Gibbs | The MotorSportsNews.Net(work)

Riley Herbst – No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Supra Preview (NXS) – Charlotte Motor Speedway

by MikeMay 22, 2020

No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Supra News and Notes:

HERBST AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY: For the sixth race of the 2020 season, Riley Herbst will make his first-career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Charlotte Motor Speedway. While this will be his first start at the track in the Xfinity Series, Herbst has two starts at the track in the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) Series. In those two starts, Herbst has a best finish of second in 2018.
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.
DARLINGTON RECAP: With the Xfinity Series retuning to the track for the first time following a two-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, teams unloaded at Darlington Raceway for the fifth race of the season. Starting the race from the fifth position for his first appearance at the 1.366-mile track, Herbst spent most of the day learning how to maneuver around the historic track. Poised for a solid top-15 finish, contact with the wall in the closing laps slowed the Monster Energy Supra. Herbst was able to hold on for an 18th-place finish at the South Carolina track.
POINTS STANDINGS: Following his 18th-place finish at Darlington Raceway, Herbst remains 11th in the Xfinity Series point standings, 95 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 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.

Herbst Career Xfinity Series Stats at Charlotte Motor Speedway:

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
5	0	1	3	0	0	8.0	14.2

Herbst Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
15	0	1	7	0	1	9.9	15.3

From the Driver’s Seat: Riley Herbst

You get to race again on Monday. Are you excited for Charlotte?

“I’ve actually seen Charlotte – been around that place. I’m looking forward to that. Still with no practice or qualifying, I think that’s going to benefit me because we are equipped and we have a really good setup for Charlotte. We are not behind the eight ball because me and Harrison (Burton) have actually been to Charlotte, so we will be ready to go.”

Erik Jones – No. 20 DEWALT ATOMIC Thank You Heroes Toyota Camry Preview (NCS) – Charlotte Motor Speedway

by MikeMay 22, 2020

No. 20 DEWALT ATOMIC Thank You Heroes Toyota Camry News and Notes:

JONES AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY: Erik Jones will make his fifth Cup Series start at the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend for the Coca-Cola 600. In his previous four starts at the track in the Cup Series, Jones best finish is seventh during his first appearance in the Coca-Cola 600 in 2017. In addition to his Cup starts, Jones has five Xfinity Series starts at the track earning a best finish of second in 2015. In his lone Truck Series start at track, Jones led 88 laps before falling to second to Kasey Kahne in one of the closest finishes in Truck Series history.
JGR AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY: Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has 130 total starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Cup Series competition. In those starts, the team has earned seven wins, 51 top-five finishes, 78 top-10 finishes and 10 pole starting positions. The team has led 3,673 laps, completed 45,352 of 47,107 attempted laps (96.3%) and earned an average start of 12.1 and an average finish of 11.7. Bobby Labonte leads the team with two wins followed by Dale Jarrett, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex, Jr. all with one win each.
STARTING LINEUP: For the first time since returning to racing, the NASCAR Cup Series will qualify to set the field for the Coca-Cola 600. Prior to Sunday’s race, teams will qualify starting at 2 p.m. ET.
THIS WEEK ON THE NO. 20 CAMRY: This weekend, the No. 20 Toyota Camry will carry the familiar black and yellow DEWALT paint scheme featuring DEWALT ATOMIC. The No. 20 Camry will also feature a “Thank You Heroes” message on the car to honor those that have been fighting and continue to fight the Covid-19 pandemic around the United States and the world.

o The ATOMIC Compact Series ™ is an addition to the 20V MAX* system, which is DEWALT’s largest cordless platform with 200+ products.

- Where Size Meets Power, the ATOMIC™ Compact Series combines performance and durability in a compact format for a variety of applications.

