DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Date) – Eight talented young drivers from various backgrounds were selected to the newest class of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program, NASCAR and Rev Racing announced today.
The 2021 roster for the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program includes returning veterans, a rising iRacer, two FB y BOHN Mikel’s Trucks drivers and the 2020 World Series Dirt Nationals champion. (more…)
I suppose it’s only fitting that one of my favorite races of the year, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, kicks off what should be one of the most memorable seasons in NASCAR in decades. The addition of new tracks, more road courses and racing on dirt should be enough to keep even sideline NASCAR fans tuned in to see what is going on. (more…)
CONCORD, N.C. (Jan. 19, 2021) – AdventHealth, one of the nation’s largest faith-based health systems, is set to compete again in the Great American Race. Former Daytona 500 Champion Jamie McMurray will pilot the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro entry from Spire Motorsports as AdventHealth, a current team partner with Chip Ganassi Racing, sponsors a car in the NASCAR Cup Series season opener for the second consecutive season. (more…)
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series
Next Race: Vet Tix/Camping World 200
The Place: Atlanta Motor Speedway
The Date: Saturday, June 6
The Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 12:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 200.02 miles (130 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 30),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 60), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 134)
2019 Winner: Kyle Busch
Bounty acquired
The bounty hunter, Chase Elliott, set out to capture the win on Tuesday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway and on the first try, he was successful.
In the closing laps of the North Carolina Education Lottery 200, Elliott held off a hard-charging Kyle Busch to earn the victory and a $100,000 bounty, to be paid to a COVID-19 relief charity of his choice, offered to any full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver who could beat Busch in a Gander Trucks race.
Elliott, who hadn’t been behind the wheel of a truck since 2017, made it happen despite the fact that Busch had won each of his last seven races started in the Gander Trucks.
The idea of the bounty all started when Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick and chairman and CEO of Gander RV & Outdoors, Marcus Lemonis, each put up $50,000 following the Las Vegas event for any Cup driver who could beat Busch in a Gander Trucks race. The money is being donated to coronavirus relief in Elliott’s name.
Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Zane Smith finished third in his first national series start at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Brett Moffitt finished fourth and Sheldon Creed rounded out the top five. John Hunter Nemechek, who was also going after the bounty, finished sixth, Johnny Sauter finished seventh followed by Ty Majeski, Austin Hill and Ben Rhodes.
Tuesday’s race marked the return for the Gander Trucks, which had been off since Feb. 21 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
They enter another off weekend while the Xfinity Series and Cup Series head to Bristol Motor Speedway, but return on June 6 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Starting lineup, pit stall selection process updates
NASCAR recently announced how the lineup will be set for the two Gander Trucks races through mid-June (Atlanta, June 6; Miami, June 13).
• Positions 1-10: Random draw of teams in those positions in owner points
• Positions 11-21: Random draw of teams in those positions in owner points
• Positions 22-32: Random draw of teams in those positions in owner points
• Any vehicles that are eligible for the Event in position 33rd – 40th will be assigned starting positions based on their order of eligibility.
Like the other two series, pit stall selections will be ordered based on finishing positions from the series’ previous race, followed by new entries in order of points.
Here is a look at the Gander Trucks points standings:
| DRIVER | POINTS | BEHIND | WINS |
| Austin Hill | 120 | 0 | 0 |
| Johnny Sauter | 103 | -17 | 0 |
| Zane Smith | 103 | -17 | 0 |
| Ben Rhodes | 99 | -21 | 0 |
| Brett Moffitt | 98 | -22 | 1 |
| Sheldon Creed | 90 | -30 | 0 |
| Grand Enfinger | 81 | -39 | 1 |
| Christian Eckes | 78 | -42 | 0 |
| Tyler Ankrum | 76 | -44 | 0 |
| Codie Rohrbaugh | 12 | -48 | 0 |
NASCAR makes its return to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend with the NASCAR Cup Series set to roll Sunday afternoon for 500 laps at ‘The World’s Fastest Half Mile.’ A Jack Roush Ford has visited victory lane 18 times at Bristol, including 11 times in the Cup Series. Ryan Newman will pilot the No. 6 Castrol Ford Mustang and Chris Buescher will pilot the No. 17 SunnyD Ford Mustang.
Bristol Motor Speedway (.533-mile)
Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500
Sunday, May 31, 2020 | 3:30 p.m. ET
FS1, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
NASCAR Returns to Action
Thursday Recap, Sunday Preview
Starting Lineup Procedures at Bristol
NASCAR announced this week the starting lineup for Bristol would be determined by a random draw based on teams’ order in owners points. Both Buescher and Newman – 20th and 21st, respectively – fall within the 13-24 group, with their random draw coming from charter teams in those positions. Newman drew the 17th starting spot for Sunday, while Buescher drew 19th.
