For the first time ever, the sights, sounds and speed of NASCAR are coming to the streets of downtown Chicago on July 1-2, 2023. One of the most iconic cities in the world, Chicago will add another chapter to its illustrious sports history when the NASCAR Cup Series debuts against the backdrop of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline in the Grant Park 220 on Sunday, July 2 at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Chicagoland Speedway
It’s Time: NASCAR Xfinity Series Heads to the Windy City
One of the most anticipated race weekends in recent memory is finally here! The NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers are loading up their cars and getting ready to zoom through the streets of Downtown Chicago for the inaugural The Loop 121 on Saturday, July 1 at 5 p.m. ET on the USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR radio.
Martin Truex Jr. – No. 19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Camry Preview – Food City Presents Supermarket Heroes 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway
No. 19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Camry News and Notes
- TRUEX AT BRISTOL: Martin Truex Jr. has earned two top-five finishes and three top-10s in NASCAR Cup Series competition at Bristol Motor Speedway. Most recently, Truex matched his career-best starting position (third) and led 52 laps when the Cup Series visited the ‘World’s Fastest Half-Mile’ last August. He posted finishes of 17th and 13th in two starts at Bristol in 2019 despite running in the top five during both events.
- CHARLOTTE RECAP: Truex claimed a pair of top-10 finishes in two starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway earlier this week. In the Coca-Cola 600, he ran inside the top five throughout the race before ultimately finishing sixth. On Thursday night, Truex battled a loose handling condition throughout the race and ran as low as 28th before mounting a late charge to finish ninth.
- BREAKTHROUGH MOMENT: In March 2004, Bristol Motor Speedway played host to Truex’s first NASCAR national series victory when he won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race. He led a race-high 134 laps that afternoon and fended off Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch for the first of six victories during his 2004 Xfinity Series championship season.
- SINCE THE RETURN TO RACING: The No. 19 team is tied for the most points scored since NASCAR’s return to racing on May 17. Counting the two Darlington races and a pair of events at Charlotte, Truex and overall points leader Kevin Harvick have each earned 167 points. Over that stretch, Truex jumped from 15th to seventh in the series standings.
- STRONG IN THE STAGES: Through eight races, Truex ranks second in stage points. His 92 stage points trail only Alex Bowman in that category.
- NASCAR LOOP DATA: According to NASCAR’s Loop Data, Truex ranks seventh or better in multiple categories. He leads all drivers as being the fastest on restarts. The No. 19 driver is also fourth in fastest laps run and percentage of laps run on the lead lap. Additionally, he is fifth in fastest drivers early in a run and sixth in average running position, green flag speed, laps in the top 15, laps led and speed by segment. Truex currently has the seventh-best driver rating.
- AUTO-OWNERS: Sunday marks the first race this season that Auto-Owners Insurance will be featured as primary sponsor of Truex’s No. 19 Camry. The Lansing, Michigan-based company offers multiple lines of insurance, including life, home, auto and business to customers in 26 states. In their first season with Joe Gibbs Racing, Auto-Owners was on board for monumental moments like Truex’s first victory for the team at Richmond in April, his 500th career start at Michigan in August and the No. 19 team’s dominant Martinsville win that propelled them to a Championship 4 appearance.
- JGR AT BRISTOL: Joe Gibbs Racing owns 13 NASCAR Cup Series victories at Bristol Motor Speedway, including both races last season and four of the past five overall. In 138 combined starts, the organization has amassed 34 top-five finishes, 52 top-10s, 11 pole awards and 5,833 laps led the .533-mile concrete oval. Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart have each raced JGR entries to victory lane at Bristol.
- TUNE IN: Coverage of this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway begins Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, PRN Radio and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
Martin Truex Jr., Driver of the No. 19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Camry
Talk about going to Bristol on Sunday and racing with no practice…
“Bristol is always wild, so you go in there expecting anything can and probably will happen. Going there without practice and running the low downforce package will be exciting and a challenge for everyone for sure. I feel like we’ve actually ran pretty well there the last few times and just crazy stuff happens to knock us out of contention. We just need to be able to put a full race together without any mistakes. If we can do that, I feel good about our chances to have a solid day.”