600 MILES OF REMEMBRANCE: Continuing NASCAR’s tradition of honoring fallen military members during Memorial Day weekend, Jones will carry Richmond, VA native Private First Class Leslie D. Jackson of the United States Army on the No. 20 Camry. Private First Class Jackson was assigned to A Company, 115th Forward Support Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, Ft. Hood, TX, and was killed May 20, 2004, when her military vehicle hit an improvised explosive device as she was returning to Camp Eagle in Baghdad.
POINTS UPDATE: With his fifth-place finish in the Toyota 500(k) at Darlington Raceway, Jones gained two positions in the point standings to secure the 15th position.
DARLINGTON – TOYOTA 500(k) RECAP: Earning the 13th starting position for the Toyota 500(k), Jones was forced to drop to the back of the field before the green flag due to an unapproved adjustment on the starting grid. Focused on the leaders and improving the tight-handling condition of the No. 20 Camry, Jones was able to move in to the top 20 on lap 30 and cracked the top 10 at the start of stage two. Continuing to improve throughout the race, Jones took the lead on lap 134 and led 27 laps before contact with the wall changed the handling of his car. During the closing laps, Jones slipped to fifth before a late race caution waved and before NASCAR could restart the race, rain forced the race to end 20 laps short. Jones was credited with a fifth-place finish.
RACE INFO: The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway is scheduled for Sunday, May 24, 2020. Coverage will begin at 6:00 p.m. ET on FOX, Sirius XM Channel 90 and PRN Radio.

Jones Career NASCAR Cup Series Stats at Charlotte Motor Speedway:

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
4	0	0	1	0	0	15.8	20.8

Jones 2020 Season NASCAR Cup Series Stats:

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
6	0	1	3	0	27	17.2	15.3

Jones Career NASCAR Cup Series Stats:

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
117	2	25	52	2	609	13.4	15.9

From the Driver’s Seat: Erik Jones

How does this solid start bode well for you as we head into Charlotte?

“I think it’s good. We’ve done a good job at these first two with no practice. I think we can continue down that path. I’ve been putting a lot of work in the simulator and been trying to get things close for when we fire off on race day in the race. It’s been paying off. I’m going to continue that trend. Hopefully, we can keep bringing good cars to the track to start the race and I’ll keep having shots to go out and win. Charlotte’s been good to us. We’ve had some issues there, but we’ve had some really fast cars. Hopefully, we can finish a few spots better than we did at Darlington.”

About DEWALT

DEWALT is obsessed with how users work in the real world and is relentlessly pursuing total jobsite solutions. By incorporating its latest technology and industry innovations, DEWALT is leading the charge for the jobsite of the future. DEWALT products. GUARANTEED TOUGH®. For more information, visit www.dewalt.com or follow DEWALT on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Chase Briscoe Wins at Darlington

by MikeMay 22, 2020

HighPoint.com/Ford Performance Racing School Driver Takes Championship Points Lead

Date: May 21, 2020

Event: Darlington 200 (Round 5 of 33)

Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series

Location: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (1.366-mile oval)

Format: 147 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/45 laps/57 laps)

Start/Finish: 11th/1st (Running, completed 147 of 147 laps)

Point Standing: 1st (223 points, 19 ahead of second)

Race Winner: Chase Briscoe of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Winner: Noah Gragson of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 2 Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Overview:

Chase Briscoe beat one of the best drivers in NASCAR to score his fourth career Xfinity Series victory and his second this season. The driver of the No. 98 HighPoint.com/Ford Performance Racing School Mustang started 11th for the 200-lap race around the 1.366-mile oval and ran consistently among the top-10 through the race’s first 90 laps. A quick pit stop on lap 91 for four tires and field allowed Briscoe to restart in second place on lap 96. The 25-year-old driver from Mitchell, Indiana, promptly took the lead, pacing the field for the next 34 laps. A caution on lap 133 allowed Briscoe to pit one final time for fresh tires and fuel, and another lightning-fast stop put Briscoe in the lead for the lap-138 restart. This set up a battle between Briscoe and Busch, the winningest driver in Xfinity Series history with 96 career victories. But Briscoe would not be denied, crossing the finish line first in a fender-scraping, tire-rubbing duel where the margin of victory was just .086 of a second.

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 98 HighPoint.com/Ford Performance Racing School Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“This is the best thing that could happen, honestly. For those that don’t know, we had a miscarriage Tuesday of our daughter and, to be honest with you, I wasn’t sure what racing we would do. God is so good. Earlier when I got dressed, I prayed that whatever His will is, just let it be done today. I knew He was going to have a high because of the low, and it’s just unbelievable to win here at Darlington and to beat Kyle Busch doing it.