Runner Up
Roush Fenway’s storied history at Bristol began on April 10, 1988 with the No. 6 NCS car earning a second-place finish. Since that time, in addition to the organization’s 11 NCS wins at the track, Roush Fenway Fords have finished second at Bristol on 15 occasions (7 NCS, 4 NXS, 4 NGROTS).
One-Two Punch
Roush Fenway’s most recent victory at Bristol came after sweeping the top two positions in the March 2014 event with former driver Carl Edwards taking the victory and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. coming home in second. Edwards led the final 78 laps of the event to earn the victory.
History and Hot Streaks at “Thunder Valley”
Roush Fenway’s history at Bristol has been one of hot streaks, including trips to victory lane in nine of the last 16 seasons at the famed short track. Roush Fenway swept the track in 2003 and put a NCS car in victory lane at least once in every season from 2002-2008.
Thunder Rolls
Roush Fenway has earned five victories, 23 top-five finishes, 37 top-10 finishes and an average finish of 15.8 at Bristol in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Former Roush Fenway driver David Ragan earned the organization’s most recent Xfinity victory at the .533-mile short track in the Aug. 2009 event.
Tale of the Tape
Roush Fenway has started 212 NCS races at Charlotte, recording eight total wins with 46 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes. RFR Fords have an average finish of 16.3 with 2627 laps led all-time.
Roush Fenway Bristol Wins
1993-2 Martin Cup
1996-1 Martin NXS
1997-1 Burton NXS
1998-2 Martin Cup
2002-1 Busch Cup
2003-1 Busch Cup
2003-2 Busch Cup
2003-2 Busch Cup
2004-1 Busch Cup
2004 Edwards Truck
2005-2 Kenseth Cup
2006-2 Kenseth Cup
2006 Martin Truck
2006-2 Kenseth NXS
2007-1 Edwards NXS
2007-2 Edwards Cup
2008-2 Edwards Cup
2009-2 Ragan NXS
2014 -1 Edwards Cup
Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500 – Sunday, May 31 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
ADVANCE NOTES
NASCAR Returns to Action
Wednesday Recap, Sunday Preview
Newman Historically at Bristol Motor Speedway
Scott Graves at Bristol Motor Speedway
QUOTE WORTHY
Newman on racing at Bristol:
“I’m for one excited to get back to a short track and see what we’ve got at Bristol this weekend, one of my favorite tracks we go to. Our team put together a couple solid runs last year and proved we had some raw speed, so we are looking forward to improving on that this weekend. Glad to have Castrol on the car, my first race with them this season, and excited to put on a good run in our Castrol Ford.”
On the Car
Castrol returns to the No. 6 machine this weekend for its second race of 2020. The high-performance lubricant brand signed as the team’s official oil partner in January and will serve as the primary for select races in 2020.
About Castrol
Castrol, a global leader in lubricant technology, serves customers and consumers in over 140 countries in the automotive, marine, industrial and energy production sectors. Our branded products are recognized globally for innovation and high performance through our commitment to premium quality products, highly responsive services and cutting-edge technology. To find out more about Castrol products and programs, please visit www.castrol.com/us.
Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500 – Sunday, May 31 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
ADVANCE NOTES
NASCAR Returns to Action
Wednesday Recap, Sunday Preview
Buescher Historically at Bristol Motor Speedway
Luke Lambert at Bristol Motor Speedway
QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on racing at Bristol:
“I’m excited to get down to my favorite track in Bristol. The 17 crew and the guys at the shop have some good notes in years past at that track. We feel pretty good about our short track program and we’re looking forward to unloading on Sunday and proud to have SunnyD back on the car.”
On the Car
Iconic brand and thirst-quenching favorite SunnyD returns to the No. 17 machine this weekend at Buescher’s favorite track, Bristol Motor Speedway, in the brand’s second race of 2020.
About SunnyD
The iconic SunnyD® brand is owned by Harvest Hill Holdings, a Brynwood Partners owned beverage company. The 54-year-old SunnyD® brand is a leading chilled juice drink in the U.S. In addition to the SunnyD® brand, the company markets the Juicy Juice®, Little HUG®, and Daily’s® beverage brands. Harvest Hill’s products are widely distributed through leading retailers in the U.S. and Canada.
Race Info:
Race: Supermarket Heroes 500
Date/Time: Sunday, May 31/3:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 500 laps/266 miles
Track Length: 0.533 miles
Track Shape: Oval
2019 Winner: Kyle Busch
Charlotte Recap: Denny Hamlin finished second in Thursday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the #11 FedEx #SupportSmall Toyota, in the 312-mile event won by Chase Elliott. Hamlin was fifth with less than 30 laps to go, but moved toward the front in the closing laps, crossing the finish line just one spot short of his third victory of the season. Hamlin started 29th and battled in the first two segments trying to gain track position. The FedEx crew kept gaining spots on pit road and Hamlin picked off positions on the track to finish 12th in Stage 2. Once the final segment started, Hamlin was one of the fastest cars on the track. He lined up second alongside then-leader Kevin Harvick for the final restart, but fell back to fifth early in the run. Later in the run, Hamlin was able to work back to second by the time the checkered flag flew. The finish kept Hamlin in eighth in the point standings.
