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Fendered Divisions Going Full-Throttle With Big Thompson Icebreaker Slate

by Lou Modestino
Fendered Divisions Going Full-Throttle With Big Thompson Icebreaker Slate

Waterbury, VT & Naples, ME – Connecticut’s Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park is now less than two weeks away from the season-opening Icebreaker on April 10-11. As part of a packed 10-division lineup, there are a mix of fendered divisions, open-wheel modifieds and winged Midgets.

The fendered side of the schedule is packed with three Thompson local divisions and three touring series classes. The stars of the Pro All Star Series lead the way with a 75-lap feature as the headliner of the Saturday slate. They are joined on Saturday by the EXIT Realty Pro Truck Series, Mini Stocks and a special $1,000 to win, 8-Cylinder Street Stock open race.

On Sunday, the Limited Sportsman and Late Models get their crack at opening the season. The Limited Sportsman have a special 25-lap feature while the ACT-type Late Models go 40 laps in support of the $10,000-to-win Icebreaker 125 for the Outlaw Open Modified Series.

The early entries for the Mini Stock season include a list of tenured veterans who are heading back to Thompson in search of more glory. The 2019 track champion, Doug Curry, is joined by Steve Michalski, Russell Barboza, Tommy Silva and more as the early contenders. In two Mini Stock races at the Connecticut oval in 2020, Jared Roy collected checkered flags in both. The Mini Stocks are often Thompson’s most affordable class for a competitor but put on some of the best racing at the track.

As part of the Limited Sportsman division, all eyes will be on some of Thompson’s most polished veterans. Former track champions entered for the season include Kyle Gero, Ryan Waterman, Scott Sundeen and Larry Barnett. All four drivers have proven they can get the job done, but it’s been Waterman who has done the most winning lately, taking both races at Thompson during the 2020 season. Additional registered drivers include former division winners Corey Fanning and Brent Gleason, former Thompson Mini Stock champion Curry, Kristopher Kay, former Seekonk Speedway regular Ed Flanagan Jr. and more. The Limited Sportsman division is long known for three-wide action and drivers sliding around the track in search of the checkered flag.

Some of those same Limited Sportsman drivers will be competing on Saturday when the $1,000 to win, 8-Cylinder Street Stock race hits the high-banks. At the World Series in 2020, it was Christopher Buffone who scored the win, and he’s planning on returning to attempt to keep that crown. Buffone led laps early but fell to fourth-spot by halfway. It wasn’t long before he was back out front after all three drivers in front of him suffered mechanical failures, propelling him to victory. This time, he’s hoping to not depend on Lady Luck and dominate the show instead. His victory at Thompson came in his first start at the 0.625-mile oval.

“I’m super excited to head back to the track I grew up watching my Uncle Tom and Mike O’Sullivan in the Pro Stocks and Late Models up until 2011,” Buffone said. “Being able to win my first race there last year was pretty amazing. But I had lots of help from the years of experience my family has there in weekly racing. I think my chances of going back and repeating are just as likely as they were the first time, just this time I’m going in with a few more laps under my belt. There will be a ton of top-notch race cars there, along with ours, so winning would be a huge feat — especially to go back-to-back.”

The Late Models open the season with a $1,200-to-win, 40-lap feature part of the Sunday portion of Icebreaker weekend. In their debut race on the new ACT Hoosier tire, drivers from across New England will commence at Thompson to help open the New England Late Model Challenge Cup. Originally slated to open last year, but halted due to COVID-19, the Challenge Cup allows registered competitors to take their best 10 eligible finishes at participating tracks across New England towards the season-long point standings. A guaranteed minimum point fund of $14,000 has been posted with a minimum prize of $3,000 to the overall winner.

Perhaps the favorite heading into the new year is former track champion Woody Pitkat, who returns to competition with the Hartwell Motorsports team after a successful two years together. In 2019, Pitkat went into the World Series of Speedway Racing in contention to win the championship on the strength of multiple wins. In 2020, in a shortened season due to COVID, Pitkat swept the two races at the Connecticut oval. His partnership with Hartwell Motorsports has proven to be a strong one that is nearly unbeaten of late.

Additional former Late Model track champions in the field include Brian Tagg and Nick Johnson, while names like defending American-Canadian Tour Rookie of the Year Derek Gluchacki, Tom Carey III and others are also expected to contend in the opener.

