out pretty well and we’ll roll with it and see what happens.”

 

How has the break affected you and your family?

 

“At this particular point, we’re fighting all the same problems that everyone else is fighting. You can’t go get your hair cut, you can’t go sit in your favorite restaurant, all the things that you normally do.”

 

With races the next two Wednesdays, does your body have time to recover as we normally have six days between races?

 

“I think for me, there is no exact science to it. When I get done on Sunday, I know how I feel and when I wake up on Monday, I know what I need to concentrate on. Hydration is always there. Just in North Carolina in the last few weeks, on the weekend it’s 85 and then during the week it’s in the high 60s. When we get to Darlington, it’s not like it’s going to be when we’ve gone the last few years, where we start at dusk and you work your way into the evening and into the dark. For us, it’s going to be all in the daylight and maybe a little dark at the end. For me, it’s just about knowing your body and knowing the things you need to do – weather it’s a recovery run or a bike ride. The hyperbolic chamber and some of the stuff I would use during the summer is just not an option at this point because the facility that I use is just not somewhere I’m going to go at this point. Hydration is for sure front and center.”

 

What are your thoughts on starting back at historic Darlington Raceway?

 

“I think when you look at Darlington, it has such a deep history in our sport. When I first started, we went there twice a year, then we moved the Southern 500 to earlier in the year and it didn’t feel right, and then we did the right thing and moved it back. It’s a fortunate situation for us, to be able to go back to South Carolina to be able to put on this race. To go there twice within three or four days is something that’s unique, but it’s a great way to kick this thing off and get it fired back up.”

 

 

RODNEY CHILDERS, Crew Chief of the No. 4 Busch Light #YOURFACEHERE Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing: 
 

As of right now, it sounds like you’re going to go through tech and then race immediately. How do you prepare for that? Would this be similar to getting ready for a situation when qualifying and practice are rained out?

 

“Honestly, it’s just like any other weekend for us. We try to unload the best we can every week and get ready to race. Sometimes you get to practice and sometimes you don’t.”

 

Will Darlington sort of feel like the first race of a new season since it has been several weeks since the last race?

 

“It will definitely feel different, but I think everyone is still in the swing of things and ready to keep building on what we have been doing all year. Knocking out consistent top-10 finishes and being up front.”

 

Has this time away changed your view of racing?

 

“Haha, this is a trick question. It hasn’t on racing, but it has on the world. And just how fragile things can really be.”

 

Are you set on the crew roster?

 

“With the limitations on our roster, about half of our road crew will not be going to the racetrack. You kind of have to pick and choose who you want to be there. It’s myself and one engineer, and then our car chief going, our interior mechanic and our tire guy. Plus, the truck drivers. That’s a lot different from what we normally do. Our front-end and underneath mechanic will not even be there. Pushing through tech and a lot of stuff we normally think is easy will be more challenging. People are going to be doing stuff they normally don’t have to do. Overall, though, the infield is going to be totally different. To have no fans and no vehicles except for those we drive there will be interesting.”

Busch Light #YOURFACEHERE Racing Team Report
Round 5 of 36 – Darlington 400 –Darlington

 

Car No.: 4 – Busch Light #YOURFACEHERE 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

Darlington Notes of Interest:
· Dynamic Duo: While this is Harvick’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.

 

· Darlington Numerology – Harvick has one win, three poles, eight top-five finishes, 11 top-10s and has led a total of 581 laps in his 23 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Darlington. His average start is 14.4, his average finish is 14.3 and he has a lap-completion rate of 96.1 percent, 7,842 of the 8,195 laps available.

 

· Harvick at Darlington since 2014 – The combination of Harvick competing at Darlington in SHR equipment is impressive. In his last six NASCAR Cup Series starts at Darlington – all of which have come with SHR, he has finished inside of the top-10 in each. Five of those were top-fives. He has an average finish of 4.1 during that span. And of the 581 laps Harvick has led at Darlington dating back to his rookie year in 2001, a total of 518 (more than 89 percent) have come with SHR despite only six (27 percent) of his 22 Darlington starts being with SHR.

 

· Xfinity and Trucks at Darlington: Harvick has competed in 16 NASCAR Xfinity Series races with three top-fives and nine top-10s with one pole position (August 2003). He has driven in two NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series events with a best finish of fourth in March 2002.

 

· 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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M&M’S Thank You Heroes Racing: Kyle Busch Darlington 400 Advance and Team Report

by Mike
M&M’S Thank You Heroes Racing: Kyle Busch Darlington 400 Advance and Team Report
KYLE BUSCH

Thank You Heroes

 

HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (May 13, 2020) – Each weekend, Heather Pleasant tunes into NASCAR Cup Series races to root on her favorite driver Kyle Busch. Pleasant, an EMT who transports patients in and around Spartanburg, South Carolina, is a proud member of Rowdy Nation.

 

But with sports and NASCAR on hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, the tables of admiration have turned as Busch and millions across the country say thank you to all the nurses, doctors, EMT’s, delivery drivers, grocery store workers and those who work in manufacturing for their tireless efforts during this unprecedented time.

 

While NASCAR has been silent since its last race March 8, Pleasant and her firefighter/EMT husband Chad Pleasant have an important role in the nation’s fight against COVID-19 as frontline workers in their South Carolina community. Busch was able to reciprocate the fandom by changing the name on his firesuit in honor of Pleasant and the nation’s frontline workers with his participation in a national campaign in cooperation with several other professional sports athletes through the Real Heroes Project.

 

Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Thank You Heroes Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), will do his part to honor Pleasant and the thousands of frontline workers as the Cup Series returns Sunday at historic Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. Everyone at M&M’S wanted to show appreciation to all those frontline heroes, who have been working around the clock during this pandemic with a special scheme adorning Busch’s No. 18 M&M’S Toyota in Sunday’s Darlington 400.

 

It’s the first of several NASCAR national series events announced to run over the next two weeks. After Sunday’s 400-mile race, which replaces the cancelled June event at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, the Xfinity Series will run Tuesday, May 19, followed by a 310-mile Cup Series race on Wednesday, May 20, which replaces the cancelled April race at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. Next is the Cup Series’s traditional Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 24, followed by the Xfinity Series race on Monday May 25 and the Gander Outdoors Truck Series on Tuesday, May 26. Each of the seven events in 11 days will be one-day events with no practice, and only the Coca-Cola 600 will be preceded by a qualifying session.

 

Before the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the season, the Cup Series had completed four races on the schedule. The season was put on hold following the March 8 race at Phoenix Raceway. Coming off last season’s Cup Series championship, Busch and the M&M’S team had a rough start to their 2020 campaign with disappointing finishes of 34th and 15th at the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and the second race of the season at Busch’s hometown Las Vegas Motor Speedway, respectively.  However, they rebounded in the next two races, bringing home second- and third-place finishes, respectively, at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, and Phoenix, vaulting Busch up to 11th in the standings.

 

As Busch and the M&M’S Thank You Heroes team head back to action this weekend, they return to a place where they’ve won before and Busch has enjoyed recent success. The Las Vegas native has conquered “The Track Too Tough To Tame” with a Cup Series win in May 2008. It earned him the distinction of being the youngest Cup Series winner – at 23 years of age – in the track’s storied history. Busch also has two Xfinity Series wins at Darlington, coming in May 2011 and 2013. In his most recent trip to Darlington in NASCAR’s top series last September, Busch led a race-high 118 laps en route to a solid third-place run as he made contact with the outside wall trying to chase down JGR teammate and eventual race-winner Erik Jones in the closing laps.

 

So, as Busch takes an unexpected early season trip to the “The Lady in Black” for Sunday’s 400-mile race, he knows that he and his team’s experience will be an advantage after such a lengthy layoff. While his job is always to go out there and win the race, there are far bigger things going on in world. A trip to victory lane would be a small way for himself and longtime partner M&M’S to say “Thank You Heroes” to the men and women who continue to keep our country running throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Thank You Heroes Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing: 
You are heading into Darlington to race without practice or qualifying beforehand. What are you expectations knowing this challenge?

 

“It will be different, for sure. The only time we’ve been in this situation was at Indy a few years ago. It’s rained all weekend and we were forced to start the race on Monday without any practice or even qualifying. We were leading the points, so we started up front and we thought we might have an advantage because we had run so well there, but it didn’t really go very well for us. A strength for our team is that Adam (Stevens, crew chief) and I really make gains on our car in practice, so it just puts more emphasis on unloading off the truck and guessing right for track and race conditions. The only difference here is that we know before the car leaves the shop that it’s the situation we are in and it’s the same for everyone. There are tons on variables that are unknown, too, so I’m sure we’ll have some adjustability built into our car and try to plan for every scenario that we can. Just looking forward to getting out there with our M&M’S Camry. We want to thank M&M’S for the support of all the frontline workers who have kept us going during this pandemic. We just want to say thank you for everything the frontline workers have done and M&M’S has done a nice job recognizing them on our car.”

 

What will be your mindset when the green flag flies, knowing that it’s your first lap on the track?

 

“I think the mindset for turn one at the start of Darlington, and really all the races where we haven’t been on track yet, would be to take it easy. It’s a 400-mile race on Sunday and there will be plenty of time. Plus, my understanding is there will be a caution early for everyone to look over their tires and their car. We’ll certainly take it easy until then because that will give us time to feel out how the car is handling and more confidence in how to drive again and get the right feel back under you again. It won’t take too long to get acclimated again.”

 

What have you been doing during the downtime to keep sharp physically and mentally for when racing returns?

 

“There have been a number of things I’ve been doing over the last couple of months. I’ve been working out around probably 90 percent of the days that we’ve been off. I’ve been continuing what I usually do as far as working out goes, so physically I’ll definitely be ready. It takes a little time to get back into race shape, but being in good shape overall shortens that a bit. I’ve been doing plenty of iRacing over the last several months, too, so that should help a bit, as well. It’s not exactly the same, but there are some principles that I can take from iRacing that will help me when we get back to racing. There has been a ban on all of the simulator testing until recently. I’ve been over to the TRD sim rig already, just getting some reps in there, as well.”

 

With this much time off, you’ve had sort of a little bit smaller version of your normal offseason. How long will it take to get back to where you need to be?

 

“I’m looking at a lot like 2015. Being off for 11 weeks after the accident in Daytona and then coming back to racing the same weekend, actually. The biggest difference is that I’m not recovering from an injury and everyone else has had the same time off that I had. So I think I have a little bit of experience doing this even though it’s not the exact same thing. As far as the feel at Darlington, it’s probably going to feel a little bit like the beginning of the year again, but you don’t really know until you get there and see how it feels.”

 

Is there anything you’ve picked up from iRacing the last several weeks that may help you when you get back to racing at Darlington and beyond?

 

“Anything is a tool. You can use a tool any way you want. It’s no different than running in the sim rig that Toyota and TRD and the other manufacturers have to simulate the real thing. This can be used in the same respect. You just have to know how to use it and how that tool can work for you. Trying to figure out and remember what I am used to doing on the real racetrack, and then coming to the iRacing sim and vice versa. It’s all about reps and doing something repetitive to get better. Someone told me recently that one of the racers for the iRacing Pro League for NASCAR spent 2,000 laps of practice at a particular track and was getting better lap by lap and figuring it out. That’s unheard of. Even when we go test in our real-life racecar – so let’s use Bristol as an example as a short track – I might have run 300 to 350 laps and that’s all you do in real life. So when you hear someone talk about 2,000, that’s just an astronomical number in real life.”

 

ADAM STEVENS, Crew Chief for the No. 18 M&M’S Thank You Heroes Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing: 
What have you been up to as you’ve been preparing the cars for Darlington?

