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Chase Briscoe: Darlington NASCAR Xfinity Series Advance No. 98 HighPoint.com/Ford Performamce Racing School Ford Mustang
Darlington Raceway
Erik Jones / No. 20 STANLEY Toyota Camry Preview Toyota 500(k) at Darlington Raceway
No. 20 STANLEY Toyota Camry News and Notes:
- JONES AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY: Erik Jones will make his fifth start in the Cup Series at Darlington Raceway when NASCAR races under the lights Wednesday night. NASCAR returned to action at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, May 17, after a two month hiatus, where Jones scored an eighth-place finish. Jones captured his first Southern 500 victory on September 1, 2019 and in his other two starts at the track, he recorded a fifth-place and an eighth-place finish. In addition to his Cup Series starts, Jones has two starts at the South Carolina track in the Xfinity Series where he earned a sixth-place and fourth-place finish.
- JGR AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY: Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has 92 total starts at Darlington Raceway in Cup Series competition. In those starts, the team has earned seven wins, 25 top-five finishes, 55 top-10 finishes and two pole starting positions. The team has led 1,595 laps, completed 30,906 of 31,637 attempted laps (97.7%) and earned an average start of 14.3 and an average finish of 11.7. Denny Hamlin leads the team with two wins followed by Bobby Labonte, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Jones with one win each.
- THIS WEEK ON THE NO. 20 CAMRY: This weekend STANLEY will be on the No. 20 Toyota Camry for the first time this season as one of four Stanley Black and Decker brands represented on the car during the 2020 season. STANLEY was scheduled for their first race of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway before NASCAR halted the season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
- HONORING THE REAL HEROES: Continuing The Real Heroes campaign, Jones will carry Jennifer LaRue Bussanich on the No. 20 Camry for the Toyota 500(k). Bussanich works at Atrium Health Pineville in the Medical ICU and is a part of the COVID-19 Critical Care Unit. She has been a registered nurse for 14 years.
- STARTING LINEUP: For the Toyota 500(k) at Darlington Raceway, Jones will start the race from the 13th position. The top 20 finishers from The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, May 17, 2020, were inverted to set the top 20 starting positions for the Toyota 500(k). By virtue of his eighth-place finish, Jones earned the 13th starting position.
- POINTS UPDATE: With his eighth-place finish in The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway, Jones gained four positions in the point standings to secure the 17th position.
- DARLINGTON –THE REAL HEROES 400 RECAP: For the first race back following a two-month hiatus, Jones and the No. 20 team started The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway from the 20th position. Making moves throughout the day, Jones was able to run the majority of the race in the top 15 and as high as fifth before a loose wheel late in the race slowed him down. Jones crossed the finish line in the eighth position.
- RACE INFO: The Toyota 500(k) at Darlington Raceway is scheduled for Wednesday, May 20, 2020. Coverage will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1, Sirius XM Channel 90 and MRN Radio.
Jones Career NASCAR Cup Series Stats at Darlington Raceway:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 79 | 13.0 | 5.5 |
Jones 2020 Season NASCAR Cup Series Stats:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 | 17.4 |
Jones Career NASCAR Cup Series Stats:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 116 | 2 | 24 | 51 | 2 | 582 | 13.4 | 16.0 |
From the Driver’s Seat:
Erik Jones: “I’m looking forward to getting back to Darlington on Wednesday. On Sunday we continued to get the car better each stop. We continued to get our Camry faster and the last run of the race was the best the car was all day. We had the car how we needed it. We just had the loose wheel issue. I think that gives us at least a good baseline to start Wednesday night’s race. The race ended around 7:15-7:20, so a little bit closer to dark and a little bit closer to what we will be racing on Wednesday at the start of the race. Hopefully, we can start at that point and be close and make a few adjustments from there and be up in the top five most of the race and contend for the 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.
Denny Hamlin/FedEx Racing Express Facts – Darlington
Race Info:
Race: Toyota 500
Date/Time: Weds, May 20/7:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 228 laps/311.4 miles
Track Length: 1.36 miles
Track Shape: Egg-shaped oval
2019 Winner: N/A
Express Notes:
Press Kit: Download the 2020 FedEx Racing press materials at www.fedexracing.com/presskit, including bios for Denny Hamlin, Chris Gabehart and Joe Gibbs Racing leadership, program highlights and statistics.