Truex NASCAR Cup Series Stats at Bristol Motor Speedway
Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish | ||||||||
28 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 282 | 16.0 | 20.6 |
Truex 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Season Stats
Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish | ||||||||
8 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 118 | 15.0 | 16.1 |
Truex NASCAR Cup Series Career Stats
Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish | ||||||||
521 | 26 | 102 | 209 | 19 | 9,024 | 14.4 | 15.7 |
About Auto-Owners Insurance
Established in 1916 and headquartered in Lansing, Michigan, Auto-Owners Insurance Group is the 15th-largest property/casualty insurance group in the nation, based on written premium of over $7.4 billion. The company also ranks 375th on the Fortune 500 list. Auto-Owners is one of nine insurance carrier groups in the U.S. to receive the highest rating possible, A++ Superior, by A.M. Best, which is a nationally recognized rating agency for insurance companies. Auto-Owners offers auto, home, business and life insurance through more than 44,000 licensed independent agents in its 26 operating states. Auto-Owners owns Atlantic Casualty Insurance Company which sells excess and surplus lines polices in 49 states and is affiliated with Concord General Mutual which sells property & casualty products in four states. Auto-Owners employs over 5,000 associates nationwide. Find your agent at auto-owners.com, and connect with Auto-Owners Insurance on Facebook and Twitter (@AutoOwnersIns).
Brandon Jones – No. 19 Menards/Pelonis Toyota Supra Race Advance – Bristol Motor Speedway (NXS)
No. 19 Menards / PELONIS Toyota Supra News and Notes:
- NASCAR UPDATE: Due to travel and setup challenges, NASCAR announced that the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) Cheddar’s 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway has been moved to Monday, June 1 at 7 p.m. ET.
- IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Jones and the 19 Menards/Pelonis team head to the last great colosseum, Bristol Motor Speedway. This will be Jones’ 10th NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) career-start on the 0.533-mile high-banked concrete oval. Jones is locked into the playoffs. He is coming off a strong run at Charlotte and Bristol is one of his strongest tracks. The team has had a couple of tough finishes in the first two races after the 10 week hiatus, but they have had a very strong Toyota Supra and they are focused on getting back to their early season form and are very motivated, confident and are focused on getting back in victory lane. Bristol is the perfect track to make it happen.
- XFINITY TO SALUTE EMPLOYEE HEROS: On Monday, June 1 during the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Xfinity will salute a variety of military veteran frontline employees for their efforts in response to the crisis, including 23 employees across the company that are actively serving on the frontlines in the National Guard and reserve to keep communities safe and connected. These employee names will replace the Xfinity logo that typically adorns the windshield headers of each race car and be featured in a special patriotic red, white and blue design that showcases the support Xfinity provides to military veteran employees that are holding true to the company’s core service values.
- “Our 19 team is honored to have Freddy Canales riding along with us at Bristol,” stated Brandon Jones. “He works for Xfinity and is actively serving in response to the pandemic through the Army National Guard.”
- JGR AT BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY: JGR has 99 total starts at Bristol Motor Speedway in the NXS, earning 13 wins, 32 top-five finishes, 47 top-10 finishes and 10 pole-starting positions. The team has led 3,177 laps and earned an average start of 11.2 and an average finish of 14.5.
- RACE INFO: Cheddar’s 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway (.533-mile) begins at 7:00 p.m.ET on Monday, June 1, 2020. The race will be broadcast live on FS1, SiriusXM Channel 90 and PRN Radio.
Jones’ Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats at Bristol Motor Speedway:
Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 136 | 10.1 | 14.8 |
Jones’ 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:
Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 97 | 5.7 | 14.7 |
Jones’ Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:
Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
143 | 2 | 11 | 53 | 3 | 437 | 12.6 | 15.8 |
From the Cockpit:
Brandon Jones: “We had a very strong Toyota at Charlotte Motor Speedway this past Monday. We certainly had a winning car but unfortunately were presented with a few challenges that prevented us from having the strong finish we were capable of having. Now it’s time to respond with a strong showing this weekend at Bristol. I am really looking forward to racing on one of my favorite tracks. It’s a unique short track with a concrete surface and very steep banking that can reach high speeds. Bristol is one of my best tracks where I have a lot of confidence and have led several laps there, with multiple close wins. I have had this race circled on my calendar all year. As drivers we are constantly weaving in and out to avoid lap traffic and competitors which I know makes for a good race to watch for fans. The track is constantly changing as rubber builds up. Lines will be alternating and trying to be the first to figure out which lane is the fastest will be a challenge; but a challenge we are highly capable of. Our team keeps bringing fast cars and everyone on the team is working extremely hard. There is no better track to be going to this weekend and our Menards team is very motivated.