 

“The biggest thing is that every race we prepare for is a unique event with our M&M’S Thank you Heroes Camry. Most of them have a unique tire, the body build, the setup of the car. So each and every weekend we prepare for is not like any other week. We do have the benefit that the car we are taking to Darlington is the car that we had prepared for Atlanta. It was already ready and loaded for Atlanta, so I would say most of the field is in the same boat where we were ready to race and had to go back home. So the first week won’t be as huge of a task as it might be for a track that we had to run a different package on.”

 

Atlanta was a long time ago, now. How do you get everyone back up to speed and ready for Darlington with such a long layoff and you guys not able to work on your equipment in the shop?

 

“Anytime you run a normal weekend, you have some kind of on-track activity before you race. I can count on one hand, actually one finger, how many times I’ve raced without any on-track activity and that was Indy a few years ago. That’s a really stressful situation for a crew chief, and for a race team. You don’t have any opportunity to dial in your balance or heights. As good as your sim tools are, they rely on information to get the correct answer. A lot of that information we get from tire testing and tire data and that gets fine-tuned as we have experience with the tire combination in the particular rule packages. That’s something we just aren’t going to have going into Darlington and we are going to have to make our best guess.”

 

You return to Darlington after finishing third there last fall. Do you feel like you will be one of the teams to watch?

 

“We ran well there last year. I think we could have finished second but we were trying to pass the 20 car coming to the white flag and got passed. But we were pretty good. We were quick enough to race for the win and that’s the box you have to check to be quick enough to race them for it. Not a lot has changed since we are on the same tire combination as last year, so we have run it before. The aero package as a company and how we are preparing the cars is the same from the data we have from earlier this year at other places. So hopefully we have enough similarities that we can extrapolate from last year’s package and we can come up with a balance that will run well.”

 

Do you get concerned that you can’t touch the car once you get to the track, that everything is where it needs to be before going out to race?

 

“We have that car in the shop. It will be in the best shape as we can possibly get it with brains and hands by virtue of working on it for a week or two before the race. The proof’s in the pudding, and we don’t get to prove anything until the race starts. It’s really easy to unload on any given weekend and not have your ride heights quite right or the balance quite right, but it doesn’t matter because you have a couple of opportunities to fix it before qualifying or before the race and we just aren’t going to have that luxury. We are just going to have to be a little more descriptive with the setup and make sure it has a lot of adjustability built in and be able to adjust on the fly.”

 

How is it working with how you have it set up with guys at the shop and yourself and the guys who go to the track?

 

“Some people were allowed back in on Friday, May 1. We’ve being really proactive as far as splitting up groups and not letting them intermingle. And anybody who can work from home is supposed to work from home and I certainly fall into that group. Up until the time we hit the racetrack, I really don’t need to be at the shop. It’s a little bit more difficult because it takes more time and communication but I can work from home most days and so can my engineers. There are certain people who don’t have that luxury who need to be there. For those people, we make sure the minimum amount is there in the building at any one time. We make sure everything is properly cleaned during the shift and in-between the shift to keep everyone separated as much as we possibly can.”

M&M’S Thank You Heroes Racing

Race 5 of 36 – Darlington 400 – Darlington

Car No.: 18 – M&M’S Thank You Heroes Toyota Camry

 

Teammates:  Denny Hamlin – No. 11 Toyota Camry; Martin Truex Jr. – No. 19 Toyota Camry; Erik Jones – No. 20 Toyota Camry.

 

At-Track PR Contact: Bill Janitz, True Speed Communication (704-875-3388 ext. 803 or Bill.Janitz@TrueSpeedCommunication.com).

Primary Team Members:

Driver: Kyle Busch

Hometown: Las Vegas

 

Crew Chief: Adam Stevens

Hometown: Portsmouth, Ohio

 

Car Chief: Nate Bellows

Hometown: Fairfax, Vermont

 

Spotter: Tony Hirschman

Hometown: Northampton, Pennsylvania

 

Over-The-Wall Crew Members:

Gas Man: Matt Tyrrell

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

 

Front Tire Changer: Cam Waugh

Hometown: Johnstown, Colorado

 

Jackman: T.J. Ford

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

 

Tire Carrier: Joe Crossen

Hometown: Salisbury, North Carolina

 

Rear Tire Changer: Jeff Cordero

Hometown: Salem, Connecticut

 

Notes of Interest:
  • The Darlington 400 will mark Kyle Busch’s 539th career NASCAR Cup Series start and his 16th NASCAR Cup Series start at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
  • Busch has career totals of 56 wins, 32 poles, 202 top-five finishes, 298 top-10s and 17,446 laps led in 538 career Cup Series races. His most recent Cup Series win came in November at Homestead-Miami Speedway, resulting in his second Cup Series championship. Busch’s most recent pole, the 32nd of his career, came in November at Phoenix Raceway.
  • Busch has one win, four top-five finishes and 10 top-10s and has led a total of 716 laps in 15 Cup Series starts at Darlington. Busch’s average Darlington finish is 11.1.
  • 2019 Darlington:When NASCAR’s top series last raced at Darlington in September, Busch led once for a race-high 118 laps. Busch’s lead was late in the race, but he lost it to JGR teammate and eventual race-winner Erik Jones during a round of yellow-flag pit stops on lap 277. He restarted third on lap 281, and later moved himself up to second behind Jones. However, with less than five laps to go, Busch scraped the wall trying to catch Jones and he dropped to third when the checkered flag fell.
  • Where we left off: While Busch started off the season with disappointing finishes of 34th and 15th-place at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, respectively, he rallied for strong runs in the next two races. The Las Vegas native brought home a season best runner-up finish at Auto Club Speedway March 1 in Fontana, California, and followed it with a solid third-place finish March 8 at Phoenix Raceway. The Phoenix result moved him to 11th in the driver standings. The Phoenix race was the last event before racing was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • 56 Career Cup Series Wins: With his Cup Series win at Homestead in November, the 56th points-paying win of his career, Busch passed NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace for sole possession of ninth place on the all-time win list in NASCAR’s top series. Next up for Busch on the list is eighth-place Dale Earnhardt, who had 76 wins during his Hall of Fame career. With his 40th Cup Series victory at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in August 2017, Busch became the fourth-youngest driver to reach 40 Cup Series wins at 32 years, 109 days, behind only Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon and Herb Thomas.
  • All-Time JGR Wins Leader: With his Brickyard 400 win in July 2016, Busch passed Stewart for most all-time Cup Series wins for JGR. Busch now has 52 wins for JGR to Stewart’s 33 following his most recent win at Homestead last year.
  • 209 and Counting: Busch enters Darlington with 209 career wins among NASCAR’s top three divisions – Cup (56), Xfinity (96) and Truck (57) – following his Truck Series win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway back in February.
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Scag Power Equipment Joins Front Row Motorsports at Darlington

by Mike
Scag Power Equipment Joins Front Row Motorsports at Darlington
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 12, 2020) – Front Row Motorsports (FRM) announced today that Scag Power Equipment, a leader in commercial-grade professional and premium residential lawn mowers, will join the organization as its newest partner. The company will be featured as the primary partner of Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender, John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 38 Ford Mustang team when the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Darlington Raceway on May 17 and 20.
The events at one of NASCAR’s most historic tracks will mark the first time the sport has competed since March 8, due to the impact of the novel coronavirus. It will also be one of the first live sports on FOX.
“We’ve been tasked with a huge responsibility, carrying the world of live sports into a new normal,” said Nemechek. “Our goal this weekend is to return to racing as safely as possible. Being able team up with a new partner such as Scag Power Equipment at Darlington gives us added motivation to restart the season on a positive note. Our No. 38 team is ready to work hard and perform at the top level, just like Scag’s mowers.”
Scag Power Equipment, a division of Metalcraft of Mayville, has been producing premium, heavy-duty mowers for its commercial and residential customers since 1983. Scag Power Equipment’s innovation and attention to quality is known and respected throughout the power equipment industry. Mowers and accessories are designed to be user friendly, with an emphasis on quality, performance, ease of maintenance, profitability and long life.
Scag is no stranger to the world of motorsports, though this weekend will mark the company’s debut at the NASCAR Cup Series level.
“We’re thankful for the opportunity to participate in NASCAR’s return to racing with Front Row Motorsports and John Hunter Nemechek,” said Chris Frame, President of Scag Power Equipment. “It’s truly an honor to play a small part in helping the rest of the world get back on its feet in these difficult times. We’re looking forward to seeing the No. 38 car carrying our colors on track.”
The No. 38 Scag Power Equipment Ford Mustang will make its debut at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, May 17. The NASCAR Cup Series race will air at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and MRN.

For more information about Scag Power Equipment, visit Scag.com.

About Scag Power Equipment
Scag Power Equipment, a division of Metalcraft of Mayville Inc., is one of the largest independent manufacturers of commercial lawn mowing equipment in the United States. Metalcraft of Mayville Inc., an ISO 9001:2008 Registered company, manufactures products in its three facilities, totaling over 850,000 square feet, located in Mayville, West Bend, and Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.

About Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields two full-time entries – the No. 34 of Michael McDowell and the No. 38 of John Hunter Nemechek – from its Mooresville, N.C., headquarters just outside of Charlotte. In 2020, the team announced an expansion to include the No. 38 Ford F-150 in the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series, driven by Todd Gilliland. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.
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Scag Power Equipment Joins Front Row Motorsports at Darlington Read More

COLE CUSTER Ready To Return to Racing at Darlington

by Mike
COLE CUSTER Ready To Return to Racing at Darlington
KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (May 11, 2020) – Cole Custer and the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) will make the two-hour drive to Darlington (S.C.) Raceway for Sunday’s 400-mile race. Custer’s Mustang will showcase a new livery that represents Gene Haas’ newest holding, Haas Tooling. Haas Tooling was launched just weeks ago as a way for CNC machinists to purchase high quality cutting tools at great prices. Haas’ cutting tools will be sold exclusively online at HaasTooling.com and shipped directly to end-users.

 

After a nine-week shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic that prevented large gatherings, the NASCAR Cup Series season resumes Sunday at the track that’s “Too Tough To Tame.” The remaining 2020 schedule is still fluid, but race fans and sports fans alike finally can rejoice with live racing action. While fans will not be allowed in the grandstands due to restrictions, NASCAR’s longtime television partner FOX will do its best to heighten the race action in living rooms across the nation and abroad.

 

What makes this weekend particularly unique for Custer is that he’s a rookie in NASCAR’s premiere series and will take the green flag on Sunday without ever turning a lap in NASCAR’s top series at the 1.366-mile oval. Even though that will present challenges to the California native, he’s ready. “I think the best thing I can do is learn and figure out as much as I can in the first part of the race and get more aggressive as it goes,” Custer said. “When you don’t have practice, you don’t have the time to learn how much you can push all the lanes and the track in general, so I’ll have to work up to it a little.”
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Darlington, the 22-year-old has three starts and managed stellar statistics. He hasn’t started or finished outside the top-10 in the Xfinity Series at the South Carolina track. He has one runner-up finish, as well as a victory, earned last year in the No. 00 Production Alliance Group Ford Mustang after the car that crossed the finish line first was disqualified. “It was a really strange ‘win’ for us,” Custer said. “I ran second there two years in a row and was definitely a little mad because that’s the coolest track you can win at. Then we ended up winning about an hour after the race was over. It’s definitely not the same as a real win, but we can take a little pride in it that we could go there and compete for wins with the best of them.”
During the quarantine period, the young driver figured out that do-it-yourself projects are not as easy as they’re made to seem on popular television shows. Custer spent several days working on a seemingly easy project of installing a brick pathway from his garage to his house. He chronicled the effort via his Twitter account, but the project is at a standstill after he felt like he needs to call in professional help. “I’ve reached a point of where it’s beyond my abilities,” Custer said. “I got everything dug up and got the stuff I need, but I need to move the edging around so I can fit the pavers and I really don’t trust myself with that project.” Additionally, he released another episode of Cole Custer’s Cold Custard Review with his first store-bought custard review and a homemade version.
The Ford driver participated in three eNASCAR Pro Invitational Series iRaces – Talladega, Dover and North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Raceway. The virtual races have aired on FOX and provided an outlet for drivers to participate in at some form of racing from home.
SHR has 35 starts at Darlington and one victory earned by No. 4 driver Kevin Harvick in 2014. In total, the Kannapolis-based Ford team has 10 top-fives and 18 top-10s in the Cup Series at the historic track.
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 manufacturing facility in Oxnard, California, 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 rookie honors 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. Custer was the highest finishing Cup Series rookie at Phoenix Raceway with a ninth-place finish in March.