Darlington “The Real Heroes 400” Recap: Denny Hamlin battled the track “Too Tough to Tame” for a top-five finish in NASCAR’s return to live racing on Sunday. Hamlin finished fifth at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in the Cup Series’ first event since going on hiatus in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The #11 “Thank You FedEx Team Members” Toyota lined up 10th by virtue of a random draw for the one-day event. With no practice or qualifying laps before the green flag, Hamlin had to assess the car for the first time during the first part of the race. The FedEx Racing team had brought a fast car – they just worked on slight handling issues through the 400-mile event. Hamlin remained in the top 10 throughout the afternoon, but never had enough to challenge for the lead. Kevin Harvick dominated much of the race for the win, leading 159 of the 293 laps.
Darlington Toyota 500 Preview: The series heads back to Darlington Raceway Wednesday night for a 500-kilometer event on the egg-shaped oval. Hamlin is a two-time winner at the track, taking the checkered flag in 2012 and 2017. Hamlin owns eight top-five and 12 top-10 finishes in 15 career races at Darlington, leading a total of 562 laps. Hamlin and the FedEx Racing team will look to improve on their fifth-place finish in Sunday’s return-to-racing event at the South Carolina oval.
FedEx “The Real Heroes Project” Spotlight: FedEx is honored to highlight team member and “Real Hero” Jami Clark, from Afton, Wyo., with her name above the door of Hamlin’s car for the Toyota 500. Clark splits her time as a Sr. Global Operations Control Specialist with FedEx and as an Air National Guard C-17 pilot. Lately she’s been flying COVID-19 aid in missions for the 155 Airlift squadron. When she gets a free moment, she loves to go for runs with her dogs and train horses. FedEx is honored and thankful for her continued service during these challenging times.
FedEx “Delivering Strength” Paint Scheme: The #11 FedEx Toyota will sport a special paint scheme for the Darlington NASCAR race, carrying the message “Delivering Strength” on the hood and #fedexstrong on the back of the car. FedEx wishes to draw attention to not just its 475,000 FedEx team members, but all the organizations FedEx is working with during the COVID-19 crisis, including nonprofit organizations, the healthcare community and FedEx customers.
Hamlin Statistics:
Track: Darlington Raceway
Races: 15
Wins: 2
Poles: 1
Top-5: 8
Top-10: 12
Laps Led: 562
Avg. Start: 8.9
Avg. Finish: 7.6
Hamlin Conversation – Darlington:
How did it feel to be back on a real racetrack in the FedEx Toyota?
“It definitely felt good to be on the racetrack, that’s for sure. I’m proud of our FedEx team and everyone who helped put this program together. NASCAR and FOX did a great job to put together a process of making this a safe return that fans could enjoy on TV. Obviously, we wish we could do it with fans at the track, but that will come in due time.”
What do you need to do differently in the return to Darlington on Wednesday?
“I’m excited to go back and give it another shot. I like the process of figuring out what we can do better and getting to work on those things. Our FedEx Camry is going to be just as good, if not better, than it was Sunday.”
FedEx Office – Closest to Darlington Raceway: 2813 W Hwy 74, Monroe, NC 28110, (704) 289-3859
| 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 | ▼ |
| Mar. 17 | The Real Heroes 400 | Darlington | 10 | 5 | 293/293 | Running | 0 | 6th | ▲ |
| Averages/Totals | 13.2 | 9.8 | 100% | 79 | |||||
Ryan Newman | Darlington II Advance
Team: No. 6 Oscar Mayer Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
PR Contact: Brandon Lee; blee@roushfenway.com; 704-783-5446
Twitter: @Roush6Team, @RoushFenway and @RyanJNewman
Race Format: 311.4 miles, 228 laps, Stage Lengths: 60-65-103
Toyota 500 – Wednesday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
ADVANCE NOTES
NASCAR Returns to Action
- Following its return to racing Sunday at Darlington Raceway, NASCAR continues its modified schedule with a second event at ‘The Lady in Black’ Wednesday night in primetime. It will mark the third of seven NASCAR national series races in an 11-day span.
- Once competition wraps at Darlington on Wednesday, the NCS will transition to Charlotte Motor Speedway for two-consecutive events, the first on May 24 with the crown jewel Coca-Cola 600. It will be followed by a shorter event on May 27.
- Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed.
Sunday Recap, Wednesday Preview
- In his first race back since the Daytona 500, Newman fought his way inside the top-10 early on in Sunday’s 293-lap race at Darlington before finishing 15th. He crossed the line ninth in stage one to earn two stage points, and came back from a speeding penalty and cut tire in the closing laps to earn a top-15 finish.