“I always feel confident going into Thompson,” Carey, a former winner at Thompson in the weekly division, said. “I feel like I should have a couple ACT Tour wins there already — I just kind of got plagued with bad luck. I’ve always had a really fast hot rod there, though. The first time I got taken out with five laps to go, and then on the first lap the second time — both times while I was running on the front row. It’s going to be fun. I’m looking forward to the changes that ACT and PASS have planned for the place. Hopefully they bring the venue back to the glory that it deserves.”

The EXIT Realty Truck Series returns to Thompson with their stout list of competitors. The defending champion of the division is Duane Noll, who is always a top driver. He will be joined by a strong contingency of regulars for their feature. Ken Morin was the first driver to file a registration for the Icebreaker.

Thompson Speedway opens its 82nd season with the annual Icebreaker on Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11. A total of 10 divisions will compete across two days of racing. Sunday’s card features the $10,000-to-win Icebreaker 125 for the Outlaw Open Modified Series with qualifying going green at 1:15pm. There’s also a 40-lap ACT-type Late Model shootout plus the Limited Sportsman and SK Light Modifieds.

Saturday’s six-division card is highlighted by the season-opening Thompson 75 for the PASS North Super Late Models beginning at 1:00pm. They’re joined by the Sunoco Modifieds, NEMA LITES Midgets, EXIT Realty Pro Truck Challenge, Mini Stocks, and an 8-Cylinder Street Stock Open. An optional Test N’ Tune practice day is slated for Friday, April 9 with all Icebreaker divisions welcome.

Adult general admission is $30 for Saturday and $35 for Sunday. Kids ages 12 and under are $10 each day. Advance tickets are available at https://happsnow.com/event/Thompson-Speedway-Motorsports-Park-YHPQ. Grandstand attendance is limited to 50% of capacity per Connecticut COVID-19 guidelines. Pit passes will be sold at the track.

Speed51.TV is also offering a live pay-per-view broadcast for both days of the Icebreaker. Sign up at www.speed51.tv. PPV passes are $30 for Saturday-only, $35 for Sunday-only, and $55 for both days.

For more information about the American-Canadian Tour, contact the ACT offices at (802) 244-6963, media@acttour.com, or visit www.acttour.com.  You can also get updates on Facebook and Twitter at @ACTTour.

For technical information concerning all PASS divisions, and for media or marketing questions, please contact passracing@roadrunner.com or visit www.proallstarsseries.com. Don’t forget to “Like” the Pro All Stars Series on Facebook or follow on Twitter @PASSSLM14 to keep up with breaking news as it happens.

For general Thompson Speedway inquiries and camping reservations, call (860) 923-2280, email oval@thompsonspeedway.com, or visit www.thompsonspeedway.com. You can follow Thompson Speedway on Facebook and Instagram at @ThompsonSpeedway or on Twitter at @ThompsonSpdwy.

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Ty Dillon Joins Driver Lineup for Joe Gibbs Racing Xfinity Team

by Mike
Ty Dillon Joins Driver Lineup for Joe Gibbs Racing Xfinity Team

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (Jan. 27, 2021) – Joe Gibbs Racing announced today that Ty Dillon will drive the team’s No. 54 Toyota Supra in select NASCAR Xfinity Series races in 2021, including the season opener at Daytona International Speedway on February 13. Beyond Daytona, Dillon’s Xfinity Series schedule currently includes races at Homestead-Miami Speedway (February 27), Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 6) and Talladega Superspeedway (April 24). (more…)

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Bass Pro Shops, TrueTimber® and Black Rifle Coffee Extend Partnership with Noah Gragson and JRM’s No. 9 Team for 2021

by Mike
Bass Pro Shops, TrueTimber® and Black Rifle Coffee Extend Partnership with Noah Gragson and JRM’s No. 9 Team for 2021

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Nov. 19, 2020) – JR Motorsports announced today the return of Bass Pro Shops, TrueTimber® Camo and Black Rifle Coffee as co-primary partners aboard Noah Gragson’s No. 9 entry for all 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series events in 2021. (more…)

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NASCAR Announces NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2021, Landmark Award

by Mike
NASCAR Announces NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2021, Landmark Award

Earnhardt Jr., Farmer, Stefanik make up first three-person class

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 16, 2020) – NASCAR announced today the inductees who will comprise the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2021. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Red Farmer and Mike Stefanik make up the Hall of Fame’s 12th class, and first with three members. In addition, Ralph Seagraves was named as the recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.