Cole Custer: Driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
What have you been doing to stay in race-ready shape?
“Since I haven’t been able to go to the gym or anything, the best thing I feel like I’ve been doing is running to stay in shape. It definitely helps running long distances because it relates to how we run long races in the car.”
Midweek races were a hot topic heading into this season. They’re going to happen now, unexpectedly. What do you think about that?
“I think it’s cool that during this time we can kind of try things in the sport that we can’t during regular seasons. It will be cool getting to see how midweek races work and how we will manage that as a team.”
NASCAR hasn’t seen a break like this before. Do you feel like you’re starting the season over now, since it has been so many weeks since the last race?
“It’s definitely a little strange because, during the offseason, you still have things to work on for the next year. But, during this time, we weren’t really allowed to. So we went completely without racing for a couple of months and it has us all dying to get back.”
You talk to your teammates before each race, but you seem to really rely on Kevin Harvick for advice. Have you talked to him yet about Darlington? Or do you plan to? It seems his advice may be more important than ever, given that you will not have any time on the track there before you climb in the car.
“Yes, it’s definitely going to be more important than ever to talk with my teammates about what to expect going into the race. They’ve been some of the best to get advice from and, especially for a track like Darlington, you’ll want as much advice as you can get.”
What do you think it’s going to be like to be at the track but not have any fans on pit road or in the stands?
“It will make before and after the race very strange, not having the fans in the stands. But, once you get in the car and get racing, you’ll be focused on trying to not hit the wall more than anything at Darlington.”
You’ve participated in a few virtual meet-and-greets with sponsors. How unique was that?
“It’s pretty cool because you can really spend just as much time or more with guests and have them ask questions. It’s pretty personable, too, because you’re in the same situation as they are – sitting at home.”
The new car for next season has been put on hold given the current situation. How much of an advantage is that for you, given that you’ll get another season in this year’s car? Whereas, before, you were going to spend time this year learning this car, then having to turn around and have to learn a whole different car for 2021.
“It will definitely help me and the team having the new car delayed. Having that extra time to learn and figure that car out will be important, and I think something we all just don’t want to rush into.”
Normally, you know every racetrack you’re going to and when, well before the season starts. Now there are changes in the schedule and you only know a few weeks out which track you’re going to. Does that make things more difficult for you? Or do you typically break the schedule up in sections, anyway, and not get too far ahead?
“I think the toughest part about it is getting prepared for the races when you only have a few days in between. When you have to go over everything from pit road, to the track, to restarts and everything in between, it makes it hard to get that all done in a couple days.”
Mike Shiplett: Crew Chief of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
What have you been doing during the break besides working from home? Any house projects, car projects, anything like that?
“I’ve been working on house projects that I have been putting off for too long. Working in my garage on my 1937 pickup truck. It’s a complete rebuild into a hotrod with a stock-looking body and modern suspension. It’s one of those long-term projects.”
There has been talk of midweek races for a while and now they’re happening this year, unexpectedly. What do you think about that? How hard will it be to prepare for multiple races in one week, especially given the restrictions placed on employees at the shop?
“I think it’s a great idea to have races on Wednesday night. It gives the fans something to look forward to during the week. It will be hard to get four cars ready to race in two weeks, but we always find a way to get it done. We do have to limit the amount of people that are in the shop at one time, which makes it harder to get things done. We have a great group of people at the shop and I’m confident they will build great Fords to take to the track.”
As of right now, it sounds like you’re going to go through tech and then race immediately. How do you prepare for that? Would this be similar to getting ready for a situation when qualifying and practice are rained out?
“When we go to the track and we have practice and qualifying rained out, we usually don’t know that going into the weekend, so we have spent a lot of time working on our practice plan. Since we know going into this race we have no practice, that’s more time we can use our tools we have to build a setup for the race. We will have to use our teammates’ notes to help us, since Cole has never been to these tracks with a current Cup car. It will make it a little more challenging, but we have a great group of engineers on the No. 41 team that will get the job done.”
Will Darlington sort of feel like the first race of a new season since it has been several weeks since the last race?
“It will be the first time back at a track since this happened, but we have been doing all the same stuff each week, just from home. It’s different during the offseason with just having a shut down. We never knew when we would get back to the track. In the offseason, you know when Daytona is going to happen, and you count down from the last race of the season before.”
What advice do you have for Cole, or do you have a plan to give him for Darlington? He’s a rookie in a completely different car, at a track he hasn’t been to before in the Cup Series, and this is a difficult situation to be put in at a track that’s known to be one of the toughest.
“Go run every lap and we will work on the car each pit stop. Seat time is the best way to learn, and he will get a lot of that in the next few weeks.”
How many hours do you expect Cole to spend in the simulator getting ready for Darlington?
“We will get him into the simulator as many times as possible. Since all the Ford teams use the same simulator, time will be at a premium.”
Do you see the first Darlington race as a little bit of test and practice for the second Darlington race for Cole, since he hasn’t been there before in Cup?
“Our whole plan from the start of the season was to use the first quarter of the races as a test for each week to build for the future. With the current car being able to race next year, this will help Cole in his learning curve a lot. We’ve never had back-to-back points races at the same track before in NASCAR, so I feel it will help all the teams to be better for the next race three days later.”
You’ll be driving to races for the next several weeks. Does that kind of bring back an old-school feel when several of the tracks were within driving distance of the Charlotte area?
“Sort of, but we would all go in one van. This time, we all have to drive ourselves to keep safe distancing practices.”
 
No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Team Report
Race 5 of 36 – Darlington 400 – Darlington
 
Car No. 41: HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang Team Report

At Track PR Contact: Lauren Emling with True Speed Communication (Lauren.Emling@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

Darlington Raceway Notes of Interest:
  • Cole Custer will make his first Darlington (S.C.) Raceway NASCAR Cup Series start Sunday, bringing his total of career Cup Series starts to eight.
  • The 22-year-old finished ninth at Phoenix Raceway, the most recent Cup Series event in early March.
  • 2020 mark’s 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 HaasTooling.com driver has three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the 1.366-mile track in South Carolina. His lone victory at Darlington came last year after the original winner was disqualified. In 2018, Custer finished the race second in only his second Xfinity Series start. In all three career Xfinity Series outings, he has started and finished inside the top-10.
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CLINT BOWYER No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/ Mobil 1 Ford Returns to Racing

by Mike
CLINT BOWYER No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/ Mobil 1 Ford Returns to Racing
KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (May 11, 2020) – In the 60-plus-year history of NASCAR, there will likely never be a more unusual or more welcomed group of races than the next four Cup Series races held over a 10-day span beginning Sunday with a 400-miler at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

 

Clint Bowyer, the driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), wishes the race was sooner.

 

“Tell me where the racetrack is and I’ll be there tonight,” Bowyer said with a laugh when asked about the upcoming schedule.

 

Bowyer is especially antsy since he hasn’t sat in a racecar since finishing fifth in the March 8 race at Phoenix Raceway. That seems like a lifetime ago before the coronavirus pandemic brought sporting events to a halt in America and made social distancing a way of life.

 

“It’s been forever since we fired the engines, but I always knew this day would come” Bowyer said. “I hope we can give people something to enjoy as we fight this (pandemic) together. I’ve been going crazy waiting around, so it’s time to go have some fun.”

 

While Bowyer knows he, himself, will have some fun, it’s not going to be business as usual at Darlington Sunday, or the following Wednesday night when the Cup Series returns for a 310-mile race on the 1.33-mile, egg-shaped oval. Nor will it be standard operating procedure when the series hits Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway for its annual 600-mile race May 24 and a 310-mile race May 27.

 

NASCAR has implemented a comprehensive health and safety plan with nearly every aspect of how an event is conducted. All upcoming races will be one-day shows without fans in attendance, and the use of personal protective equipment is mandated for series participants and officials throughout the event, as well as health screenings for all individuals prior to entering the facility, while inside the facility and exiting the facility, social distancing protocols throughout the facility, and strict limits on the number of individuals who are granted access.

 

Bowyer said he supports the steps NASCAR is taking to keep everyone safe, but admits it won’t be the same without full grandstands, especially at Darlington.

 

“Doing it without the fans sucks,” he said. “No way around it. It’s going to be awkward and it’s going to be difficult. Yes, you will be racing in front of an audience who will be on their couch, but it just won’t be the same. Hopefully it will only be like this for a few races and we’ll be back to normal soon and see everyone at the track.”

 

The Cup Series drivers will race without practice or qualifying at Darlington – perhaps the toughest track on the circuit. But there’s a precedent. In a September 2018 race, Bowyer started eighth, won Stage 1, led 37 laps and finished fifth at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when rain kept the Cup Series from any practice or qualifying Saturday and Sunday before finally racing on Monday.

 

Bowyer’s crew chief Johnny Klausmeier believes the lack of track time won’t be difficult to overcome. In fact, he said his team plans on using the same No. 14 Ford in both Darlington races.

 

“Obviously, we are ready and, if we have a hiccup, we have a backup plan where we can bring another car,” he said. “To have a race under your belt, then go back and have everything set on the car that you just raced, puts you a little bit further ahead for the second race. That could be a little bit optimistic because, obviously, Darlington isn’t the kindest track with the wall and the ‘Darlington Stripe.’ We’ll have personnel ready to turn it around for the second race if we need to.”

 

Bowyer’s No. 14 will carry Rush Truck Centers and Mobil 1 decals at Darlington. Rush has been the primary partner for the No. 14 team since Bowyer arrived at SHR in 2017 and has been with the organization since 2010. The Texas-based company has used Bowyer and the team to appeal to NASCAR fans as one way to recruit the technicians it needs to operate the largest network of commercial truck and bus dealerships in the country, with locations in 22 states. According to Rush Truck Centers, the trucking industry is expected to need 200,000 diesel technicians over the next 10 years to keep up with maintenance demands.

 

Mobil 1 isn’t just the world’s leading synthetic motor oil brand, it also provides the entire SHR team with leading lubricant technology, ensuring that all SHR Mustangs have a competitive edge over the competition on the track. In its 17th consecutive season as the “Official Motor Oil of NASCAR,” Mobil 1 is used by more than 50 percent of teams throughout NASCAR’s top three series.

 

No matter what happens at Darlington or Charlotte, Bowyer said he is glad to be back behind the wheel and appreciates what everyone has done during the pandemic.

 

“Look, we wouldn’t be here without the doctors and nurses on the frontlines doing what they are doing,” Bowyer said. “That goes the same for the farmers growing our food, the auto workers making safety equipment and everybody doing their jobs. They are the real heroes and I hope these races can give those folks a few hours of fun. They deserve it.”

 

Bowyer and Rush Truck Centers are joining in a nationwide campaign to call out a special group of heroes – truck drivers. Bowyer’s Ford will carry the Twitter hashtag #ThankATrucker during the first round of races. Many of the No. 14 partners like Rush Truck Centers, Mobil 1, PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant, and Cummins all have ties to the trucking industry.