- The starting lineup for Wednesday’s 311.4-mile race will be determined by an invert for positions 1-20, putting Newman sixth on the grid for Wednesday night’s race.
Newman Historically at Darlington Raceway
- Wednesday will be Newman’s 23rd Cup Series start at Darlington, where he has 13 top-10s and seven top fives. He carries a 12.7 average finish – his second-best of any track on the circuit behind only Richmond (12.3).
- Newman has finished top-10 in 59 percent of the races at the 1.366-mile track, including a runner-up finish in his first ever-Southern 500 back in 2002. Dating back eight events, Newman has five finishes of 13th or better including four top-10s.
- Newman has one career pole at ‘The Lady in Black’, which came back in the 2003 Southern 500. Overall he has an average starting position of 11.1 with 13 top-10 starts, eight of which were inside the top five.
- Newman also made five starts at Darlington in the Xfinity Series, earning the pole in each of the first two events in 2001. He went on to finish fourth in the 2001 fall race – his best career Xfinity result – with an overall finish of 13.6 in the series at the famed track.
Scott Graves at Darlington Raceway
- Graves will call his sixth NCS race at Darlington atop the pit box. In five prior events, Graves has an average finish of 24.6, coming off Newman’s 15th-place finish on Sunday.
- In Xfinity Series action, Graves led Suarez to a third-place finish in 2016 after starting fifth. A year prior, he and Chris Buescher paired up for a fifth-place result.
QUOTE WORTHY
Newman on Wednesday’s race:
“I felt like we unloaded pretty well Sunday and had a good run going for a good portion of the race. We just got a little off in terms of adjustments and had a couple things go south, but battled back for a top-15. With those notes and our performance early on I feel pretty good heading into Wednesday. Looking forward to putting together another strong race in our Oscar Mayer Ford and once again showing everyone how NASCAR is coming back during these times.”
The Real Heroes Project Continues at Darlington
NASCAR is collaborating with other professional sports properties across the country to embark on The Real Heroes Project. The goal is to motivate and inspire healthcare workers as sports only can, by turning its greatest heroes (the athletes) into their greatest fans. To that end, the name of a COVID-19 frontline worker will be displayed above the driver’s side door on each entry Wednesday night.
NASCAR allowed teams to select the names of the frontline workers to appear on their cars, and Newman chose a name special to him, Fe Roster, VP & Chief Care Continuum Officer at Halifax Health. Fe played a vital role in Newman’s life in the days following his horrific, last-lap crash in the Daytona 500, where he walked out of Halifax Medical Center three days later under the care of Roster and others. Dr. Jerry Petty, a partner with NASCAR for 40+ years, also played a vital role in Newman’s recovery all the way up until clearing him for NASCAR action, and – at Newman’s request – Petty will be on the name rail of the No. 17 machine Wednesday night.
On the Car
Oscar Mayer returns for Wednesday’s race at Darlington, this time promoting its love for hot dogs. Oscar Mayer and Roush Fenway announced their continued partnership at the end of the 2019 season, as the company continues to highlight its quality meat offerings via its paint schemes throughout the season.
About The Kraft Heinz Company
For 150 years, we have produced some of the world’s most beloved products at The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ: KHC). Our Vision is To Be the Best Food Company, Growing a Better World. We are one of the largest global food and beverage companies, with 2018 net sales of approximately $26 billion. Our portfolio is a diverse mix of iconic and emerging brands. As the guardians of these brands and the creators of innovative new products, we are dedicated to the sustainable health of our people and our planet. To learn more, visit https://www.kraftheinzcompany.com/or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Riley Herbst / No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Supra Preview Toyota 200 at Darlington Raceway
No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Supra News and Notes:
- HERBST AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY: Four races in to his rookie season, Riley Herbst will visit Darlington Raceway for the first time in his young career when the Xfinity Series returns to the track on Tuesday, May 19.
- STARTING LINEUP: With the starting lineup for Tuesday’s race selected by a random draw, Herbst and the No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Supra team will roll off from the fifth position for the Toyota 200.