As a result of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel met virtually to debate and vote upon the 15 nominees for the induction class of 2021 and the five nominees for the Landmark Award. The group also became the first to vote on two different Hall of Fame ballots.

Ten nominees appeared on the Modern Era ballot, which was selected by the traditional Nominating Committee. The same committee selected the five Landmark Award nominees. The Pioneer ballot, which included five nominees whose careers began in 1961 or earlier, was selected by a new Honors Committee. Beginning with the Class of 2021, each Hall of Fame class will feature two inductees from the Modern Era ballot and one from the Pioneer ballot.

Earnhardt Jr. received 76% of the Modern Era ballot votes, Stefanik received 49%. Ricky Rudd finished third, followed by Neil Bonnett. Red Farmer received 71% of the Pioneer ballot votes. Hershel McGriff finished second.

Each class is selected by the Voting Panel, which expanded to 65 members this year. They include representatives from NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, track owners from major facilities and historic short tracks, media members, manufacturer representatives, competitors (drivers, owners, crew chiefs), recognized industry leaders, the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion (Kyle Busch) and a nationwide fan vote conducted through NASCAR.com. Seven new voters from the Honors Committee – Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, Ron Hornaday Jr., Dale Jarrett, Roger Penske, Darrell Waltrip and Rusty Wallace – participated for the first time. In all, 63 votes were cast. The accounting firm of EY presided over the tabulation of the votes.

Results for the NASCAR.com Fan Vote were Neil Bonnett, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Red Farmer.

In addition to Earnhardt Jr. and Stefanik, the other Modern Era ballot nominees included Neil Bonnett, Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards, Harry Gant, Harry Hyde, Larry Phillips, Ricky Rudd and Kirk Shelmerdine. The other Pioneer ballot nominees were Jake Elder, Banjo Matthews, Hershel McGriff and Ralph Moody.

Nominees for the Landmark Award included Janet Guthrie, Alvin Hawkins, Mike Helton and Dr. Joe Mattiolli.

 

 

Class of 2021 Inductees:

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., a third-generation NASCAR champion in a family synonymous with the sport, is perhaps the most popular driver in NASCAR history. The son of “The Intimidator,” Earnhardt Jr. made his own path and served as the face of NASCAR as 15-time Most Popular Driver. He began his career at family-owned Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI) winning back-to-back Xfinity Series titles and 13 races in two full-time seasons. He quickly moved to the Cup Series where he won in his 12th career start. Like his father, Earnhardt Jr. was a master of the draft and thrived in restrictor plate racing. Ten of his 26 Cup victories came at Daytona and Talladega, including Daytona 500 wins in 2004 and 2014. In 2006, Earnhardt founded JR Motorsports, adding team owner to his resume. The team has three Xfinity Series championships and 47 wins. Earnhardt currently serves as an analyst for NBC Sports and hosts the popular podcast ‘Dale Jr Download.’

 

Red Farmer

Red Farmer’s career is one long series of immeasurable accolades. For instance, it’s entirely unknown just how many wins Farmer has. One thing is for sure: it’s a lot … somewhere north of 700. His passion for the sport is likewise immeasurable. After all, he continues to race, even as he approaches 90 years of age. But the record books do have a few things that are black-and-white and proof positive about this member of the Alabama Gang. He collected three consecutive championships in NASCAR’s Late Model Sportsman division from 1969-71, long after he won the Modified title in 1956. Though he preferred racing in the Late Model Sportsman division, Farmer did run 36 Cup Series races, with a best finish of fourth (twice). In 1998, Farmer’s many successes – clearly too many to officially count – landed him on the list of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers.

Mike Stefanik

At the very top of the list of all-time NASCAR championships sit two men: NASCAR Hall of Famer Richie Evans … and Mike Stefanik. Each tallied nine in their exemplary careers, with Stefanik’s coming in both the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and NASCAR East Series. Seven of his titles came in his primary racing series – the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. In 2003, he was named one of the Tour’s 10 Greatest Drivers, an obvious choice if there ever was one – Stefanik holds the all-time series record in championships, wins, poles, top fives and top 10s. Stefanik won two championships consecutively in the NASCAR East Series, in 1997-98. That, along with a win total that ties for ninth on the all-time series wins list, earned him a spot on the Top 10 Drivers of the First 25 Years of the NASCAR East Series list in 2011. In addition, Stefanik spent one full-time season in the NASCAR Gander Outdoor & RV Truck Series – and it was a successful one. He captured the Rookie of the Year Award in 1999.