“I just kept making a lot of mistakes on the final lap. Emotionally, I wasn’t there. Getting into turn one, I knew that there was no way he was going to drive in deeper than me. I wasn’t going to let it happen. Kyle was gracious enough to at least leave me a little bit of a lane and it was a heck of a race. This is the number one win. Honestly, winning the Daytona 500 couldn’t even top the feeling of the ups and downs. This is what my family needed and what my wife needed.

“This has been the hardest week I’ve ever had to deal with. At the initial start, I was all over the place emotionally, and then when I had the lead with 50 to go, I was just making so many mistakes because I was literally crying inside the racecar. There’s nothing else to say other than God is just so glorious. Obviously, I’m happy to get HighPoint.com and Ford Performance Racing School in victory lane, but this is more than a race win. This is the biggest day of my life after the toughest day in my life, and to be able to beat the best there is, is so satisfying.”

Notes:

● The win gave Briscoe the lead in the championship standings. He holds a 19-point advantage over second-place Harrison Burton.

● This was Briscoe’s 55th career Xfinity Series start, but only his second at Darlington. He finished sixth in last year’s race.

● Briscoe led three times for 45 laps.

● Briscoe finished eighth in Stage 1 to earn three bonus points and fourth in Stage 2 to earn an additional seven bonus points.

● There were five caution periods for a total of 28 laps.

● Twenty-four of the 39 drivers in the Darlington 200 finished on the lead lap.

Next Up:

The next event on the Xfinity Series schedule is the Alsco 300 on Monday, May 25 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Today. Tomorrow. Toyota Racing: Daniel Suárez Toyota 500k Race Report from Darlington

by MikeMay 21, 2020

Date: May 20, 2020

Event: Toyota 500k

Series: NASCAR Cup Series

Location: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (1.366-mile oval)

Format: 228 laps, broken into three stages (60 laps/65 laps/103 laps)

Start/Finish: 25th / 27th (Running, completed 207 of 208 laps)

Point Standing: 30th with 54 points, 204 out of first

Note: Race called official 20 laps short of its scheduled 228-lap distance due to rain.

Race Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Winner: Clint Bowyer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 2 Winner: Clint Bowyer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-60):

● Started 25th, finished 30th.

● The opening lap saw Suárez drop a position as the green flag flew, then restart 23rd on lap seven after the day’s first caution period, then fall back to 27th when the caution flag flew again on lap 10. He said the Today. Tomorrow. Toyota Camry lacked overall grip even though it was turning well in the opening laps.

● Suárez restarted 34th after right-side wedge and air pressure adjustments enabled him to pick up five spots by the time a scheduled competition caution period arrived on lap 25. He restarted 30th after the competition caution and held that position to the end of the segment while reporting the car was “a little better balanced.”

● A solid four-tire pit stop, during which the No. 96 Toyota crew made just air pressure adjustments, enabled Suárez to pick up six spots and restart 24th to begin the second segment.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 60-125):

● Started 24th, finished 27.

● The segment restarted on lap 68 and the caution flag flew just six laps later. The team decided to gamble by keeping Suárez on track, and he restarted 12th on lap 76. But with most of the rest of the field having pitted for fresher tires, he dropped 16 positions over the next six laps before the caution flag flew once again.

● Suárez pitted for tires this time and restarted 25th. He dropped two positions over the next 21 laps before the next caution, reporting the Today. Tomorrow. Toyota struggled on short runs but seemed to improve on longer runs. He also said he was surprised the track grew more free as the race progressed to that point, rather than get tighter as is typical during nighttime racing at Darlington.

● He restarted 27th on lap 113 and held that position to the end of the stage. The team made a multitude of adjustments during the break – air pressure, wedge, track bar – in an effort to tighten up the car.

Stage 3 Recap (Laps 126-228):

● Started 27th, finished 27th.

● Suárez held his relative position throughout the final stage, which started with the longest green-flag run of the night – 46 laps.

● He was called to the pits under green on lap 175 while working his way up to 17th as one of the last cars to cycle through green-flag stops. One lap later, the caution flag flew, and he restarted on lap 185 in 28th, one lap down.