 

According to the American Trucking Associations, there are more than 700,000 trucking businesses in the country employing 7.8 million people, including 3.5 million truck drivers. More than 36 million trucks log 297 billion miles per year moving 71 percent of the nation’s freight.

 

“Anything that we’ve needed during the quarantine, whether its medical supplies, food at the grocery stores or whatever the case may be has been delivered by a truck driver who’s away from his family doing the job to make sure our country still works,” Bowyer said. “If you see one of those truckers going down the road, give him a thumbs-up. They deserve it.”

 

Hopefully, race fans can thank a trucker on their way to the racetrack in the near future. Until then, NASCAR will take the lead in the coming days as sports slowly restart in America.

 

Like Bowyer, a lot of fans can’t wait.

 

 

 
Clint Bowyer, Driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
How has your time away from racing been?

“We are quarantined crazy around the Bowyer residence and it sucks, just like it does for everybody. I am over hearing the words COVID-19 and I am over hearing the word pandemic, as is everybody else. My wife asked me, ‘What is wrong with you?’ I told her what is wrong with me is, for 17 years of my life, two weeks is about as long as I have ever been home, even during the holidays. So it’s been rough. I’m ready to go have some fun.”

 

What’s been the toughest part of the pandemic?

“Trying to keep two kids entertained is the toughest thing. You feel so bad for them. My wife thinks my attention span is shorter than theirs. But, that being said, it’s been tough. We have a farm and we’ve been building fences and I think we’ve caught every fish I know of in the pond.”

 

How was home-schooling your kids during the time away from racing?

“It’s the same for everyone, I think. It makes you feel really dumb, trying to help your 5-year-old and navigate through that. Let me tell you I have a new appreciation for teachers. I can promise you that.”

 

Did iRacing bridge the gap during the time away?

“Yes, we had a blast. Who’d ever thought that we could have that much fun and be that competitive and have so many people watching us as we did with those iRacing races each weekend? I have a whole new respect for people who put in the time and get really good at that. I sucked when I started but kept getting better. No way can I compete with some of those guys, but I got good enough to where I could really enjoy what I was doing. Those guys have won 800 races and I haven’t even run 800 laps.”

 
Johnny Klausmeier, Crew Chief of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
Will it be like starting a new season once we go back to racing at Darlington?

“Yes, I think it will. Anytime you take some time off, it will take an adjustment time to get back in the swing of things, but everyone is programmed to race. They are all thinking about going faster and putting speed in the cars. That’s what racers think about all the time. This isn’t going to take a lot of time to get back in the swing of things.”

 

Has this time away changed your view of racing?

“It makes you appreciate what you have in life. You look at how everyone globally is fighting with this virus. The fact that we get to do something we love every day makes you appreciate it. When you are not doing it, it makes you appreciate it even more. You are always thinking about it and it gives you time to reflect on your career and how you can work harder to be even better at it. Just being away from anything you love gives you time to think about it and come back and do it better.”

 

How would you describe the first few races of the 2020 season before the break?

“I think they were good. We showed some potential. The races we have known we’d need work, like the 550 tracks, we have some good ideas. I really wanted to run Atlanta and Homestead. I think we will be able to adapt. I was happy with the 750 package and the speedways. We have had some good things to build on. We are improving with our communication with Clint, learning what he needs and wants in the car. If we do that, we’ll continue to improve. You want to win every week, but so far it’s been a good starting point for us.”

No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Team Report

Round 5 of 36 – Darlington 400 – Darlington

 
Car No.: 14 – Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

 

At Track PR Contact: Drew Brown with True Speed Communication (Drew.Brown@TrueSpeedCommunication.com) ​

 
No. 14 At-Track Crew Roster
Primary Team:

 

Driver: Clint Bowyer

Residence: Emporia, Kansas

 

Crew Chief: Johnny Klausmeier

Hometown: Perry Hall, Maryland

 

Car Chief: Chad Haney

Hometown: Fairmont, West Virginia

 

Engine Specialist: Jon Phillips

Hometown: Jefferson City, Missouri

 

Engine Builder: Roush Yates Engines: Mooresville, North Carolina

 

Spotter: Brett Griffin

Hometown: Pageland, South Carolina

Over-The-Wall Crew:

Fuelman: Rick Pigeon

Hometown: Fairfax, Vermont

 

Front Changer: Ryan Mulder

Hometown: Sioux City, Iowa

 

Carrier: Jon Bernal

Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

 

Rear Changer: Chris McMullen

Hometown: Canton, Michigan

 

Jackman: Sean Cotten

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Notes of Interest:
  • Bowyer owns career totals of 10 wins, three poles, 81 top-five finishes, 216 top-10s and 2,998 laps led in 508 NASCAR Cup Series races. He also owns eight NASCAR Xfinity Series victories.
    • His most recent Cup Series victory came at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn (June 10, 2018).
    • His most recent Cup Series pole came at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California on Feb. 29, 2020
  • Most Recent Race: Bowyer started 18th at Phoenix Raceway on March 8 and charged to the front of the field, running second in the final laps before hanging on and finishing a season-best fifth. He moved to 13th in the driver standings. It was the last race before racing was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Bowyer’s Career at Darlington: Bowyer owns two top-10 finishes in 14 races at Darlington. One of his four career poles came at Darlington on May 11, 2007.
  • 2019 Darlington: Bowyer finished sixth – a career best at the track – at the 70th annual Southern 500. He started 13th and fell as far down as 17th before rallying to finish sixth in the second stage. Bowyer stayed at the front of the field for the remainder of the race delayed by rain and ending in the early hours of Monday morning.
  • 2018 Darlington: Bowyer started 17th and raced up to 11th by the end of Stage 1. In Stage 2, he climbed to seventh before a vibration forced him to pit lane for new right-side tires, dropping him to 27th and a lap behind the leaders. The new tires allowed him to drive through the field, climbing to 12th, and he passed leader Kyle Larson on lap 195 to return to the lead lap. In the final stage, Bowyer raced in 12th when he made contact with a slow moving car on lap 309, which ended his race and left him with a 36th-place result.
  • 2017 Darlington: Bowyer started 16th and moved to 12th in the opening laps, but engine issues on lap 18 sent Bowyer to the garage, ending his race and leaving him with a 40th-place finish.
  • SHR has one points-paying victory at Darlington (Kevin Harvick in April 2014) and has 10 top-five finishes and 18 top-10s in 35 starts.
  • All-time victory list: With 10 career victories, Bowyer is in a 59th-place tie on the all-time wins list with Donnie Allison and Sterling Marlin.
  • ​Bowyer’s Top-Three Finishes at SHR (2017- Present):
    • Wins
      • Michigan International Speedway (June 10, 2018)
      • Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (March 26, 2018)
    • 2nd place: 
      • Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth (March 31, 2019)
      • Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (Oct. 15, 2018)
      • Dover (Del.) International Speedway (May 6, 2018)
      • Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (April 24, 2017)
      • Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway (June 25, 2017)
      • Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (July 1, 2017)
    • 3rd place: 
      • Richmond (Va.) Raceway (April 13, 2019)
      • Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (Sept. 30, 2018)
      • Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway (June 24, 2018)
      • Atlanta Motor Speedway (Feb. 25, 2018)
      • Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (Oct. 29, 2017)
      • Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California (March 26, 2017)
  • ​Bowyer’s Stage Victories 
    • Indianapolis Motor Speedway Stage 1 (Sept. 10, 2018)
    • Pocono (Pa.) Raceway Stage 2 (July 30, 2017)
    • Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (Oct. 14, 2019)
  • Bowyer Cup Series Career Victories:
    • Michigan International Speedway (June 10, 2018)
    • Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (March 26, 2018)
    • Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (Oct. 13, 2012)
    • Richmond (Va.) Raceway (Sept. 8, 2012)
    • Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway (June 24, 2012)
    • Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (Oct. 23, 2011)
    • Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (Oct. 31, 2010)
    • New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon (Sept. 19, 2010)
    • Richmond (Va.) Raceway (May 3, 2008)
    • New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon (Sept. 16, 2007)
  • Bowyer Cup Series Career Poles:
    • New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon (Sept. 14, 2007)
    • Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (May 11, 2007)
    • Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Sept. 14, 2019)
    • Auto Club Speedway (March 1, 2020)
  • ​Bowyer Career Cup Series Points Finishes:
    • 2019  9th
    • 2018 12th
    • 2017 18th
    • 2016 27th
    • 2015 16th
    • 2014 19th
    • 2013 7th
    • 2012 2nd
    • 2011 13th
    • 2010 10th
    • 2009 15th
    • 2008   5th ​
    • 2007   3rd
    • 2006 17th
  • Bowyer Cup Series Career Stops:
    • 2017- Present Stewart-Haas Racing
    • ​2016  HScott Motorsports
    • 2012-2015 Michael Waltrip Racing
    • 2006-2011 Richard Childress Racing
  • Bowyer Xfinity Series Championship:
    • 2008
  • Bowyer Xfinity Series Career Victories:
    • Dover (Del.) International Speedway (Sept. 26, 2009)
    • Daytona (Fla) International Speedway (July 3, 2009)
    • Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (March 15, 2008)
    • Richmond (Va.) Raceway (May 4, 2007)
    • Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway in Avondale (April 20, 2007)
    • Dover (Del.) International Speedway (Sept. 23, 2006)
    • Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park  (Oct. 22, 2005)
    • Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway (June 12, 2005)
  • Bowyer NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Victories:
    • Kansas (Kan.) Speedway in Kansas City (June 4, 2011)
    • Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway in Avondale (Nov. 12, 2010)
    • Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth (Nov. 3, 2006)
  • Crew Chief Johnny Klausmeier’s Victories:
    • Talladega SuperSpeedway (Aric Almirola, Oct 14, 2018)
    • Pocono Raceway (Kurt Busch, June 6, 2016)

 

Views: 453
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Entry Lists and Statistics – Virtual Richmond Raceway

by Mike
Entry Lists and Statistics – Virtual Richmond Raceway

Below are the entry lists (subject to change) and statistics for the Saturday Night Thunder and Sunday’s Toyota Owners 150 (1 p.m. ET on FOX – where available and subject to change, FS1 and the FOX Sports app) at virtual Richmond Raceway.

Note on iRacing stats below:

The stats are cumulative lifetime stats for each driver in public oval events in stock car disciplines (ranging from top-level Cup cars to Legends) on iRacing. It doesn’t include stats from private leagues. Statistics for drivers who have starts in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series include those races run.



Saturday Night Thunder

Click for statistics (Coming soon)

Entry list is subject to change and will be updated here.

#00    Angela Ruch
#015    Drew Dollar
#099    Josh Bilicki
#1    Michael Annett
#2    Spencer Boyd
#4    Chase Cabre
#5    Bayley Currey
#5    Matt Mills
#7    Justin Allgaier
#8    Jeb Burton
#9    Noah Gragson
#10    Justin Haley
#13    Chad Finchum
#15    Brennan Poole
#19    Derek Kraus
#20    Harrison Burton
#22    Austin Cindric
#25    Stephen Leicht
#27    Ruben Garcia
#33    Anthony Alfredo
#34    Michael McDowell
#35    Todd Gilliland
#36    Jesse Iwuji
#40    Ryan Truex
#41    Cole Custer
#45    Ty Majeski
#52    Stewart Friesen
#53    Joey Gase
#54    Kyle Weatherman
#55    Will Rodgers
#57    Blake Koch
#63    Scott Stenzel
#67    Logan Seavey
#75    Landon Huffman
#78    Ryan Ellis
#81    Christian Eckes
#85    JJ Yeley
#88    Josh Berry
#89    Landon Cassill
#90    Alex Labbe
#93    Myatt Snider
#98    Chase Briscoe
#99    Elliott Sadler

Toyota Owners 150

Click for statistics (Coming Soon)

Entry list is subject to change and will be updated here.