 

Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR:

 

Ralph Seagraves

Ralph Seagraves’ life – and NASCAR’s world – changed the moment he met NASCAR Hall of Famer Junior Johnson. In the late 1960s, Seagraves, an official with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, had been searching for a means to market cigarettes after the federal government banned RJR’s products from advertising on television and radio. Johnson, ever the entrepreneur, had an idea. How about RJR sponsor his cars? Seagraves had a bigger idea: Why not sponsor NASCAR’s top series? And so, in 1971, for the first time since its inception in 1949, NASCAR’s premier series had major corporate backing. The NASCAR Winston Cup Series was born. The partnership helped NASCAR launch into the national spotlight, and created a bedrock of stability for the next three decades. RJR’s Winston brand sponsored NASCAR’s top series for more than 30 years, ending in 2003. Under Seagraves leadership, RJR helped a number of race track operators refurbish their facilities, many of which were short tracks that ran developmental NASCAR Winston Racing Series races.

 

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR consists of three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series™), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour), one local grassroots series and three international series. The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, Americrown Service and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).

 

About the NASCAR Hall of Fame

Located in Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, the NASCAR Hall of Fame is an interactive, entertainment attraction honoring the history and heritage of NASCAR. The high-tech venue, designed to educate and entertain race fans and non-fans alike, includes artifacts, hands-on exhibits, a 278-person state-of-the-art theater, Hall of Honor, Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, NASCAR Hall of Fame Gear Shop and NASCAR Productions-operated broadcast studio. Opened on May 11, 2010, the NASCAR Hall of Fame is owned by the City of Charlotte, licensed by NASCAR and operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. For more information, visit nascarhall.com.

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M&M’S Fudge Brownie Racing: Kyle Busch Alsco Uniforms 500k at Charlotte Advance and Team Report

by Mike
M&M’S Fudge Brownie Racing: Kyle Busch Alsco Uniforms 500k at Charlotte Advance and Team Report
HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (May 25, 2020) – Until last Wednesday night’s event at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, the last time the NASCAR Cup Series ran a race on a Wednesday was almost 36 years ago – the Firecracker 400 on July 4, 1984. Back then, no matter on what day July 4 fell, NASCAR’s top series raced at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. That 1984 Firecracker 400 also happened to be one of the more memorable races in NASCAR history, as Richard Petty brought home the 200th win of his Cup Series career.

 

While the race last week at Darlington marked the first Wednesday Cup Series race in more than three decades, the next midweek event is set for just seven days later. The series heads back to Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway for Wednesday night’s Alsco Uniforms 500k as NASCAR continues to make up races lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected events of every kind, not only in the United States but all over the world.

 

This Wednesday night, Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Fudge Brownie Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), will look to improve on his most recent outing, which resulted in a fourth-place finish in Sunday night’s traditional Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. Busch ran up front for most of the first portion of the race, but a pit road speeding penalty sent him to the rear of the field. However, he and the M&M’S team were able to rally back to bring home his fourth top-five finish in seven races this season. Wednesday night’s 500-kilometer race replaces the cancelled race at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway originally scheduled for June. With a second-place finish last Wednesday at Darlington and the fourth-place run Sunday night at Charlotte, Busch is hoping the Sonoma replacement race nets him his third top-five in a row and first win of the season.

 

Busch has managed to enjoy plenty of success at the 1.5-mile Charlotte oval. He now has 14 top-five finishes and 19 top-10s in his 31 previous Cup Series starts there over the past 14-plus seasons. In addition to solid Cup Series finishes, Busch has captured eight NASCAR Xfinity Series wins at Charlotte – May 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2010, October 2008 and 2009, and both May and October 2013. He also has eight NASCAR Truck Series wins at the track – 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2019.