● The yellow flag flew again on lap 195, and Suárez pitted from 28th for fresh tires and adjustments to counter those that were made during the prior segment break in an effort to free up the car.

● Suárez gained a position to 27th before rain began to fall and the red flag flew on lap 208. Officials called the race shortly thereafter, 20 laps short of its scheduled 228-lap distance.

Daniel Suárez, driver of the No. 96 Today. Tomorrow. Toyota Camry for Gaunt Brothers Racing:

“We are building, so from that standpoint, I think Dave (Winston, crew chief) and the team did a good job. Compared to Sunday, I think we brought a lot more speed with our Today. Tomorrow. Toyota Camry this time. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to capitalize. I was surprised from the early to the middle part of the race how the car was getting more and more free. Darlington is a track that always gets tighter and tighter as the race goes. I thought the loose car actually seemed to be working for us on the longer runs. Then we made some big changes in the middle part of the race and the car got too tight. We were kind of stuck with that because of the long run. Other than that, I feel like we’re heading in the right direction. The car had more raw speed tonight even though the balance wasn’t as good as we would like it to be. We just need to keep building.”

Race Notes:

● This was the first NASCAR Cup Series race to be held on a Wednesday in 36 years. The last time: July 4, 1984 when Richard Petty scored his 200th career victory at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

● Denny Hamlin won the Toyota 500k to score his 39th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his third at Darlington.

● There were 11 caution periods for a total of 54 laps.

● Only 23 of the 39 drivers in the Toyota 500k finished on the lead lap.

● Kevin Harvick remains the championship leader after Darlington with a 34-point advantage over second-place Joey Logano.

Next Up:

The next NASCAR Cup Series event for Suárez and the Gaunt Brothers Racing team is the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 24 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The race starts at 6 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

HaasTooling.com Racing: Cole Custer Darlington 500k Race Report

by MikeMay 21, 2020

Date: May 20, 2020

Event: Darlington 500k

Series: NASCAR Cup Series

Location: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (1.366-mile oval)

Format: 228 laps, broken into three stages (60 laps/65 laps/83 laps)

Start/Finish: 22nd/31st (Running, completed 206 of 208 laps)

Point Standing: 24th with 88 points, 170 out of first

Note: Race called official 20 laps short of its scheduled 228-lap distance due to rain.

Race Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Winner: Clint Bowyer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 2 Winner: Clint Bowyer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-60):

● Cole Custer started 22nd and finished 17th.

● Custer climbed to 18th in the opening laps reporting his HaasTooling.com Mustang was a little loose.

● During the lap-25 competition caution Custer pitted his Ford for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help his tight condition. He restarted 17th on lap 31.

● The HaasTooling.com Mustang ended the stage 17th.

● A penalty for an uncontrolled tire during the stage break pit stop sent Custer to the rear of the field for the start of Stage 2.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 61-125):

● Custer started 30th and finished 34th.

● The 22-year-old pitted from 28th for fuel, four tires and adjustments to help with his tight-handling Mustang at lap 72.

● Custer moved from 23rd to fifth when he stayed on the track during the lap 83 caution.

● The California native made contact with the outside wall on lap 107, bringing out a caution.

● He pitted twice to repair damage on the right side and change four tires.

● Custer restarted 32nd on lap 112, one lap down and completed the stage 34th, one lap down.

● The HaasTooling.com driver pitted during the Stage 2 break for more repairs to his Mustang.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 126-208):

● Custer started 34th and finished 31st.

● Custer lost a second lap during the long green flag run to open the stage.

● With the caution out on lap 179 he pitted from 33rd for four tires, fuel and adjustments.

● The rookie driver restarted 32nd on lap 186 and was 33rd at the lap 195 caution.

● The final caution was displayed for an accident on lap 201 with Custer in the 33rd spot.

● Rain ended the race on lap 208 – 20 laps short of the schedule distance.

Notes:

● Custer made his ninth career NASCAR Cup Series start and just his second at Darlington.

● Denny Hamlin won the Darlington 500k to score his 39th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his third at Darlington.

● There were 11 caution periods for a total of 54 laps.

● Only 23 of the 39 drivers in the Darlington 500k finished on the lead lap.