Invited Race Entries
#1 Kurt Busch
#2 Brad Keselowski
#3 Austin Dillon
#4 Kevin Harvick
#6 Ross Chastain
#9 Chase Elliott
#11 Denny Hamlin
#12 Ryan Blaney
#13 Ty Dillon
#14 Clint Bowyer
#17 Chris Buescher
#18 Kyle Busch
#20 Erik Jones
#21 Matt DiBennedetto
#22 Joey Logano
#24 William Byron
#31 Tyler Reddick
#37 Ryan Preece
#38 John Hunter Nemechek
#43 Bubba Wallace
#48 Jimmie Johnson
#51 Garrett Smithley
#66 Timmy Hill
#77 Parker Kligerman
#88 Alex Bowman
#95 Christopher Bell

Qualifer Race Entries
#00 Quin Houff
#8 Dale Earnhardt Jr
#15 Brennan Poole
#19 Bobby Labonte
#32 Corey LaJoie
#34 Michael McDowell
#41 Cole Custer
#47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
#49 Chad Finchum
#52 JJ Yeley
#53 Joey Gase
#89 Landon Cassill
#96 Daniel Suarez

Views: 545
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eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series Coverage Resources and News & Notes – Virtual Texas Motor Speedway

by Mike
eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series Coverage Resources and News & Notes – Virtual Texas Motor Speedway

eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series

Next Race: O’Reilly Auto Parts 125

The Place: Virtual Texas Motor Speedway

The Date: Sunday, March 29

The Time: 1 p.m. ET

TV: FOX (where available and subject to change), FS1 and FOX Sports App

Distance: 125 Laps

eNASCAR Pro Invitational Qualifier

The Place: Virtual Texas Motor Speedway

The Date: Sunday, March 29

The Time: 10:55 a.m. ET

Online: enascar.com/live

Distance: 30 Laps, No Cautions

 

Additional Resources to Assist in Coverage

 

More fun to come in Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 125

While NASCAR’s on-track activity has been postponed through the weekend of May 3rd to align with CDC guidance, drivers and fans are turning to the virtual world to see some of the best racing competition around.

Last Sunday, NASCAR, iRacing and FOX Sports teamed up to deliver the first-ever eNASCAR iRacing Pro invitational Series event, the Dixie Vodka 150, at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway. This week, FOX Sports announced their commitment to cover the remainder of the season, beginning Sunday, March 29, at 1 p.m. ET from virtual Texas Motor Speedway with the O’Reilly Auto Parts 125.

Entitled FOX NASCAR iRacing, the races will be simulcast on the FOX broadcast network where available, FS1 and the FOX Sports app. Races will also be available in Canada through FOX Sports Racing.

Last weekend’s inaugural event, won by three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, drew 903,000 viewers on FS1, according to Nielsen Media Research. Fox Sports iRacing was the most-watched telecast on FS1 since the pandemic-induced sports shutdown began on March 12 and Sunday’s most-watched sports telecast on cable television, as well as ranks as the highest-rated esports TV program in history.

Additionally, according to rankings by Twitter interactions, the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series on FS1 was the #1 most-social TV program overall on Sunday. NASCAR-owned content related to the event also produced more than one million engagements throughout the weekend.

Again this Sunday the event will feature FOX NASCAR broadcasters Jeff Gordon, Mike Joy and Larry McReynolds calling the action. They will be complimented by Stewart-Haas Racing driver Clint Bowyer, scheduled to return as the in-car analyst while competing from a simulator in the FOX NASCAR Charlotte studio.

 

Fans can watch the eNASCAR Pro Invitational Qualifier race online

This week the qualifier race to fill the final four spots in the 35-car field will be streamed for fans to watch.

The eNASCAR Pro Invitational Qualifier will take place at 10:55 a.m. ET at eNASCAR.com/live.

34 qualifiers from the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series and regional series are scheduled to battle to join the 31 drivers locked in to Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 125 at 1 p.m. ET on FOX (where available, subject to change), FS1 and the FOX Sports App.

The race will consist of 30 laps at Texas Motor Speedway and there will be no cautions.

Note – should there be any late additions or drops to the list of guaranteed entries, that will impact the number of qualifiers advancing from the eNASCAR Pro Invitational Qualifier.

 

Sunday’s run of show and race format

Below is a breakdown of Sunday’s run of show for the eNASCAR Pro Invitational Qualifier and the O’Reilly Auto Parts 125:

eNASCAR Pro Invitational Qualifying Race

10:30 a.m. – Practice begins

10:55 a.m. – Qualifying begins, 5 minutes – 2 laps

11:02 a.m. – Race begins – 30 laps, no cautions

O’Reilly Auto Parts 125

12:00 p.m. – Practice begins

12:50 p.m. – Qualifying begins, 3 minutes – 2 laps

12:54pm – Warmup begins (set to 45 minutes, will advance on FOX command)

1:00pm – Broadcast Begins

1:13pm – Green flag – 125 laps

Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 125 will consist of 125 laps with double-file restarts and lapped cars will go to the rear. There will be three attempts at a green-white-checkered finish, if necessary.

Drivers will be allowed one fast repair this week at virtual Texas Motor Speedway. If a car is damaged, drivers must drive back to their pit stall and come to a complete stop. This will automatically apply the fast repair and give the driver a new car.

Fantasy eNASCAR available for fans

Fantasy offerings for Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 125 1 p.m. ET on FOX – where available and subject to change, FS1 and the FOX Sports app) are growing.

This weekend DraftKings, in collaboration with NASCAR, has put together a $10K winner-take-all Sportsbook Pools contest. Free to enter, the contest requires participants to submit their picks for questions like, “Who will have the highest finish this week?” and “Will the winning car number be odd or even?” The participant with the most correct answers wins, pursuant to NASCAR official rules and scoring.

Last weekend’s kick-off race garnered over 13K unique entries, adding to the over 300K people participating in overall free-to-play pools entries since mid-March.

Over the airwaves overseas

Sunday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race from virtual Texas Motor Speedway will be available to our international affiliates in 165 countries and territories, reaching over 300 million households.

Including the United States, the show will be available to over 400 million households worldwide.

Below is a lineup of broadcasters:

Texas Motor Speedway – eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series
Arena SportCzech Republic, Slovakia
AstroMalaysia
Automoto La ChaineFrance, Belgium, Turkey
DiscoveryIndia
ESPN LatamArgentina, Colombia, Chile
FOX Sports AustraliaAustralia
FOX Sports MexicoMexico
MatchTVRussia
MAX SportBulgaria
MotowizjaPoland
Premier SportsUK
Sport TV PortugalPortugal
Sport1/MotorvisionAustria, Switzerland, German
SportitaliaItaly
SportKlub BalkansCroatia
SportsKlub PolandPoland
SuperSport AfricaSub-Saharan and West Africa
TelcelMexico
TSNCanada
TV3 SpainSpain
Viasat SwedenSweden
Viasat DenmarkDenmark
Viasat FinlandFinland
Viasat NorwayNorway
Ziggo SportNetherlands

Giving back

The regular season may be on hold but NASCAR’s regular and passionate commitment to giving remains strong as the world deals with the COVID-19 coronavirus.

The NASCAR Foundation has partnered with the sport’s race facilities to help those immediately impacted by the virus in local communities. It hosted a Feed the Children campaign last week in the Homestead-Miami area where the sport was scheduled to compete on track and instead debuted the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series. The plan is to go forward with similar charitable organizations in other markets.

At the Homestead-Miami Event on March 22, for example, the NASCAR Foundation and other industry partners raised almost $40,000 for “response efforts” including a donation to the area’s Feed the Children organization. The group will use the funds to distribute supplies – including food, cleaning supplies and other daily essentials – to local schools in the community. Dixie Vodka, iRacing, FOX Sports and Coca-Cola Racing joined drivers Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick by either pledging or donating supplies/money during the Homestead-Miami iRacing event.

This week, the NASCAR Foundation, will work with Speedway Children’s Charities – the official charity of Speedway Motorsports, which owns Texas Motor Speedway – site of this week’s iRacing event. The organizations will partner up with the American Red Cross to help “lifesaving missions” in North Texas because of COVID-19. Specially, this effort will make sure the American Red Cross is prepared for patients and their critical needs for people “affected by disasters big and small.”

Similar partnerships with the industry and local charities are expected. Donations are currently being accepted in support of these efforts at: NASCARfoundation.org/response.

Statistical Notes

A wide range of drivers with various experience both at Texas Motor Speedway and in iRacing will be contending in this Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 125 in the second race of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series (1 p.m. ET on FOX – where available and subject to change, FS1 and the FOX Sports app).

Below is a list of anticipated participants (listed alphabetically), their statistics, and career highlights, for the second race of the series. Please note, the participant list is subject to change.

 

Note on iRacing stats below:

The stats are cumulative lifetime stats for each driver in public oval events in stock car disciplines (ranging from top-level Cup cars to Legends) on iRacing. It doesn’t include stats from private leagues. Statistics for drivers who have starts in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series include those races run.

 

There are currently 31 guaranteed entries for today’s race. The 35-car field will be filled by drivers from a multitude of other series, including the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series and regional series, who will compete in a qualifying race in the morning. Thirty-four drivers will vie for the final four spots.

Drivers with guaranteed spots are as follows (list is subject to change and will be updated in the News & Notes on NASCARMedia.com if necessary):

#1 Kurt Busch

#3 Austin Dillon

#6 Ross Chastain

#8 Dale Earnhardt Jr

#9 Chase Elliott

#11 Denny Hamlin

#12 Ryan Blaney

#13 Ty Dillon

#14 Clint Bowyer

#16 Greg Biffle

#17 Chris Buescher

#18 Kyle Busch

#19 Bobby Labonte

#20 Erik Jones

#21 Matt Dibenedetto

#24 William Byron

#31 Tyler Reddick

#34 Michael McDowell

#37 Ryan Preece

#38 John Hunter Nemechek

#42 Kyle Larson

#43 Bubba Wallace

#47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr

#48 Jimmie Johnson

#51 Garrett Smithley

#66 Timmy Hill

#77 Parker Kligerman

#88 Alex Bowman

#89 Landon Cassill

#95 Christopher Bell

#96 Daniel Suarez

The drivers who need to qualify are as follows (list is subject to change and will be updated in the News & Notes on NASCARMedia.com if necessary):

#7 Justin Allgaier

#15 Brennan Poole

#16 Justin Haley

#22 Austin Cindric

#23 Sam Mayer

#26 Tyler Ankrum

#27 Ruben Garcia

#29 Kaz Grala

#29a Trevor Bayne

#33 Anthony Alfredo

#35 Todd Gilliland

#36 Jesse Iwuji

#40 Ryan Truex

#45 Ty Majeski

#46 Chandler Smith

#50 Jeffrey Earnhardt

#52 Stewart Friesen

#53 Joey Gase

#54 Kyle Weatherman

#63 Scott Stenzel

#68 Brandon Brown

#74 Sheldon Creed

#78 Ryan Ellis

#80 Joe Graf Jr.