Bristol Preview: The series moves to Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday for the Supermarket Heroes 500. This action-packed track has favored Hamlin in the past with two wins, and nine top-five and 14 top-10 finishes, including a pole position and victory during the NASCAR Cup Series’ last visit to the half-mile track in August. He will look to secure his third career victory in Thunder Valley this weekend as the Cup Series stages its fifth return-to-racing event in 15 days.
Hamlin Statistics:
Track: Bristol Motor Speedway
Races: 28
Wins: 2
Poles: 4
Top-5: 9
Top-10: 14
Laps Led: 697
Avg. Start: 13.6
Avg. Finish: 14.4
Hamlin Conversation – Bristol:
With a victory in your last trip to Bristol, do you have extra confidence heading there this weekend?
“We have confidence in our team at every track. But, yes, we definitely know we can run well at Bristol, and we certainly proved that the last time we were here. Things will be a little different this time with no practice or qualifying, but we still feel like we can get our FedEx Camry to the front.”
How odd will it be racing at this stadium-style track with no crowd noise?
“It will definitely be weird. Bristol is synonymous with noise. But we know NASCAR is doing the right thing with all these safety protocols, and they’re trying to get fans back as soon as it’s safe to do so. I hope all the fans tune in on TV to watch what is sure to be a typically exciting Bristol race.”
FedEx Express – Along For The Ride at Bristol Motor Speedway: FedEx Express is pleased to recognize the team members at the HHHA station in Hilton Head Island, S.C., for their exceptional performance by featuring the letters HHHA on the B-post of the FedEx #11 at the Supermarket Heroes 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. HHHA ranks among the top 10 stations in the Southeast Region year-to-date and has been the top-ranking station three separate months since June, most recently in December during the busy Peak season. The dedicated team of employees consistently strive to deliver outstanding service and meet the FedEx on-time delivery commitments efficiently and safely as evidenced by a year-over-year reduction in vehicle accidents and worker injuries.
FedEx Office – Closest to Bristol Motor Speedway: 2116 N. Roan Street, Suite 1A, Johnson City, TN 37601, (423) 283-9503
| 2020 FedEx Racing Team Results | |||||||||
| DATE | EVENT | LOCATION | START | FINISH | LAPS | STATUS | LED | PTS | TREND |
| Feb. 16 | Daytona 500 | Daytona | 21 | 1 | 209/209 | Running | 79 | 1st | ▬ |
| Feb. 23 | Pennzoil 400 Presented by Jiffy Lube | Las Vegas | 4 | 17 | 267/267 | Running | 0 | 9th | ▼ |
| Mar. 1 | Auto Club 400 | Fontana | 28 | 6 | 200/200 | Running | 0 | 7th | ▲ |
| Mar. 8 | Fan Shield 500 | Phoenix | 3 | 20 | 316/316 | Running | 0 | 11th | ▼ |
| May 17 | The Real Heroes 400 | Darlington | 10 | 5 | 293/293 | Running | 0 | 6th | ▲ |
| May 20 | Toyota 500 | Darlington | 16 | 1 | 208/208 | Running | 12 | 4th | ▲ |
| May 24 | Coca-Cola 600 | Charlotte | 13 | 29 | 398/405 | Running | 0 | 8th | ▼ |
| May 28 | Alsco Uniforms 500 | Charlotte | 29 | 2 | 208/208 | Running | 0 | 8th | ▬ |
| Averages/Totals | 15.5 | 10.1 | 99.7% | 91 | |||||
No. 20 STANLEY Toyota Camry News and Notes:
Jones Career NASCAR Cup Series Stats at Bristol Motor Speedway:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 293 | 9.2 | 16.0 |
Jones 2020 Season NASCAR Cup Series Stats:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 8 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 27 | 15.9 | 16.1 |
Jones Career NASCAR Cup Series Stats:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 119 | 2 | 25 | 52 | 2 | 609 | 13.4 | 16.0 |
From the Driver’s Seat: Erik Jones
Erik Jones: “I’m always excited to go to Bristol. It’s been a great track to me for a lot of years and I’ve been really close to a Cup win there the last few years. Hopefully this is the one where we can put it all together and end up in Victory Lane. We’ve always got really good speed and been fast and always feel like we are in contention for a win, so hopefully we can keep it clean all day and get ourselves in position to have a shot at the win late in the race. Excited to get there, definitely our first short track in a while and I think we’ll have a good shot to go out there and grab a win.”
About STANLEY:
STANLEY has set the precedent for quality tools and engineered solutions for professionals around the globe for more than 175 years. With a legacy of reliability, STANLEY is the No. 1 tapes manufacturer in the world and continues to drive the industry forward with innovations including the STANLEY FATMAX® product line as well as hand tools and accessories that make like easier. For more information visit www.STANLEYtools.com or follow STANLEY on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