● Harvick remains the championship leader after Darlington with a two-point advantage over second-place Joey Logano.

Cole Custer, Driver of the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“We definitely had a lot better to start tonight at Darlington in the HaasTooling.com Mustang. We just had some bad luck and damage which made for a long night. We’ll move on to the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday. ”

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 24 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The race starts at 6 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Mobil 1 Racing: Kevin Harvick Darlington 500k Race Report

by MikeMay 21, 2020

Date: May 20, 2020

Event: Darlington 500k

Series: NASCAR Cup Series

Location: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (1.336-mile oval)

Format: 228 laps, broken into three stages (60 laps/65 laps/103 laps)

Start/Finish: 20th/3rd (Running, completed 208 of 208 laps)

Point Standing: (1st with 258 points, 34 points ahead of Joey Logano)

Note: Race called official 20 laps short of its scheduled 228-lap distance due to rain.

Race Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Winner: Clint Bowyer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 2 Winner: Clint Bowyer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-60):

● Kevin Harvick started 20th and finished 15th.

● During the competition caution, Harvick brought the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang to pit road for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment and raised the track bar one round.

● The changes did not work for Harvick as the car had no rear grip.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 61-125):

● Harvick started 14th and finished fifth, earning six bonus points.

● On lap 64, Harvick brought the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang to pit road for four tire, fuel a tire pressure and track bar adjustment. The crew went back on their adjustments.

● On lap 73, Harvick pitted for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment.

● Harvick got by leader Martin Truex Jr., for the lead on lap 98.

● On lap 109, Harvick pitted for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment. Said rear grip was good, but the front end needed some work.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 126-228):

● Harvick started fifth and finished third.

● On lap 128, Harvick, pitted for four tires and fuel. Was the first car off pit road.

● While running third on lap 159, Harvick radioed that his car was “plowing tight.”

● With 56 laps to go, Harvick had fallen from third to eighth.

● On lap 175, Harvick brought the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang to pit road for four tires, fuel and two rounds up on the track bar. He was ninth when he pitted.

● Harvick pitted on lap 195 for four tires, fuel and one round up on the track bar. Was the first car off pit road.

● He restarted third, but fell to fourth and was running there when third-place Kyle Busch’s car made contact with second-place Chase Elliott. The No. 9 of Elliott made contact with the SAFER Barrier on the inside wall and then rain starting falling which ended the race with Harvick back in third place.

Notes:

● Denny Hamlin won the Darlington 500k to score his 39th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his third at Darlington.

● There were 11 caution periods for a total of 54 laps.

● Only 23 of the 39 drivers in the Darlington 500k finished on the lead lap.

● Harvick remains the championship leader after Darlington with a 34-point advantage over second-place Joey Logano.

● Harvick earned his fourth top-five and sixth top-10 of the season, and his 10th top-five and 14th top-10 in 25 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Darlington.

● Harvick is the only NASCAR Cup Series driver to have finished in the top-10 in all six races this season.

● This is Harvick’s third straight top-three. He finished second March 8 at Phoenix Raceway and won last Sunday at Darlington in The Real Heroes 400.

● This is Harvick’s fourth straight top-five and ninth straight top-10 at Darlington.

● Harvick has never finished outside the top-10 at Darlington since joining SHR in 2014, a streak that began with a win in the 2014 Southern 500.

● Harvick finished fifth in Stage 2 to earn six bonus points.

● Harvick led once for 10 laps to increase his laps-led total at Darlington to 750.

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“We had to start 20th and battled kind of an ill-balanced car tonight. The track conditions were just a lot different. We made some adjustments going into the race. Just couldn’t get the front of the car to turn. Every time we tried to adjust the back, it would just take the back out. We never could get the front of the car to turn. Had to use a lot more throttle tonight. The things I could do with the car Sunday, I couldn’t do tonight. They kept clawing and fighting. In the end we had a great pit stop on the last pit stop, were in position to have a chance to win the race there, and it rained. The whole night we wound up restarting on the bottom of the racetrack. We’d lose three or four spots every time we’d restart. Definitely didn’t get the good end of the draw on the restarts. In the end our Mobil 1 guys did a great job of just battling. Sometimes you have great nights, sometimes you have nights you have to battle. It was a good two days in Darlington for us.”