#81 Christian Eckes

#90 Alex Labbe

#93 Myatt Snider

#98 Chase Briscoe

#99 Harrison Burton

#02 Spencer Boyd

#08 Jeb Burton

#TBD Derek Kraus

#TBD Drew Dollar

#TBD JJ Yeley

Guaranteed spots in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 125 (drivers listed in alphabetical order):

 

Christopher Bell – iRacing #95

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 96 Leavine Family Racing Toyota

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 1 win, 3 top fives, 4 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 5 starts, 1 win, 2 top fives, 3 top 10s

Highlights:

  • Bell won his most recent outing at Texas Motor Speedway, last fall in the Xfinity Series. He also has a Gander Trucks win there (spring, 2017
  • Bell made his NASCAR national series track debut at Texas in the Gander Trucks in 2015
  • In 2019, Bell won a NASCAR Xfinity Series career-high eight races after setting the rookie single season Xfinity Series wins record with seven victories in 2018
  • In 2017, he won the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series championship and captured five race wins along the way

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 1027 starts, 237 wins, 556 top fives and 132 poles
  • Finished 27th last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Greg Biffle – iRacing #16

Current Series/Occupation: Former NASCAR Cup Series driver, part-time NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series – No. 54 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 26 starts, 2 wins (2005, ’12), 8 top fives, 13 top fives

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 10 starts, 0 wins, three top fives, five top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 6 starts, 2 wins (2000, ’19), 4 top fives, 4 top 10s

Highlights:

  • Has made starts at Texas in all three NASCAR national series with four wins (two in Cup and two in Gander Trucks)
  • Has a total of 56 NASCAR national series wins.
  • 2005 NASCAR Cup Series championship runner-up
  • 2002 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion.
  • 2000 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series champion.

iRacing Stats

  • N/A

 

 

Ryan Blaney – iRacing #12

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 12 Team Penske Ford

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 10 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 4 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 6 starts, 1 win, 5 top fives, 6 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

  • Has won a race and earned a Cup Series Playoff berth in each season from 2017-19 and has three total wins in the Cup Series.
  • Finished runner-up in 2014 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series standings, won most popular driver in the series
  • Won 2013 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award

Overall iRacing Stats

  • N/A

 

Alex Bowman – iRacing #88

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 9 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 2 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • Bowman’s best Cup Series finish at Texas came last fall, a fifth-place effort
  • Bowman started on the pole in both of his Xfinity Series races, which took place in 2013
  • Bowman made his NASCAR national series track debut at Miami in the Xfinity Series in 2013
  • Bowman captured his second career NASCAR Cup Series win earlier this season at Auto Club Speedway. His first came last year at Chicagoland Speedway
  • Bowman filled in the No. 88 for 10 races in 2016 while Dale Earnhardt Jr. was sidelined with concussion symptoms. He took over the ride fulltime in 2018 following Earnhardt’s retirement
  • He was the 2011 NASCAR Menards Series East and the 2012 ARCA Menards Series rookie of the year

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 1 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles
  • Finished sixth last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Clint Bowyer – iRacing #14

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 28 starts, 0 wins, 4 top fives, 12 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 11 start, 0 wins, 3 top fives, 6 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 1 start, 1 win, 1 top five, 1 top 10

Highlights:

  • His best NASCAR Cup Series finishes at Texas were runner-up results in the spring race last year and also in 2011
  • Bowyer won his only Gander Trucks start at Texas from the pole in the fall of 2006
  • Bowyer made his NASCAR national series track debut at Miami in the Xfinity Series in 2004
  • In 2019, Bowyer qualified for the Playoffs on points and finished ninth in the series standing
  • Bowyer was the runner-up for the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series championship
  • He won the 2008 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship
  • Multiple winner in all three NASCAR national series. (10 NASCAR Cup Series, eight NASCAR Xfinity Series, 14 Gander Trucks wins)

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 1 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles
  • Finished 16th last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Chris Buescher – iRacing #17

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 9 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • His best finish at Miami was a ninth-place effort in 2015 in the Xfinity Series
  • Buescher made his NASCAR national series track debut at Miami in the Xfinity Series in 2013
  • Buescher joined Roush-Fenway Racing for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season
  • In 2016, he won first NASCAR Cup Series race (Pocono-2) in his rookie season; first driver since Joey Logano (2009) to accomplish the feat
  • One of three drivers in NASCAR Cup Series history to make the Playoffs in their rookie season, joining Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin
  • Won the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in 2015
  • Was the 2012 ARCA Menards Series champion

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 1 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles
  • Finished 28th last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Kurt Busch – iRacing #1

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 34 starts, 1 win, 3 top fives, 21 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts, 1 win, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 2 starts, 0 win, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

  • Made his national series track debut in 2000 in the Gander Trucks
  • Got his first Cup Series win at the track in the fall of 2009. His Xfinity Series win came in his first series start there in the spring of 2006
  • 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion; winner of the inaugural NASCAR Playoffs
  • Has driven for many of NASCAR’s most iconic teams such as Roush-Fenway Racing, Team Penske, Furniture Row Racing, Stewart-Haas
  • Racing, and now Chip Ganassi Racing
  • Multiple winner in all three NASCAR national series
  • 2000 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Rookie of the Year and championship runner-up

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 1 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles
  • Finished 35th last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Kyle Busch – iRacing #18

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 28 starts, 3 wins, 12 top fives, 15 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 21 starts, 9 wins, 16 top fives, 17 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 13 starts, 4 wins, 9 top fives, 9 top 10s

Highlights:

  • Busch’s three NASCAR Cup Series wins at Texas all came in the spring race – 2013, 2016, 2018
  • Busch made his NASCAR national series track debut at Miami in the Gander Trucks in 2001
  • Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion, also won championship in 2015. One of two (Jimmie Johnson) active drivers with multiple Cup championships
  • Has made the Championship 4 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs the last five consecutive seasons
  • Won the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in 2009
  • In 2010, set all-time single-season record with 24 victories across NASCAR’s three national series
  • Currently has most all-time NASCAR national series wins with 208 (56 Cup, 96 Xfinity, 57 Gander Trucks)
  • Record seven-time NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series owner champion (2010, ’13, ’14, ’15, ’16, ’17 and ‘19) and one driver championship (2015)

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 1 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles
  • Finished 29th last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

William Byron – iRacing #24

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 2 starts, 1 win, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

  • His best Cup Series finish at Texas was sixth last spring
  • Byron made his NASCAR national series track debut at Texas in the Gander Trucks in 2016, winning in his first start in the spring race
  • Earned first career Playoff berth in 2019, finishing a career-high 11th in final standings
  • Won the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award; becoming just the second driver all-time to win Rookie of the Year honors in all three NASCAR national series; joining Erik Jones
  • Won the 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award
  • Won the 2016 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series owner championship for Kyle Busch Motorsports and the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award, setting a series rookie record with seven victories
  • Won the 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship and the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 1,467 starts, 292 wins, 698 top fives and 249 poles
  • Finished 34th last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Landon Cassill – iRacing #89

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 89 Shepherd Racing Chevrolet

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 19 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 8 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • His best finish at Miami was 18th in 2010 in the Xfinity Series.
  • Cassill made his NASCAR national series track debut at Miami in the NASCAR Cup Series in the spring of 2010.
  • In 2014, he scored a NASCAR Cup Series career-best fourth-place finish at Talladega-2
  • In 2010, he made his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Michigan
  • In 2008, he won the NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year award

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 43 starts, 4 wins, 25 top fives and 2 poles
  • Finished 12th last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Ross Chastain – iRacing #6

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 10 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 7 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

  • His best finish at Miami was a runner-up effort last fall in the Xfinity Series
  • Chastain made his NASCAR national series track debut at Miami in the Gander Trucks in 2011
  • This year, he has filled in for Ryan Newman in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series for three races
  • In 2019, he completed 19 races in the Xfinity Series and posted a win at Daytona with Kaulig Racing
  • In 2018, he made the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs and won his first career race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway racing for Chip Ganassi Racing
  • In 2011, he made his NASCAR national series debut in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series debut at Lucas Oil Raceway

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 538 starts, 67 wins, 196 top fives and 64 poles
  • Finished 14th last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

 

Matt DiBenedetto – iRacing #21

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motors Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 9 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • Earned his best finish at Miami in the Cup Series in the fall race last year (14th)
  • Made his national series track debut in the spring of 2014 in the Xfinity Series, finishing 39th
  • Notched his first career top-five finish in 2019 at Sonoma Raceway
  • Signed with Wood Brothers Racing for the 2020 season after racing for Leavine Family Racing in 2019
  • His two career-best finishes were runner-up in Bristol Motor Speedway in 2019 and Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2020
  • His best finish in the Xfinity Series was in 2010 at Iowa Speedway, where he finished ninth

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 311 starts, 77 wins, 2014 top fives, 29 poles
  • Finished 11th last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

 

Austin Dillon – iRacing #3

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 14 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 11 starts, 0 wins, 6 top fives, 11 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 3 top 10

Highlights:

  • Made his national series track debut in Miami in the Gander Trucks in spring of 2010 and started from the pole
  • In 2011, he finished runner-up at Miami in the Gander Trucks. He also had a pair of third-place finishes in the Xfinity Series in the spring of 2013 and the fall of 2015
  • Got his first Cup Series win in 2017 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
  • Won the 2018 Daytona 500
  • Won the 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship
  • Won the Xfinity Series Rookie-of-the-Year Award n 2012
  • Is the 2011 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Champion as well as the Most Popular Driver
  • Won rookie of the year honors in Gander Trucks in 2010

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 1 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles
  • Finished 27th last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Ty Dillon – iRacing #13

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 13 Germain Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 7 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 10 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 3 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 5 starts, 1 win, 4 top fives, 5 top 10s

Highlights:

  • Made his national series track debut in 2011 for the Gander Trucks and finished third
  • Got his first and only victory at Texas in the Gander Trucks in 2013
  • In 2019, got his best Cup Series finish at the spring Daytona race in fourth place
  • Made his Cup Series debut in 2014 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
  • Won Most Popular Driver Award for Gander Trucks in 2013
  • In 2012, Dillon won Rookie-of-the-Year honors for the Gander Trucks

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 1 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives and 0 poles
  • Finished 19th last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

 

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. – iRacing #8

Current Series/Occupation: Retired NASCAR Cup Series Driver, NBC Sports Analyst

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 30 starts, 1 win, 7 top fives, 18 top 10s, 2 poles

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 9 starts, 1 win, 5 top fives, 7 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • Made his national series track debut in 1998 in the Xfinity Series and won the race, marking his first national series win
  • Got his first career Cup Series win at Texas in 2000
  • Made his debut as an NBC broadcaster in 2018
  • Retired from full-time racing at the end of 2017
  • His first NASCAR national series win was in 1998 at Texas Motor Speedway for the Gander Trucks
  • In 2000, he got his first Cup Series win, also at Texas Motor Speedway in his first full season in the series
  • Won the Cup Series Most Popular Driver Award for 15 straight years (2003-2017)
  • Won the 1998 and 1999 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship
  • In 1999, won the Xfinity Series Rookie-of-the-Year Award
  • Team owner of Xfinity Series team JR Motorsports, collecting 47 wins since 2005

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 90 starts, 11 wins, 44 top fives, 18 poles
  • Finished runner-up last weekend at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

 

 

Chase Elliott – iRacing #9

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 8 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 5 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 1 win, 3 top fives, 5 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • Made his national series track debut in 2014 in the Xfinity Series and went on to win the race
  • In 2016, he got his best finish at the track in the Cup Series, finishing fourth
  • Got his first Cup Series win at Watkins Glen International in 2018, then went on to win two more times that season (Dover-2, Kanas-2)
  • Won three races in 2019 including the Charlotte Road Course
  • Won the Cup Series Most Popular Driver Award for the last two years (2018, 2019)
  • Won the Cup Series Rookie-of-the-Year Award in 2016
  • Won Gander Trucks Most Popular Driver Award in 2015
  • 2014 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion and won rookie of the year and most popular driver in the same year

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 256 starts, 36 wins, 107 top fives, 31 poles
  • Finished 24th last weekend at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

 

Denny Hamlin – iRacing #11

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 28 starts, 3 wins, 7 top fives, 13 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 12 starts, 0 wins, 6 top fives, 9 top 10s, 1 pole

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 1 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

Highlights:

 

  • Won the inaugural eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race last weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway
  • Made his national series track debut in 2004 in the Gander Trucks and finished 18th
  • Got his first Cup Series win at Texas in 2010 and then went on to sweep the weekend with another win at the second race at Texas in the same year
  • Won Cup Series Rookie-of-the-Year Award in 2006
  • Has 38 Cup Series wins to his name and the first came in 2006 at Pocono Raceway
  • He has 162 top fives, 261 top 10s and 33 poles in the Cup Series
  • 2019 was a career-best season for him, winning six races and making it to the Championship 4
  • Won the Daytona 500 three times (2016, 2019, 2020)
  • Is already in the Playoffs this season with his season-opening win at Daytona

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 164 starts, 31 wins, 75 top fives, 31 poles
  • Won last weekend’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a last-lap pass on Dale Earnhardt Jr.