TRD has done a great job recreating the track on their simulator all the way down to the traction compound that gets put down on the surface. This week I put in another great amount of work and effort between the simulator, training and getting myself prepared for Bristol. Our No. 19 team will have Menards and Pelonis back on our Supra. We are focused on giving it a fight and getting our team back in victory lane to give Menards the strong finish that they deserve.”
About Menards: A family owned company started in 1958, Menards is headquartered in Eau Claire, WI. Menards has more than 300 retail stores located throughout the Midwest in the states of IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI and WY. Menards is known throughout the home improvement industry as the low price leader. It’s famous slogan “Save Big Money at Menards” is widely known and easy to remember. For more information, visit Menards.com, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest.
Kyle Busch / No. 54 App State Class of 2020 Toyota Supra Preview Alsco 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
No. 54 APP State Class of 2020 Toyota Supra News and Notes:
- BUSCH AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY: For his third NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) start of the 2020 season, Kyle Busch will make his 26th career start at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The veteran driver has eight wins, 18 top-five finishes, 21 top-10 finishes and two pole positions at the 1.5-mile oval. He also has a starting average of 8.4 and a finishing average of 6.6.
- 2020 NXS STATS: In two NXS starts this season, Busch has two second-place finishes, one pole and has led 123 laps of competition.
- 2020 KYLE BUSCH NXS SCHEDULE: Busch will run five races in the NXS this season. The five races include: March 7 at Phoenix Raceway, May 21 at Darlington Raceway, May 25 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, June 20 at Chicagoland Speedway, July 18 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and August 15 at Watkins Glen.
- BUSCH’S CAREER TOTALS IN THE NXS: Busch has 96 wins, 68 poles, 218 top-five finishes, 256 top-10s and 19,626 laps led in 354 career NXS starts. His most recent NXS win came in September at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Busch’s most recent pole, the 68th of his career, also came in September at Indy.
- 209 and Counting: Busch enters Monday night’s race at Charlotte 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.
- JGR AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY: Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has 96 total starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In those starts, the team has earned eight wins, 37 top-five finishes, 56 top-10 finishes and six pole starting positions. The team has led 1,742 laps, completed 18,457 of 19,187 attempted laps (96.2%) and earned an average start of 10.6 and an average finish of 12.1. Kyle Busch leads the team with five wins followed by Mike Bliss, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin with one win each.
- THIS WEEK ON THE NO. 54 SUPRA: This week, the No. 54 will honor the graduating class of 2020 from Appalachian State University.
- RACE INFO: The Alsco 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway is scheduled for Monday, May 25, 2020. Coverage will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1, PRN Radio and SIRIUS XM Channel 90.
Busch Career Xfinity Series Stats at Charlotte Motor Speedway:
Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
25 | 8 | 18 | 21 | 2 | 1,381 | 8.4 | 6.6 |
Busch 2020 Season NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:
Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 123 | 8.8 | 13.2 |
Busch Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:
Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
354 | 96 | 218 | 256 | 68 | 19,626 | 7.5 | 9.0 |
Kyle Busch – No. 51 Big Machine Vodka Tundra Gander Trucks Atlanta Advance
Chandler Smith to Compete in Eight Races in the No. 51 JBL Tundra
New Locales for Championship Race, Regular Season Finale Among Highlights of NASCAR Cup Series 2020 Schedule Announcement
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 26, 2019) – A champion crowned in the desert. The Last Great Colosseum becomes a postseason factor. A tricky doubleheader. The birthplace of NASCAR bookends the regular season.
NASCAR today announced significant, dynamic changes to the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, with intriguing shifts during both the regular season and the Playoffs. (more…)
NASCAR Xfinity Series News & Notes – ISM Raceway
After a spectacular event in Las Vegas last weekend, the NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Phoenix, Arizona for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at ISM Raceway this Saturday, March 9 at 4 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio for the fourth race of the 2019 season. (more…)