Next Up:

Denny Hamlin FedEx Racing Express Facts – Virtual Richmond Raceway

by MikeApril 16, 2020April 16, 2020

Denny Hamlin

#11 “Thank you FedEx team members” Toyota

Joe Gibbs Racing

Virtual Race Info:

Race: Toyota Owners Pro Invitational

Date/Time: Sunday, April 19/1 p.m. ET

Race Distance: 150 Laps

Track Length: 0.75 miles

Track Shape: Oval

Banking: 14 degrees

Express Notes:

eNASCAR Bristol Recap: Denny Hamlin clawed his way from the back of the pack to a fourth-place finish in the April 5 eNASCAR Pro Invitational Series event at virtual Bristol Motor Speedway, earning a top-five in the “Thank you FedEx team members” Toyota. The event was the third in the iRacing video simulation series and the first featuring heat races before the main event. Hamlin spun and incurred damage during his 50-lap heat race, relegating him to the back of the starting grid. Rolling off 26th for the 150-lap main event, he raced with the damage for much of the day, gradually making his way toward the front. Once he reached the top 10, Hamlin used a fast repair – one of two “resets” allowed – to fix his FedEx Camry and give him a chance to race the leaders. He gained six more positions in the remaining laps but never caught up with the dominant car of William Byron, who led most of the day and won the race.

eNASCAR Richmond Preview: After a top-five finish at virtual Bristol, Hamlin will climb back into his iRacing rig on Sunday at his simulated hometown track of Richmond Raceway. Hamlin will look to add another win to his Pro Invitational Series run, in which he has one win and two top-five finishes through three races.

Hamlin and FedEx Provide Food Bank Donation: Ahead of this weekend’s eNASCAR event in Richmond, Hamlin and FedEx will donate more than 60,000 meals to the Chesterfield, Va., Food Bank. The Chesterfield Food Bank has seen an increase in demand since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, and the donation to the community in Hamlin’s hometown will provide much needed support. The 60,000 meals donated will provide food to more than 4,400 Chesterfield families for a week.

FedEx “Thank You” Paint Scheme: For Sunday’s eNASCAR event at virtual Richmond, the #11 car will pay tribute to the 475,000 FedEx team members who are working to deliver shipments around the world safely and securely during the COVID-19 pandemic. A special “Thank You” FedEx paint scheme will recognize all the FedEx team members who are working hard to deliver critical medical supplies and equipment to the healthcare community as well as basic goods to people at home.

Hamlin Conversation – Virtual Richmond:

What led you to making the donation to the Richmond Food Bank?

“Chesterfield will always be my home, so during these unprecedented and difficult times, we wanted to provide assistance to people in the community. I am grateful to FedEx for supporting a community that is so close to my heart. The people of Chesterfield are in my thoughts, and I know we will come through this stronger than before.”

You’ve been to Victory Lane at the real Richmond Raceway. Do you think you can do it virtually?

“Obviously, iRacing isn’t exactly the same as being behind the wheel of our real FedEx Camry, but it’s about as close as you can get using simulations. We’ve got one win already in this iRacing series, so I definitely think we can do it again.”

DATE	EVENT	LOCATION	START	FINISH	LAPS	STATUS	LED
Mar. 22	Dixie Vodka 150	Homestead	9	1	100/100	Running	14
Mar. 29	O’Reilly 125	Texas	17	24	125/125	Running	0
Apr. 5	Food City Showdown	Bristol	26	4	150/150	Running	0
*Averages/Totals*			*17.3*	*9.6*	*100%*		14

Cherry Vanilla Coke Racing: Daniel Suárez Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 at Atlanta Preview

by MikeMarch 12, 2020

MOORESVILLE, North Carolina (March 11, 2020) – Daniel Suárez and the iconic Coca-Cola brand have enjoyed a fun and flavorful relationship dating back to the Mexican driver’s first full season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2015. They celebrated an Xfinity Series championship together in 2016, and their partnership has grown to be as strong as ever through what is now Suárez’s fourth season in the top-tier NASCAR Cup Series.