- JGR AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY: Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has 58 total starts at Darlington Raceway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In those starts, the team has earned 10 wins, 29 top-five finishes, 39 top-10 finishes and seven pole starting positions. The team has led 1,114 laps, completed 8,001 of 8,482 attempted laps (94.3%) and earned an average start of 12.6 and an average finish of 10.6. Denny Hamlin leads the team with five wins followed by Kyle Busch with two wins and Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart and Joey Logano each earning one win at the famed South Carolina track.
- PHOENIX RECAP: In the last race before NASCAR action was halted due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Riley Herbst and the No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Supra team started the race at Phoenix Raceway from the 11th position. Herbst struggled with handling most of the race before crossing the finish line in the 10th position. The finish marked Herbst third top-10 finish in just four starts in the 2020 season.
- POINTS STANDINGS: After four races in the 2020 season, Herbst sits 11th in the Xfinity Series point standings, 67 points out of first place.
- THIS WEEK ON THE NO. 18 SUPRA: This week, Monster Energy will serve as the primary partner for the No. 18 Toyota Supra team.
- RACE INFO: The Toyota 200 at Darlington Raceway is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, 2020. Coverage will begin at 8:00 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1, MRN Radio and SIRIUS XM Channel 90.
Herbst Career Xfinity Series Stats at Darlington Raceway:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Herbst 2020 Season NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8.8 | 13.2 |
Herbst Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 14 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 10.2 | 15.1 |
From the Driver’s Seat:
Riley Herbst: “I’m really looking forward to getting to Darlington Raceway. It’ll be kind of interesting because I’ve never been there before. With no practice or qualifying, we just fire off and drop the green flag. It’ll be pretty interesting, but I’m looking forward to it. All of us on the No. 18 team are really prepared. I’ve been watching a lot of race film, working on the simulator and asking my super smart crew chief Dave (Rogers) a bunch of questions. I think we’ve done all of our homework and we’re ready to go out there and prove it at Darlington.”
Harrison Burton/ No. 20 DEX Imaging Toyota Supra Preview Toyota 200 at Darlington Raceway
No. 20 DEX Imaging Toyota Supra News and Notes:
- Back to Racing: After a two-month stoppage in racing action due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Harrison Burton and his DEX Imaging team return to the track Tuesday night for the Toyota 200 at Darlington Raceway. Based on a random draw Sunday afternoon, Burton will start in the 12th position in his Toyota Supra. Tuesday night will be Burton’s first -career start at the historic NASCAR facility.
- Hot Streak to Start the Season: Before the stoppage in racing action in March, Burton and his team were off to a historic start to his rookie campaign in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Through the first four races of the season, Burton became the only Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender to have four-consecutive top-five finishes in as many races. In fact, this feat has only been accomplished just seven times by six drivers all-time: Carl Edwards (2009, 2010), Elliott Sadler (2012), Harrison Burton (2020), Kevin Harvick (2005), Kyle Busch (2014) and Sam Ard (1984).
- Points Update: Heading into Darlington on Tuesday night, Burton leads the Xfinity Series Driver Championship points standings, holding a three-point lead over Chase Briscoe. Burton also heads to Darlington with a commanding 67-point lead in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings.
- JGR at Darlington: In 58 combined Xfinity Series starts at Darlington Raceway, JGR has earned 10 wins, 29 top-five finishes, 39 top-10s and seven pole starting positions. The team has led 1,114 laps, with an average start of 12.6 and an average finish of 10.6.
- DEX IMAGING: DEX Imaging returns as a full-time sponsor of Burton and the No. 20 team this season. DEX Imaging is the digital document imaging division of Staples, the world’s largest business solutions provider. DEX sells and services the broadest selection of copiers, printers and data management solutions in the industry, such as Konica Minolta, Canon, Kyocera and HP. What makes DEX unique is its people, whose combined knowledge of cutting-edge business technologies and depth of service experience is unmatched. DEX Imaging’s success is directly tied to its mission: to help customers of all sizes drive down document-related expenses while improving productivity.
- RACE INFO: The Toyota 200 at Darlington Raceway is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19th, 2020 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Watch and listen live on FoxSports 1, Sirius XM Channel 90 and MRN Radio.
Burton’s Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats at Darlington Raceway:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish | ||||||||
| – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Burton’s 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish | ||||||||
| 4 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 49 | 4.0 | 2.5 |
Burton’s Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish | ||||||||
| 13 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 49 | 7.5 | 12.4 |
From the Cockpit:
Harrison Burton:
“I’m really looking forward to getting back to racing and behind the wheel of my DEX Imaging Supra on Tuesday night. I’m truly thankful to NASCAR and everyone who has worked tirelessly to get us back to racing. My team and I had some great momentum going before we stopped racing back in March, so hopefully we can continue to build on that in the upcoming weeks. Tuesday will be a challenge, no doubt about it, but I know my team and I are up for it. I’m looking forward to getting back to racing and putting on a show for everyone tuning in on Tuesday night.”