Timmy Hill – iRacing #66

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 66 Motorsports Business Management Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 6 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 12 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

Highlights:

  • Made his national series track debut in 2011 in the Xfinity Series 28th
  • Made his first start in the Cup Series at the track in 2013, finishing 36th
  • Is currently racing in all three NASCAR national series
  • Finished third in the 2020 Xfinity Series season-opener at Daytona, his career-best finish
  • Made his Cup Series debut in 2012 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
  • Owner of Hill Motorsports, fielding the No. 56 Chevrolet in the Gander Trucks

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 1,676 starts, 673 wins, 1,204 top fives, 456 poles
  • Finished third last weekend at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

 

 

Jimmie Johnson – iRacing #48

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 33 starts, 7 wins, 16 top fives, 22 top 10s, 2 poles

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • Johnson’s first Cup Series win at Texas was in 2012 starting from the pole
  • He won three back-to-back races at Texas (2014-2015)
  • Made his Cup Series debut at the track in 2002 and finished sixth
  • Johnson made his NASCAR national series track debut at Texas in the Xfinity Series in 2000
  • First driver in series history to win five consecutive NASCAR Cup Series championships (2006-10)
  • Johnson ranks tied for sixth on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins list, with 83
  • Has the series record with 15 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff berths
  • 2009 Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 1 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 poles
  • Finished 31st last weekend at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

 

Erik Jones – iRacing #20

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 7 starts, 0 wins, 3 top fives, 5 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 6 starts, 3 wins, 6 top fives, 6 top 10s, 2 poles

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 3 starts, 1 win, 1 top five, 1 top 10, 1 pole

Highlights:

  • Jones made his NASCAR national series track debut at Texas in 2014, finishing 11th for Kyle Busch Motorsports
  • Made his Cup Series debut at Texas in 2015 and finished 12th
  • Won his first race at Texas in the Gander Trucks and the Xfinity Series in 2015
  • Won both Xfinity Series race at Texas in 2017
  • Won his first NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway in July of 2018
  • 2017 NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year – becoming the first driver to earn the award in all three of NASCAR’s national series
  • 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year
  • 2015 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Champion and Sunoco Rookie of the Year – the youngest champion in series history

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 1 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 poles
  • Finished 10th last weekend at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

 

Parker Kligerman – iRacing #77

Current Series/Occupation: NBC Sports TV Analyst and part-time NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series driver

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 6 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 4 top 10s

Highlights:

  • Made his national series debut at Texas in the Gander Trucks in 2010 and finished ninth
  • Made his Xfinity Series debut at the track in 2013 and finished 18th
  • Has made 28 Cup Series starts since 2012
  • Kligerman has a pair of wins in the Gander Trucks, both at Talladega (2012, 2017)

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 415 starts, 57 wins, 189 top fives and 11 poles
  • Finished 13th last weekend at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Bobby Labonte – iRacing #19

Current Series/Occupation: 2020 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 26 starts, 0 wins, 3 top fives, 5 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 7 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • Made his Cup Series and Xfinity Series debut at Texas in 1997
  • Got a best finish of fourth in the Xfinity Series at Texas in 2008
  • Labonte was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2020. He joins his brother, Terry, with the prestigious honor
  • He won the 2000 NASCAR Cup Series championship
  • Labonte has 21 NASCAR Cup Series wins, 10 Xfinity Series and one Gander Trucks win
  • He is one of 27 drivers to have a win in all three of NASCAR’s national series

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 76 starts, 7 wins, 31 top fives, 5 poles
  • Finished 18th last weekend at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

 

Kyle Larson – iRacing #42

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 13 starts, 0 wins, 3 top fives, 4 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 8 starts, 1 win (2016), 3 top fives, 4 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • Won at Texas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2016.
  • He has made the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs four consecutive seasons (2016-2019).
  • Larson won a career-best four NASCAR Cup Series races in 2017.
  • 2014 NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year
  • 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year
  • 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion and Rookie of the Year

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 304 starts, 57 wins, 143 top fives and 27 poles
  • Finished 33rd last week at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway.

Michael McDowell – iRacing #34

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 20 starts, best finish of 14th (2018)

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 6 starts, best finish of 17th (2009)

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • Posted a track-best finish of 14th in the NASCAR Cup Series at Texas in 2018.
  • McDowell is entering his 13th season in the NASCAR Cup Series.
  • Finished a career-best 26th in the 2017 and 2018 NASCAR Cup Series standings.
  • Earned his lone NASCAR Xfinity Series win in 2016 at Road America.

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 101 starts, 25 wins, 45 top fives and 25 poles
  • Finished 23rd last week at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway.

 

 

John Hunter Nemechek – iRacing #38

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 1 start (2019) – started 29th and finished 21st

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 3 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

Highlights:

  • Has made at least one start in all three NASCAR national series at Texas.
  • 2020 is Nemechek’s first fulltime season in the NASCAR Cup Series.
  • Earned his first NASCAR Xfinity Series win in 2018 at Kansas while driving for Chip Ganassi Racing.
  • Won his first NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race at Chicagoland Speedway in 2015, driving for NEMCO Motorsports and has tallied six wins in the series.

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 289 starts, 29 wins, 97 top fives and 37 poles
  • Finished 30th last week at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway.

Ryan Preece – iRacing #37

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 3 starts, best finish of 22nd in 2019

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • Posted a track-best finish of fifth in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Texas in 2018.
  • Finished runner-up in 2019 Sunoco Rookie of the Year battle in the NASCAR Cup Series.
  • Won first career NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Iowa in 2017.
  • In 2013, he was the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion, youngest champion in series history.

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 252 starts, 42 wins, 102 top fives and 14 poles
  • Finished 33rd last week at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway.

Tyler Reddick – iRacing #31

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 1 pole, 2 top fives, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • Finished runner-up twice in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Texas in 2018, 2019.
  • Back-to-Back NASCAR Xfinity Series champion (2018-2019), and first driver to do it with two different organizations (JR Motorsports 2018, Richard Childress Racing 2019).
  • 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year; just third driver in series history to win the title in his rookie season joining Chase Elliott (2014) and William Byron (2017).
  • In 2017, captured his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory, at Kentucky, while running a partial schedule.
  • In 2015, he competed full-time in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, winning his first race and finishing runner-up in the championship standings.

Overall iRacing Stats

  • N/A

 

 

 

Garrett Smithley – iRacing #51

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 51 Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 2 starts, best finish of 32nd (2019)

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 8 starts, best finish of 17th (2017)

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 1 start (2019), started 25th and finished 15th

Highlights:

  • Posted a Texas track-best finish of 15th in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series in 2019.
  • Has made starts at Texas in all three NASCAR national series.
  • Finished a career-best 18th in the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series standings.
  • Has a NASCAR national series career-best finish of fifth at Daytona in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 1,226 starts, 146 wins, 536 top fives and 131 poles
  • Finished fifth last week at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – iRacing #47

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 14 starts, best finish of 11th in 2018

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 7 starts, 1 win (2012), 2 top fives, 4 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • Won the 2012 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.
  • Captured first two NASCAR Cup Series wins in 2017 (Talladega-1, Daytona-2),
  • 2013 NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year.
  • Two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion (2011, 2012).
  • 2010 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year.

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 65 starts, 6 wins, 26 top fives and 1 pole
  • Finished 21st last week at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway.

Daniel Suarez – iRacing #96

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 96 Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 6 starts, 2 top fives, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 3 starts, 3 top fives, 3 top 10s

Highlights:

  • Has posted top-five finishes at Texas in all three of NASCAR’s national series.
  • Competed in the NASCAR Cup Series for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2018-2019; finished a career-best 17th in Cup points in ‘19.
  • Made NASCAR Cup Series debut for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2017, finished the season 20th in points
  • 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion –  the first Latin American, as well as the first NASCAR Drive for Diversity graduate, to win a NASCAR national series title.
  • In 2016, he became the first Mexican driver to win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, claiming three victories at Michigan, Dover and the championship finale at Homestead-Miami.
  • 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year – the first Mexican driver to win the award.
  • In 2013, he finished third in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East final championship standings, the highest finish for an international driver in series history
  • 2010 NASCAR Mexico Series Rookie of the Year.

Overall iRacing Stats

  • N/A

Bubba Wallace – iRacing #43

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 3 top 10s

Highlights:

  • Has posted top-10 finishes at Texas in all three of NASCAR’s national series.
  • In 2018, Wallace finished in the second place in the Daytona 500 – the highest finish by a NASCAR Cup Series rookie to date. It was also the best finish by an African-American driver in the Great American Race.
  • Made NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs in 2016, finishing 11th in the driver standings.
  • Won his first NASCAR national series race in the Gander Trucks at Martinsville in 2013 and became the first African-American to win a NASCAR national touring series event since 1963.

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 106 starts, 29 wins, 43 top fives and 32 poles
  • Finished seventh last week at virtual Homestead Miami Speedway.

 

The drivers below are entered into the qualifier race on Sunday morning (listed in alphabetical order):

Anthony Alfredo – iRacing #33

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

Highlights:

  • Made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut earlier this year at Auto Club Speedway, finishing sixth
  • Alfredo ran 13 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series races in 2019, posting two top-10 finishes at 1.5-mile tracks (Charlotte, Chicago)

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 101 starts, 7 wins, 36 top fives and 7 poles
  • Finished 32nd last weekend at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway after starting 17th

Justin Allgaier – iRacing #7

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 19 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 9 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 1 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

Highlights:

  • In 2019, Allgaier made his fourth consecutive appearance in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, and third Championship 4 in the four years of the format
  • In 2018, won the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season championship

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 32 starts, 1 win, 9 top fives and 3 poles
  • Finished 20th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway starting from 26th

Tyler Ankrum – iRacing #26

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series – No. 26 GMS Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

  • 2019 was his first fulltime season in the Gander Trucks with GMS Racing
  • He got his first career win in 2019 at Kentucky Speedway
  • Won Rookie-of-the-Year Award in Gander Trucks last season

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 187 starts, 47 wins, 71 top fives and 54 poles

Trevor Bayne – iRacing #29a

Current Series/Occupation: Former NASCAR Cup Series driver

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 17 starts – best finish of 12th in spring of 2018

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 9 starts – won the fall race in 2011

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • Last raced in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2018
  • Won the 2011 Daytona 500 the day after his 20th birthday
  • Made his NASCAR national series debut in the Xfinity Series in Bristol in 2009

Overall iRacing Stats

  • N/A

 

 

Spencer Boyd – iRacing #02

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series – No. 20 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts – best finish of 25th (twice) in 2018

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 2 starts – best finish of 11th in 2019

Highlights:

  • Made his national series debut in 2016 at Martinsville Speedway
  • Got his first career win at Talladega Superspeedway last season
  • Has made starts in all three national series