This weekend, Suárez will help introduce a brand new flavor combination when he gets behind the wheel of his No. 96 Cherry Vanilla Coke Toyota for Gaunt Brothers Racing (GBR) during the Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, just down the road from Coca-Cola headquarters.

Cherry Vanilla Coke may be the newest addition to the company’s product lineup, but research shows it’s a pair of flavors its fans have combined on their own using the already existing Cherry Coke and Vanilla Coke products – the equivalent of more than 105 million cans of “Cherry Vanilla Coke” since 2017. That’s nearly a can a minute over a three-year span, and the research shows the combination has proven to be most popular on Christmas Day and the month of April.

With their racecar adorned with the colorful Cherry Vanilla Coke paint scheme, one of the newest driver-and-team combinations in the NASCAR Cup Series – Suárez and GBR – look to continue their inaugural, full-season run together at the fast, 1.5-mile Atlanta oval. They’re coming off the annual three-race West Coast Swing, where they showed steady progress with finishes of 30th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 28th at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, and 21st at Phoenix Raceway.

This weekend, they’ll take to the track where, in his three previous Cup Series appearances, Suárez has a best start of fourth in 2018 with Joe Gibbs Racing and a best finish of 10th from the fifth starting position last season with Stewart-Haas Racing. In two Xfinity Series outings at Atlanta, both with the Gibbs team, he has a best start of third and best finish of seventh, both en route to the series title in 2016. In a pair of NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series races at Atlanta, he has a best start and finish of fourth in 2015 driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

Crew chief Dave Winston, a native of Miami, Florida, and a veteran of 62 Cup Series races atop the pitbox, called the shots at two previous races at Atlanta. He collaborated with driver Alex Bowman in the No. 23 BK Racing Toyota in the 2014 race, starting 30th and finishing 35th. His driver Michael McDowell started 32nd and finished 33rd in the 2016 race driving the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing entry.

This weekend marks the second Atlanta Cup Series start for the No. 96 GBR Toyota. In the 2019 race, driver Parker Kligerman drove it to a 30th-place finish from the 34th starting position.

With the colors of the exciting new flavor combination adorning his racecar and firesuit and a legion of Coca-Cola associates and guests rooting them on at their home track, Suárez and his GBR teammates hope to take a giant step forward this weekend at Atlanta after showing steady progress in their first four weekends together this season.

Daniel Suárez: Driver of the No. 96 Cherry Vanilla Coke Toyota Camry for Gaunt Brothers Racing:

You’re introducing the brand new Cherry Vanilla Coke flavor combination at Atlanta this weekend. What does that mean to you?

“Coca-Cola has supported me since 2015 and it’s definitely an honor to be representing such an iconic brand that’s so popular all over the world. I grew up enjoying Coca-Cola in Mexico and I never dreamed I’d be driving a racecar for them in the U.S. It’s very exciting to have the unique Cherry Vanilla Coke paint scheme on my racecar and on my firesuit this weekend. We’ll be doing a lot of really cool things with the Coca-Cola folks this week, leading up to the race. We’ll also have an on-board camera on our racecar all weekend. So I hope we can give them our best result of the season on Sunday.”

What’s the key to posting a good result at Atlanta Motor Speedway?

“It’s a very fast mile-and-a-half oval and the surface is very old and very hard on the tires. So you have to have a well-balanced racecar that will make it possible to get the most out of your tire wear each run. You can usually run the top and the bottom of the racetrack, so you have to find where you’re going to get the most out of the car. All of that is why the races at Atlanta are always so exciting.”

You and the team nearly scored your first top-20 finish in just your fourth race weekend together Sunday at Phoenix. How do you feel about the progress you and the team have been making?

“The best thing about this team is all the great support we are getting from Coca-Cola, CommScope and Toyota, and we know that there will be a day when we will be competing for race wins with them. It’s obviously very early and everyone has very realistic expectations, considering this is a one-car team that is running the full season for the first time. I’ve said all along that the goal is to go out every weekend and do better than we did last weekend. So far, the results at the end of the race have shown that. But, believe me, it’s a very challenging process and we just have to keep working hard.”