About DEX IMAGING:
DEX Imaging is the digital document imaging division of Staples, the world’s largest business solutions provider. DEX sells and services the broadest selection of copiers, printers and data management solutions in the industry, such as Konica Minolta, Canon, Kyocera and HP. What makes DEX unique is its people, whose combined knowledge of cutting-edge business technologies and depth of service experience is unmatched. DEX Imaging’s success is directly tied to its mission: to help customers of all sizes drive down document-related expenses while improving productivity.
Brandon Jones / No. 19 Toyota Service Centers Toyota Supra Preview
No. 19 Toyota Service Centers Toyota Supra News and Notes:
- NASCAR IS BACK: The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) goes back racing at Darlington Raceway this Tuesday after an unprecedented hiatus. The race is usually a classic on Labor Day Weekend, but because of the historic current world conditions it will be the first Xfinity Series race since Brandon Jones’ huge win 10 weeks ago at Phoenix. It will be a single day event with no fans in the stands, no practice or qualifying. Drivers will go straight to their cars and run the 147-lap event on a green track. NASCAR will have a competition caution on lap 15. The Lady in Black is one of the toughest tracks on the circuit and it will be a much anticipated and extremely exciting return to television for the sport, teams, sponsors and fans on Fox Sports 1 (FS1) This unique egg-shaped oval always provides great racing with an element of the unknown.
- IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Jones and the No. 19 team will proudly display the Toyota Service Centers logos on their Toyota Supra as they head to “The Track Too Tough to Tame” for the Toyota 200. Jones and the 19 team started the 2020 season on fire with their win at Phoenix. They also have accumulated three top-10s and a pole in just four races. It has been 10 long weeks since they have been at the track, but their goal is to keep up the momentum and become a front runner for the Xfinity Series Championship and put their Toyota Supra in back-to-back victory lanes.
- JGR AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY: Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has 58 total starts at Darlington Raceway in NXS competition earning 10 wins, 29 top-five finishes, 39 top-10 finishes and nine pole starting positions. The team has led 1,114 laps, completed 8,001 of 8,482 attempted laps (94.3%) and earned an average start of 12.6 and an average finish of 10.6.
- RACE INFO: Toyota 200 at Darlington Raceway (1.366-mile) begins at 8:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 19th. The race will be broadcast live on FS1, SiriusXM Channel 90 and MRN Radio.
Jones’ Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats at Darlington Raceway:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 21.2 | 12.8 |
Jones’ 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 97 | 6.0 | 10.2 |
Jones’ Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 141 | 2 | 11 | 53 | 3 | 437 | 12.7 | 15.7 |
From the Cockpit:
Brandon Jones: “I am very excited about returning to the track and getting back to racing again. Even though it has been ten long weeks since we raced at Phoenix, I have still been hitting the workouts every day and making sure I am ready when the time comes. I have taken this time to really push myself with at home workouts and healthy eating. Our 19 team is looking forward to getting back to the track and keeping the momentum going that we kicked off the season with. We are having our strongest start with a huge win at Phoenix, a pole in Fontana and three top-10 finishes.
We are headed into the race with no fans and very limited workers. NASCAR is making sure to put safety first as we get back to racing. Darlington Raceway is a great way to kick off the season again. The Lady in Black will be more of a challenge this time, especially since there will be no practice or qualifying. That means it could be very exciting for the fans to watch on TV since someone is bound to get their Darlington stripe on lap one. This week we will have Toyota Service Centers on our Supra and it would be very rewarding to put them in victory lane for the Toyota 200 at Darlington Raceway.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM), creator of the Prius hybrid and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota and Lexus brands. Over the past 60 years, we’ve built more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.
JR Motorsports — NXS Darlington Preview
TRACK – Darlington Raceway (1.366-mile oval)
NXS RACE – NASCAR Xfinity Series 200 (147 laps / 200.8 miles)
Click the link below for complete preview with driver quotes, statistics, and notebook.