 

While he had gone to Charlotte’s victory lane at early and often in the Xfinity and Truck Series, Busch only recently broke through in the Cup Series there. His 2017 win in the non-points All-Star Race was his first Cup Series win of any kind at the track. The following year, in 2018, Busch was able to win there again, this time in the points-paying Coca-Cola 600 to add another crown jewel to his already impressive resume.

 

So as the Cup Series continues its busy run of eight races in less than a month, Busch and his M&M’S Fudge Brownie team hope they can break through for the first of many wins under the Wednesday night lights at Charlotte. He’ll hope to keep the momentum he’s built over the last two races as the season is finally able to kick into full gear for the summer.

KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Fudge Brownie Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing: 
With track position being so important, how will you approach Wednesday night with the inversion of the top-20 grid positions?

 

“It’s definitely going to be more of a sprint race with our M&M’S Fudge Brownie Camry. Thankfully, my guys are really, really, really good on pit road and they probably passed the most cars Sunday night on pit road – more than I did. It’s definitely beneficial when you can come down pit road 15th, 10th, eighth, seventh, whatever it is, and those guys are going to get you five or six spots. I’m not too upset about where we have to start. We certainly saw that track position was a big deal on Sunday night, so we want to work our way to the front and stay there if we can. I know I’m up for it and the guys on pit road are up for the task, too, with how well they performed on Sunday night.”

 

It seemed you had some pretty big swings in handling on Sunday night. Will you go back and try and figure out why that was the case and make some changes for Wednesday night?

 

“The only thing I can really attribute it to is tires. That’s the only thing that makes sense. When you go and you have two runs that are really, really good and you have tires on and you don’t make any changes, and then you make one slight air pressure adjustment with the next set of tires and it goes haywire, you have to think it’s the tires. You didn’t put a wedge wrench in the thing, you didn’t change anything too crazy. Also, track position sometimes, too, is a factor. When you’re further up toward the front, the cars drive way, way better. We had the speeding penalty there and it put it toward the back and it certainly handled differently back there than up at the front of the field. When you get back in the seventh to ninth to 11th range, you are just out of control and have no grip. So I know Adam (Stevens, crew chief) and I will go back and talk about how to make our car better this week and we’ll see what happens.”

 

Do you feel you’re in race shape now that you’ve run three Cup Series races since the shutdown?

 

“I felt good after all of these races. We had the race last Sunday at Darlington and it was a little warmer out and I saw a couple of guys get out of the car and kind of sit next to their car and they were pretty wet and kind of hot and overheated maybe a little bit. I felt fine. Then, no issues the last couple of races, certainly a bit easier when they are at night and cooler outside. I’ve got enough cooling and things like that where I feel pretty good and ready to go.”

 

M&M’S Fudge Brownie Racing

Race 8 of 36 – Alsco Uniforms 500k – Charlotte

Car No.: 18 – M&M’S Fudge Brownie 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 Alsco Uniforms 500k will mark Kyle Busch’s 542nd career NASCAR Cup Series start and his 32nd NASCAR Cup Series start at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
  • Busch has career totals of 56 wins, 32 poles, 204 top-five finishes, 300 top-10s and 17,446 laps led in 541 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, 14 top-five finishes and 19 top-10s and has led a total of 1,449 laps in 31 Cup Series starts at Charlotte. Busch’s average Charlotte finish is 14.2.
  • Finally: Busch’s combined record in NASCAR Xfinity Series and Truck Series races is quite impressive at Charlotte, where the Las Vegas native has eight wins apiece on the 1.5-mile oval for a total of 16 victories. While he found victory lane early and often at Charlotte in those series, Busch was unable to find similar success in NASCAR’s top series. That all changed starting in 2017, when he brought home the win in the NASCAR All-Star Race, the first Cup Series win of his career at Charlotte, albeit a non-points event. But a little more than a year later, in 2018, Busch was able to bring home his first Cup Series points paying win at Charlotte as he led a whopping 377 laps of the Coca-Cola 600 en route to the crown jewel win.
  • 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 Tony 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 Monday night’s Xfinity Series 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.
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King of the Hat Dance: Billy Venturini Wears Them All

by Mike
King of the Hat Dance: Billy Venturini Wears Them All

When it comes to wearing a lot of hats, few in the ARCA Menards Series wear as many as Billy Venturini.

