Chase Briscoe: Darlington NASCAR Xfinity Series Advance No. 98 HighPoint.com/Ford Performamce Racing School Ford Mustang

Chase Briscoe: Darlington NASCAR Xfinity Series Advance  No. 98 HighPoint.com/Ford Performamce Racing School Ford Mustang
NASCAR Xfinity Series Overview
 

Event:  Darlington 200 (Round 5 of 33)
Date:  May 19, 2020
Location:  Darlington Raceway
Layout:  1.366-mile oval

 

Chase Briscoe Notes of Interest
 

•  The Darlington 200 is the fifth event of the 33-race NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule. It will mark the first event for the Xfinity Series since racing went on hiatus following the March 7 LS Tractor 200 at Phoenix Raceway.

 

•  Racing was forced into hibernation by the COVID-19 pandemic, but Briscoe made sure he stayed sharp. The 25-year-old from Mitchell, Indiana, competed in numerous iRacing events on both asphalt and dirt track tracks, and when he wasn’t in his sim rig, Briscoe was mastering the art of hibachi-style cooking and knocking out home-improvement projects while keeping up with his two French bulldogs, Ricky and Callie.

 

•  Briscoe comes into Darlington second in the championship standings, just three points behind series leader Harrison Burton. Briscoe has three top-10 finishes this season, highlighted by a win Feb. 23 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

 

•  Briscoe has just one NASCAR start at Darlington. It came in last year’s Xfinity Series race when Briscoe started fifth and finished sixth in the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200.

 

•  Briscoe won the 2019 rookie-of-the-year title in the Xfinity Series and is racing for a championship in 2020. He is a three-time winner in the Xfinity Series and the 2016 ARCA Racing Series champion. Briscoe finished fifth in the Xfinity Series championship standings last year, narrowly missing out on advancing to the Championship 4 and competing for the series title.

 

•  Briscoe shed his rookie stripe upon the conclusion of last season, but he and wife Marissa will soon be rookies together as they are expecting their first child in December following their first-year wedding anniversary.

 

•  Briscoe can look to his crew chief, Richard Boswell, for veteran leadership when it comes to parenting. Boswell and wife Ashley welcomed their fourth child in March. Warner joins sisters Elizabeth, Grace and Juliette.

 

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 98 HighPoint.com/Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang
 

Were you able to learn anything from watching Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race that will help for when you take the green flag on Tuesday?

“I felt like I learned a little, but I think I’ll learn the most after talking to the Cup guys. Track conditions will likely be a little different for us with our race starting later. The more information we can get for our HighPoint.com/Ford Performance Racing School Mustang, the better since we’re running what we unload. It looked like each of the Stewart-Haas Racing cars was strong at some point in the race, with Kevin Harvick being the strongest at the end, so I think we can get some good feedback from our teammates.”

 

You spent a lot of time iRacing during the sport’s hiatus. While it’s not the same thing as real racing, do you feel like it kept your mind and reflexes sharp?

“Doing any type of racing keeps you sharp and in the right state of mind, and iRacing is, for sure, a part of that. There’s so much similarity between how you drive a track on iRacing and in real life. If you lose your focus for a second, that could mean a mistake that costs you or someone else a good finish, and I think we saw a lot of that in some of the Saturday Night Thunder races.”

 

How difficult is it to race at Darlington, even when you have plenty of track time beforehand?

“What makes it tough is it’s just so different from every track we go to. The groove, the surface and the shape are unlike any on the schedule, and it’s so narrow. You’ve got to take care of your tires or you aren’t going to be able to make any moves for position and move around on the racetrack to find speed. Under the lights at Darlington is going to be different, for sure. It’s easy to make mistakes – we saw that on Sunday – so patience is going to be the most important thing. I’m ready to be back in the HighPoint.com/Ford Performance Racing School Mustang and I’m ready for the challenge of Darlington.”

 

Chase Briscoe Darlington Performance Profile
 

 

No. 98 HighPoint.com/Ford Performance Racing School Team Roster
Primary Team Members:

 

Driver: Chase Briscoe

Hometown: Mitchell, Indiana

 

Crew Chief: Richard Boswell

Hometown: Friendship, Maryland

 

Car Chief: Nick Hutchins

Hometown: Columbia, South Carolina

 

Engine Tuner: Craig Hermann

Hometown: Albany, New York

 

Spotter: Tim Fedewa

Hometown: Holt, Michigan

Over-The-Wall Crew:

 

Front Tire Changer: Ryan Mulder

Hometown: Sioux Center, Iowa

 

Rear Tire Changer: Chris Jackson

Hometown: Fort Mill, South Carolina

 

Tire Carrier: Jon Bernal

Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

 

Fueler: Andrew Migliozzi

Hometown: Westborough, Massachusetts

 

Jackman: Sean Cotten

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

 
About HighPoint
 

HighPoint is a leading IT infrastructure and solutions company. With its customer-centric, results-driven approach to digital transformation, you get technology that works, delivered by people you want to work with. HighPoint builds lasting relationships with clients, employees and partners based on honesty, integrity, trust and a mutual commitment to growth and success. The company, founded in 1996, is a minority-owned business headquartered in Sparta, New Jersey, serving markets in the tri-state region and southeastern United States, with a presence in Charlotte, North Carolina, and overseas in London. To contact us or learn more about our solutions, please visit www.HighPoint.com.