Shell Leverages NASCAR and Team Penske Relationship to Advance Support of Feeding America
We are experiencing unprecedented times in our history and the COVID-19 pandemic has spread through the world, changing the lives of Americans. It is creating greater demands on health care and front-line workers, first responders, food banks, and in these challenging times, children, seniors, and families are going hungry.
Shell in the U.S. is focused on doing their part to aid in the response and will continue to contribute to COVID 19 relief efforts across the country, and through national efforts with Feeding America®. To date, Shell in the US has contributed more than $2 million to support COVID-19 relief efforts across the country. Shell is also providing 2.5 million* meals to help fight hunger in communities in need via Feeding America®
This weekend the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang, driven by 2018 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Joey Logano, will carry the Feeding America® logo on the deck lid of his race car in NASCAR’s return to racing in the Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, May 17th. It will remain on the car for the second Darlington event as well as both Charlotte races. Joey also recorded the video above to bring awareness to the cause.
Fans can go to fuelrewards.com/moreforgood and they’ll also have the opportunity to make a donation to Feeding America® themselves.
Christopher Bell – No. 95 Rheem Toyota Camry Preview – The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway
No. 95 Rheem Toyota Camry News and Notes:
- Bell at Darlington: The NASCAR Cup Series returns to live racing action Sunday at Darlington Raceway and Christopher Bell will be making his Cup debut at “The Lady in Black.” Bell has two NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) starts under his belt at the 1.366-mile track, earning one top-five and one top-10 finish. For both NXS starts at Darlington Bell qualified second, narrowly missing starting on the pole at Darlington both times.
- #TheRealHeroes: Christopher Bell will replace his name on the No. 95 Rheem Toyota Camry with J.T. Corbitt for Darlington as part of honoring and thanking the front-line workers battling the COVID-19 pandemic. J.T. is a Respiratory Therapist Supervisor out of Austin, Texas and was instrumental in helping to setup and train employees on how to care for COVID-19 patients.
- Phoenix Recap: Christopher Bell qualified 15th and battled a tight handling car from the start. After suffering three speeding penalties on pit road during stage one, Bell and the No. 95 team got the timing lights corrected on the dash. Bell rebounded from being sent to the tail end of the field as a penalty for speeding on pit road, but was tagged from behind and into the wall, resulting in damage to his Camry. The team worked to repair his car and Bell was able to stay on the lead lap to finish 24th at Phoenix.
- RACE INFO: The NASCAR Cup Series Race at Darlington Raceway begins at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 17, 2020. The race will be broadcast live on FOX, Sirius XM 90, and MRN Radio.
Bell’s Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats at Darlington Raceway:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 19.0 |
Bell’s 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Season Stats:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19.0 | 29.0 |
Bell’s Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 74 | 16 | 41 | 46 | 12 | 2920 | 6.4 | 10.2 |
From the Cockpit:
Christopher Bell: “I’m really pumped to get back behind the wheel, this is probably the longest stretch I’ve gone without being in a race car. Darlington is a super challenging track under normal circumstances and now going back with no practice and not being in a car for so long will be really difficult. I’ve been able to spend a few hours on the sim preparing and I know Jason (Ratcliff) and the team has been working hard on the car. I can’t wait for the green flag Sunday.”
About Rheem
Founded in 1925, Rheem® innovates all-new ways to deliver just the right temperature while saving energy, water and supporting a more sustainable future. Today, Rheem is America’s #1 water heating brand, and its products are available in more than 50 countries. Paloma Co., Ltd. of Nagoya, Japan, acquired the iconic Rheem brand in 1988, and today the company’s portfolio of premium brands include Rheem®, Raypak®, Ruud®, Eemax®, Richmond®, Splendid®, Solahart® and EverHot™ as well as commercial refrigeration brands Russell®, Witt®, ColdZone® and Kramer®, which are part of the Heat Transfer Products Group (HTPG®) division.
*All are Trademarks of Rheem Manufacturing Company.
About Leavine Family Racing
Leavine Family Racing is an organization competing in the NASCAR Cup Series focused on growing competitively and providing results-driven partnerships for its sponsors. The single-car team was founded in 2011 by Bob and Sharon Leavine, two individuals who are passionate about NASCAR and started the team to make a positive impact on the sport and community. Christopher Bell will pilot the No. 95 Toyota Camry for the team starting with the 2020 season. In alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota Racing Development, the team operates out of their Concord, N.C.-based race shop with a veteran group of racing personnel driven by their desire for progress. For more information, please visit www.LFR95.com.