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 58 starts, 8 wins, 19 top fives and 3 poles

 

Chase Briscoe – iRacing #98

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

  • He won his third NASCAR Xfinity Series race earlier this season, taking the checkered at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
  • In 2019, Briscoe tallied one win (Iowa) while qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs
  • In 2016, he won the ARCA Menards Series championship in his first full season in the series

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 1918 starts, 299 wins, 813 top fives and 203 poles
  • Finished fourth at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway last weekend starting from the sixth position

Brandon Brown – iRacing #68

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 68 Brandonbilt Motorsports Chevrolet

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts – best finish of 17th in 2019

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • Career-best finish of sixth place at the 2019 spring Daytona race

Overall iRacing Stats

  • N/A

Harrison Burton – iRacing #99

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 1 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

  • His best finish at Miami was a 10th-place effort in 2019 in the Xfinity Series.
  • Burton made his NASCAR national series track debut at Miami in the Xfinity Series in 2018.
  • Won his first career NASCAR national series race earlier this year, winning in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Auto Club Speedway. This marks his first full-time season in the Xfinity Series.
  • In 2019, Burton made his Xfinity Series debut competing in nine races for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 14 starts, 5 wins, 8 top fives and 4 poles

Jeb Burton

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 8 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series – Niece Motorsports

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 1 start – finished 32nd in 2015

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 5 starts, 1 win, 2 top fives, 2 top 10s, 1 pole

Highlights:

  • Currently competes in select races for JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series and in the Gander Trucks for Niece Motorsports
  • His first and only career win was in the Gander Trucks at Texas in 2013
  • Has competed in all three national series and has a combined 151 starts
  • First national series start was in 2012 in the Gander Trucks, finishing 13th
  • Best Cup Series finish was in 2015 at Martinsville Speedway

Overall iRacing Stats

  • N/A

Austin Cindric – iRacing #22

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 22 Team Penske Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 3 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10

Highlights:

  • Got his first NASCAR national series win in 2019 at Watkins Glen International and then went on to win at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course the next week
  • His first and only win in the Gander Trucks was in 2017 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
  • 2019 marked his first full season with Team Penske in the Xfinity Series

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 11 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 0 poles
  • Finished 22nd last weekend at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway after starting 15th

Sheldon Creed – iRacing #74

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series – No. 2 GMS Racing Chevrolet

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 1 top 10

Highlights:

  • Last season was Creed’s first full time in the Gander Trucks, he got career-best finishes of second at Eldora and Michigan in 2019

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 22 starts, 5 win, 9 top fives and 3 poles

Drew Dollar – iRacing #TBD

Current Series/Occupation: ARCA Menards Series – No. 15 Venturini Motorsports Toyota

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • Dollar competes fulltime in the ARCA Menards Series. He already has one top five and one top 10 in two starts this season
  • He made his first start in 2019 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway and finished sixth

Overall iRacing Stats

  • N/A

Jeffrey Earnhardt – iRacing #50

Current Series/Occupation: Scheduled to race part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for JD Motorsports, has not raced in 2020

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • In 2015, he made his NASCAR Cup Series debut
  • In 2011, Earnhardt scored first career NASCAR national series top 10 in the Gander Trucks.
  • Finished fifth in the now-ARCA Menards Series East standings, voted Most Popular Driver

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 88 starts, 19 wins, 40 top fives and 12 poles

Christian Eckes – iRacing #81

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series – No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • 2020 is his first fulltime season in the Gander Trucks with Kyle Busch Motorsports
  • Ran eight races in the series in 2019 and got three top fives, four top 10s and three pole awards

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 229 starts, 43 win, 116 top fives and 33 poles

Ryan Ellis – iRacing #78

Current Series/Occupation: Former driver in all three series, current Public Relations Representative for Go Fas Racing

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 1 start in 2016 – Finished 38th

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 4 starts – best finish of 30th in 2016

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 4 starts – best finish of 20th in 2015

Highlights:

  • Made his first national series start at Road America in the Xfinity Series in 2012
  • Made his first Cup Series start at Texas in 2016

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 19 starts, 7 win, 9 top fives and 3 poles

Stewart Friesen – iRacing #52

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series – No. 52 Halmar-Friesen Racing Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 6 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 3 top 10s, 1 pole

Highlights:

  • Grabbed his first career win at Eldora Speedway in 2019 and made his way into the Playoffs and Championship 4
  • His second win came at Phoenix Raceway during the Playoffs
  • Finished fourth in the standings in 2019, a career best

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 97 starts, 9 wins, 34 top fives, 10 poles

Ruben Garcia – iRacing #27

Current Series/Occupation: Most recently – NASCAR Peak Mexico Series, has not raced in 2020

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • Garcia is a three-time (2015, 2018, 2019) NASCAR Peak Mexico Series champion and is a graduate of the NASCAR Next and Drive for Diversity programs

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 179 starts, 18 win, 59 top fives and 26 poles

Joey Gase – iRacing #53

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 53 Rick Ware Racing Ford

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 15 starts – best finish of 20th in 2018

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • Competes in the Cup Series fulltime for Rick Ware Racing and part-time in the Xfinity Series for various teams
  • Has made starts in all three national series
  • Got a career-best finish of fifth at Talladega Superspeedway in the Xfinity Series in 2015

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 2139 starts, 181 win, 1012 top fives and 69 poles

Todd Gilliland – iRacing #35

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series – No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

  • Got his first Gander Trucks win at Martinsville Speedway last season for Kyle Busch Motorsports
  • Runs fulltime for Front Row Motorsports in the Gander Trucks

 

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 128 starts, 10 win, 36 top fives and 13 poles

Joe Graf, Jr. – iRacing #80

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 08 SS Green Light Racing Chevrolet

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • Made his Xfinity Series debut in 2019 at Iowa Speedway for Richard Childress Racing
  • This season marks his first fulltime in all three national series

Overall iRacing Stats

  • N/A

Kaz Grala – iRacing #29

Current Series/Occupation: Scheduled to race part-time in the NASCAR Xfintiy Series for Richard Childress Racing, has not raced in 2020

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 2 starts – best finish of 18th in 2019

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 2 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

  • Running select races in 2020 with Richard Childress Racing
  • Best Xfinity Series finish is fourth at the 2018 Daytona season-opener
  • Got his first national series win in the Gander Trucks in 2017 at Daytona

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 78 starts, 9 win, 24 top fives and 6 poles

Justin Haley – iRacing #16

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 2 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 4 starts, 1 win, 3 top fives, 4 top 10s

Highlights:

  • Made Xfinity Series track debut in 2019, finishing seventh
  • Won at Texas Motor Speedway in 2018 in the Gander Trucks
  • Has made four Cup Series starts and won the 2019 summer Daytona race
  • 2019 marked his first full season in the Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing
  • His best finish in the Xfinity Series was runner-up at Daytona-2 in 2019

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 371 starts, 32 wins, 140 top fives, 20 poles

Jesse Iwuji – iRacing #36

Current Series/Occupation: United States Naval Officer, Part-Time NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Driver

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 1 start in 2019 – started 30th and finished 17th

Highlights:

  • Has made seven career starts in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series
  • He is a part-time driver as well as a United States Naval Officer
  • Made his first start in the Gander Trucks at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in 2018

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 693 starts, 16 wins, 188 top fives, 9 poles

Derek Kraus – iRacing #TBD

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series – No. 19 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Toyota

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • 2020 is Kraus’ first fulltime season in the Gander Trucks
  • He finished fourth at the season-opening Daytona race, marking his career-best finish
  • 2019 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Champion

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 2023 starts, 249 win, 979 top fives and 329 poles

Alex Labbe – iRacing #90

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 90 DGM Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 3 starts – best finish of 28th in 2017

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • Got a career-best finish (sixth) at the Charlotte Road Course last season
  • Made his Texas debut in the Xfinity Series in 2017
  • Raced in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series for eight years
  • This is his fifth year in the Xfinity Series and his second fulltime season

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 376 starts, 61 win, 210 top fives and 97 poles

Ty Majeski – iRacing #45

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series – No. 45 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 1 start in 2018 – started 38th and finished 13th

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • Made his NASCAR national series track debut in the Xfinity Series in 2018 and finished 13th

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 1,200 starts, 914 wins, 1,035 top fives and 1,014 poles
  • Raced his way into the race by leading all laps and winning the qualifying race, qualified third and finished ninth last week at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway

Sam Mayer – iRacing #23

Current Series/Occupation: ARCA Menards Series East – No. 21 GMS Racing Chevrolet

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • Made three starts in the Gander Trucks last season for GMS Racing and had a best finish of 19th at Phoenix Raceway

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 151 starts, 26 wins, 58 top fives and 10 poles

Brennan Poole – iRacing #15

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 15 Premium Motorsports Chevrolet

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 5 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

  • Made his first start at Texas in the Xfinity Series in 2015 and finished 13th
  • 2020 marked his first full season in the Cup Series, making his debut at the Daytona 500
  • He finished runner-up at Charlotte Motor Speedway last season in the Gander Trucks, a career-best finish

Overall iRacing Stats

  • N/A

Chandler Smith – iRacing #46

Current Series/Occupation: Driver in the ARCA Menards Series

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: N/A

Highlights:

  • Had made only four national series starts in the Gander Trucks for Kyle Busch Motorsports last season
  • Got his first pole award in his first career start at Iowa Speedway
  • Finished runner-up at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2019

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 634 starts, 111 win, 366 top fives and 103 poles

Myatt Snider – iRacing #93

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Xfinity Series – No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 4 starts – best finish of 12th in 2017

Highlights:

  • In 2019, Snider raced full-time in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, and earned a best finish of second two times, along with one pole award
  • Won 2018 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco Rookie-of-the-Year honors and finished the season ninth in the championship points driving for ThorSport Racing
  • In 2016, he made his NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series debut at Phoenix Raceway

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 228 starts, 17 wins, 66 top fives and 9 poles

Scott Stenzel – iRacing #63

Current Series/Occupation: Part-time NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series driver, has not raced in 2020

 

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 2 starts – best finish of 16th in 2019

Highlights:

  • Got a career-best finish of 15th at Daytona in the Gander Trucks in 2018

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 749 starts, 33 win, 193 top fives and 19 poles

Ryan Truex – iRacing #40

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series – No. 40 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: N/A

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 4 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 1 top fives, 2 top 10s

Highlights:

  • Made his track debut in 2016 in the Gander Trucks and finished 21st
  • Finished runner-up in the Xfinity Series twice (2012 Dover, 2019 Phoenix)

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 150 starts, 35 wins, 80 top fives, 31 poles
  • Finished 17th last weekend at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway after starting 23rd

Kyle Weatherman – iRacing #54

Current Series/Occupation: Part-time NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series Driver

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 1 start, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

NASCAR Xfinity Series: N/A

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 6 starts, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 3 top 10s, 1 pole

Highlights:

  • Has made at least one start in every national series, got his career-best finish of 22nd at Kansas Speedway last season in the Xfinity Series

Overall iRacing Stats

  • 187 starts, 19 wins, 71 top fives and 22 poles

 

J.J. Yeley – iRacing #TBD

Current Series/Occupation: NASCAR Cup Series – No. 52 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet

NASCAR National Series Stats at Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series: 17 starts – best finish of 17th in 2007

NASCAR Xfinity Series: 22 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 1 top 10

NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series: 3 starts, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 0 top 10s

Highlights:

  • Currently competes in the Cup Series and Xfinity Series
  • Has a combined 661 national series starts to his name
  • Made his national series debut in the Xfinity Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2004
  • In 2007, got his best Cup Series finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway in second

Overall iRacing Stats

  • N/A
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