No. 96 Cherry Vanilla Coke Toyota Camry Team Report
Race 5 of 36 – Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 – Atlanta

Car No. 96: Cherry Vanilla Coke Toyota Camry

At Track PR Contact: Laz Denes with True Speed Communication (Laz.Denes@TrueSpeedCommunication.com)

Primary Team:

Driver: Daniel Suárez

Hometown: Monterrey, Mexico

Crew Chief: Dave Winston

Hometown: Miami, Florida

Car Chief: Mark Hillman

Hometown: Lockport, New York

Engine Specialist: Kirk Butterfield

Hometown: Carrollton, Ohio

Engine Builder: Toyota Racing Development

Headquarters: Costa Mesa, California

Spotter: Steve Barkdoll

Hometown: Garrison, Iowa

Over-The-Wall Crew:

Gas Man: Cory White

Hometown: Vinson, Iowa

Front Tire Changer: Mike Mead

Hometown: Sherrills Ford, North Carolina

Rear Tire Changer: Brandon Traino

Hometown: Cherry Hill, New Jersey

Tire Carrier: Mason Harris

Hometown: Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia

Jackman: Joel Bouagnon

Hometown: St. Charles, Illinois

Windshield: Mark Hillman

Hometown: Lockport, New York

Road Crew:

Truck Driver: Gary “Turtle” Clem

Hometown: Eaton, Ohio

Shock Specialist: David Stillman

Hometown: Appleton, Wisconsin

Mechanic: Evan Snider

Hometown: Scottdale, Pennsylvania

Tire Specialist: Liz Prestella

Hometown: South Lake Tahoe, California

Mechanic: Cory White

Hometowns: Vinson, Iowa

Mechanic: Glenn “Cheeseburger” Hilchey

Hometown: Bennington, Vermont

Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 at Atlanta Notes of Interest:

After piloting the No. 19 NASCAR Cup Series Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2017 and 2018, then the No. 41 Cup Series entry for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2019, Suárez has joined the single-car No. 96 Toyota Camry effort for Gaunt Brothers Racing (GBR) for the full 2020 season.
Suárez will make his 112th career NASCAR Cup Series start in Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 on the 1.5-mile oval at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He has career totals of eight top-five finishes, 32 top-10s and 241 laps led, with an average start of 15.6 and an average finish of 17.3. He also has qualified on the pole twice.
In three previous Cup Series outings at Atlanta, Suárez has a best start of fourth in 2018, when he finished 15th in his Gibbs Toyota, and a best finish of 10th from the fifth starting position last year in his Stewart-Haas entry.
In a pair of NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Atlanta, Suárez scored a best start of third and a best finish of seventh in his most recent outing en route to the 2016 series championship for the Gibbs team.
He also has a pair of NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series outings at Atlanta with a best start and finish of fourth, both in 2015 driving the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota.
Suárez competed from 2009 through 2014 in the NASCAR Peak Mexico Series. In 76 starts, he earned 10 victories, 26 top-five finishes, 39 top-10s and qualified on the pole 13 times. He had an average start of 8.7, an average finish of 12.4, led 1,216 laps, and had best finishes of second and third in the season standings in 2013 and 2012, respectively.
Crew chief Dave Winston, a native of Miami, Florida, and a veteran of 62 Cup Series races atop the pit box, called the shots at two previous races at Atlanta. He collaborated with driver Alex Bowman in the No. 23 BK Racing Toyota in the 2014 race, starting 30th and finishing 35th. His driver Michael McDowell started 32nd and finished 33rd in the 2016 race driving the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing entry.
This weekend marks the second Atlanta Cup Series start for the No. 96 Gaunt Brothers Toyota. In the 2019 race, driver Parker Kligerman drove to 30th-place finish from the 34th starting position.
At last Sunday’s FanShield 500k on the Phoenix Raceway mile oval, Suárez started 31st and finished 21st. Suárez arrives at Atlanta 31st in the Cup Series standings, 132 points out of first.
Coca-Cola and CommScope continue their respective partnerships with Suárez at Gaunt Brothers Racing. The iconic Coca-Cola brand has been with Suárez since 2015 when he won the Xfinity Series rookie-of-the-year title. CommScope, a leader in communication network technology, has been with Suárez through its ARRIS and Ruckus Networks brands since 2014, when he first competed in the Xfinity Series.