 

About Ford Performance Racing School
 

The Ford Performance Racing School is based in Tooele, Utah, approximately 30 minutes southwest of Salt Lake City, and has operations in Tooele and Concord, North Carolina. Along with high-performance driving instruction, the school conducts tire-training courses for BFGoodrich and Michelin, as well as product-focused experiential driving programs for owners of Ford Performance vehicles at no charge. Ford Performance Racing School is the only school to wear the Ford oval. For more information, please visit us online at www.FordPerformanceRacingSchool.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/FordPerformanceRacingSchool, on Twitter at @FPRacingSchool, on Instagram at @FordPerformanceRacingSchool and on YouTube.

Chase Briscoe: Darlington NASCAR Xfinity Series Advance No. 98 HighPoint.com/Ford Performamce Racing School Ford Mustang Read More

Drydene Partners With Go Fas, LaJoie, for NASCAR’s Return at Darlington

Drydene Partners With Go Fas, LaJoie, for NASCAR’s Return at Darlington
The No. 32 Ford Mustang of Corey LaJoie will sport a new look when the NASCAR Cup Series returns this weekend at Darlington Raceway for the first race since early March. Drydene Performance Products will be on board LaJoie’s Ford, debuting an all-new red and white scheme for the 400-mile event.
Drydene offers a complete line of automotive, commercial and industrial lubricants, including engine oils, racing and break-in oils, DRF diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), transmission fluids, grease, and hydraulic & gear oils.  Drydene products are built with ALL Technology®, Advanced Lubricity Life chemistry, to meet and exceed today’s modern automotive, heavy duty and industrial needs.
“I’m glad we were able to take Drydene from virtual North Wilkesboro Speedway to another classic real track in Darlington Raceway,” said driver Corey LaJoie. “I’ve gotten to know Drydene as a group and a brand over the last couple of years and I love representing them. We’re all really excited to get back to the track after a few months off and I’m ready to get back after it!”
The company has sponsored LaJoie and the Go Fas Racing team in the past at Dover International Speedway and most recently on the virtual No. 32 in the iRacing Pro Invitational Series.
“Drydene is proud to expand our support of Corey LaJoie and the Go Fas team,” said Dave Klinger, President of Drydene Performance Products. “Corey is always an exciting driver to watch and he’s a huge asset to Team Drydene.  Like the rest of America, we can’t wait to see Corey and the sport of NASCAR make a safe return to the track at Darlington.”
Through the first four events of the season, LaJoie has one top-10 and sits 23rd in the standings.
For more information on Drydene Performance Products, visit www.Drydene.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @TeamDrydene.
Tune in to FOX at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 17 for NCS action from the historic Darlington Raceway.
————————————————————
About Our Team
About Drydene Performance Products
For over a century Drydene lubricants have been made in America and made to last, paving the way on our highways, in our fields and on the production line. And we’re still right here today doing what we do best; helping America Get the Job Done. Drydene products are built with ALL Technology®, Advanced Lubricity Life chemistry, to meet and exceed today’s modern automotive, heavy duty and industrial needs. Drydene offers a complete line of automotive, commercial and industrial lubricants, including engine oils, racing and break-in oils, DRF diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), transmission fluids, grease, and hydraulic & gear oils. For more information, visit www.drydene.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @TeamDrydene.
About Go Fas Racing: 
Go Fas Racing (GFR) currently fields Ford Mustangs in the NASCAR Cup Series for driver Corey LaJoie. Located in Mooresville, North Carolina, GFR has competed in the NASCAR’s premier series since 2014; fielding cars for some of NASCAR’s top drivers, including past champions. To find out more information about our team please visit www.GoFasRacing.com.
Stay up-to-date on Corey LaJoie:
To get live updates during the race weekends follow @coreylajoie on Instagram and Twitter. Make sure to give Corey a “like” on Facebook – “@CoreyLaJoieRacing”. For a detailed bio and updated in-season statistics, please visit www.coreylajoieracing.com.
Drydene Partners With Go Fas, LaJoie, for NASCAR’s Return at Darlington Read More