The 44-year-old from Chicago, Illinois, has put on a lot during the Victory Lane “hat dance” – the post-race process of posing for the winner’s photographs with the myriad of series, team and sponsor hats. After all, his Venturini Motorsports team won 14 races in 2019 and the first two of 2020. But he also wears several within his organization.

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Chris Buescher | Darlington II Advance

by Mike
Chris Buescher | Darlington II Advance

Team:                   No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford Mustang
Crew Chief:         Luke Lambert

PR Contact:         Brandon Lee; blee@roushfenway.com; 704-783-5446

Twitter:                @17RoushTeam, @RoushFenway and @Chris_Buescher
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

  • Buescher had an unlucky return to the track Sunday at Darlington, getting caught up in other cars’ incidents twice. He received heavy damage early on that set the No. 17 team back for the remainder of the race, eventually crossing the line 32nd.
  • The starting lineup for Wednesday’s 311.4-mile race will be determined by an invert for the top-20 cars, with cars 21-40 starting where they finished on Sunday, meaning Buescher will fire off 32nd.

 

Buescher Historically at Darlington Raceway

  • Buescher makes his sixth Cup start at Darlington Wednesday night where he carries an average finish of 18.2.
  • Buescher finished 12th last fall at ‘The Lady in Black,’ his best effort in five starts.
  • After qualifying 31st and 27th in his first two events at Darlington, Buescher followed that with qualifying efforts of 19th and 12th in 2018-19.
  • Buescher earned a Xfinity career-best fifth-place run at Darlington back in 2015 in the No. 60 RFR entry. He also finished 12th two years prior in the No. 16 for Jack Roush.

Luke Lambert at Darlington Raceway

  • Lambert will be atop the box for his ninth NCS race at Darlington on Sunday. In eight prior events, he has an average finish of 18.4 including three top-10 runs.
  • All three of those came with Newman in the No. 31, with a 10th-place result in 2014, an eighth-place finish in 2016 followed by seventh a year later.
  • Lambert also has one Xfinity Series race under his belt at Darlington with Elliott Sadler in 2012, finishing 24th.

QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on racing at Darlington:
“We had an unlucky Sunday at Darlington in getting caught up in a couple accidents that spoiled our day. Thankfully, the turnaround is quick and we can put that behind us and use our notes to tackle Wednesday night. We’re excited to have Fifth Third on board in their first race of 2020, and look forward to putting on a great show at one of my favorite tracks.”

The Real Heroes Project Debuts 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 Roush Fenway elected to have Buescher’s teammate, Ryan Newman, select two names that were influential in his recovery since the Daytona 500. Dr. Jerry Petty, a partner with NASCAR for 40+ years, 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
Fifth Third Bank makes its 2020 debut aboard Buescher’s No. 17 entry Wednesday night at Darlington. As part of NASCAR’s return and Fifth Third’s return to the car, the company will run special messaging aboard Buescher’s Ford Mustang on the hood and TV panel.

  • In appreciation of all frontline employees, Fifth Third has added a special tribute to the No. 17 scheme. The message reads, “Thank you frontline heroes for giving your 166.7%.” The messaging is a nod to the Bank’s brand campaign, which plays off the improper fraction that is the Bank’s name.
  • As a fraction, 5/3 translates to more than 100 percent – 166.7 percent, to be exact – this special scheme honors all frontline employees who are going the extra mile to help our communities during this difficult time.

About Fifth Third Bank
Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the indirect parent company of Fifth Third Bank, National Association, a federally chartered institution. As of March 31, 2020, Fifth Third had $185 billion in assets and operated 1,123 full-service banking centers and 2,464 ATMs with Fifth Third branding in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Georgia and North Carolina. In total, Fifth Third provides its customers with access to approximately 53,000 fee-free ATMs across the United States. Fifth Third operates four main businesses: Commercial Banking, Branch Banking, Consumer Lending and Wealth & Asset Management. Fifth Third is among the largest money managers in the Midwest and, as of March 31, 2020, had $374 billion in assets under care, of which it managed $42 billion for individuals, corporations and not-for-profit organizations through its Trust and Registered Investment Advisory businesses. Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com. Fifth Third’s common stock is traded on the Nasdaq® Global Select Market under the symbol “FITB.” Fifth Third Bank was established in 1858. Deposit and Credit products are offered by Fifth Third Bank, National Association. Member FDIC.

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Chris Buescher | Darlington II Advance Read More