McDowell to Race with CarParts.com at Darlington

McDowell to Race with CarParts.com at Darlington
New Front Row Motorsports Partner Helps Navigate NASCAR’s Return to Racing
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 13, 2020) – CarParts.com, an e-commerce auto parts retailer specializing in collision, repair, and maintenance parts, has teamed up with Front Row Motorsports (FRM) for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season. The California-based company will be the primary partner of veteran driver Michael McDowell in the NASCAR Cup Series’ return to racing at Darlington Raceway on May 17 and 20. FRM, McDowell and Sunoco Rookie of The Year candidate John Hunter Nemechek are all excited for the partnership and will be representing CarParts.com through social media and other marketing assets throughout the season.
The events at Darlington will serve as the much-anticipated return to racing and one of the first live sporting events on FOX in several weeks. The NASCAR Cup Series has not competed on track since March 8, due to the impact of the novel coronavirus.

Getting drivers back on the road, especially when we need essential workers to get back to work, is a driving force that has naturally fueled CarParts.com’s partnership with FRM. Established in 1999, CarParts.com has helped millions of drivers across the United States fix their cars and keep their vehicles running. With an easy-to-navigate, mobile-friendly website and vehicle selector, CarParts.com offers customers guaranteed fitment and an ultimately convenient online shopping experience. To date, the online retailer has delivered over 50 million parts straight to customers’ doors all across America.

“NASCAR fans understand the value of performance and they understand the importance of good-skilled competition even in difficult times,” said Lev Peker, CEO of CarParts.com and its parent company, US Auto Parts. “We are grateful for the opportunity to align with Front Row Motorsports and Michael McDowell to do our part and help reintroduce NASCAR back to fans who have been eagerly anticipating its return.”

“I’m looking forward to getting back on track this weekend with CarParts.com,” said McDowell. “Being one of the first live sporting events to return is not something any of us are taking lightly. We’re doing everything we can from both the team side and the sanctioning body to put on a good show while making sure that all participants and their families are staying safe. Our No. 34 Ford Mustang is going to look and run great on the track, and we’re ready to work hard.”

The No. 34 CarParts.com Ford Mustang will make its debut at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, May 17. The NASCAR Cup Series race will air at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and MRN.

For more information, visit CarParts.com.
About CarParts.com
Established in 1999, CarParts.com is an e-commerce auto parts retailer that specializes in OE replacement collision, repair, and maintenance parts. With over 50 million parts delivered, we’ve helped millions of drivers across the United States find the right parts to fix their cars and keep their vehicles on the road. Our vehicle selector and easy-to-navigate, mobile-friendly website offer customers guaranteed fitment and a convenient online shopping experience. Paired with our 90-day return policy and satisfaction guarantee, CarParts.com makes it easier than ever to get the parts you need delivered straight to your door.

About Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields two full-time entries – the No. 34 of Michael McDowell and the No. 38 of John Hunter Nemechek – from its Mooresville, N.C., headquarters just outside of Charlotte. In 2020, the team announced an expansion to include the No. 38 Ford F-150 in the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series, driven by Todd Gilliland. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.
McDowell to Race with CarParts.com at Darlington Read More

Scag Power Equipment Joins Front Row Motorsports at Darlington

Scag Power Equipment Joins Front Row Motorsports at Darlington
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 12, 2020) – Front Row Motorsports (FRM) announced today that Scag Power Equipment, a leader in commercial-grade professional and premium residential lawn mowers, will join the organization as its newest partner. The company will be featured as the primary partner of Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender, John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 38 Ford Mustang team when the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Darlington Raceway on May 17 and 20.
The events at one of NASCAR’s most historic tracks will mark the first time the sport has competed since March 8, due to the impact of the novel coronavirus. It will also be one of the first live sports on FOX.
“We’ve been tasked with a huge responsibility, carrying the world of live sports into a new normal,” said Nemechek. “Our goal this weekend is to return to racing as safely as possible. Being able team up with a new partner such as Scag Power Equipment at Darlington gives us added motivation to restart the season on a positive note. Our No. 38 team is ready to work hard and perform at the top level, just like Scag’s mowers.”
Scag Power Equipment, a division of Metalcraft of Mayville, has been producing premium, heavy-duty mowers for its commercial and residential customers since 1983. Scag Power Equipment’s innovation and attention to quality is known and respected throughout the power equipment industry. Mowers and accessories are designed to be user friendly, with an emphasis on quality, performance, ease of maintenance, profitability and long life.
Scag is no stranger to the world of motorsports, though this weekend will mark the company’s debut at the NASCAR Cup Series level.
“We’re thankful for the opportunity to participate in NASCAR’s return to racing with Front Row Motorsports and John Hunter Nemechek,” said Chris Frame, President of Scag Power Equipment. “It’s truly an honor to play a small part in helping the rest of the world get back on its feet in these difficult times. We’re looking forward to seeing the No. 38 car carrying our colors on track.”
The No. 38 Scag Power Equipment Ford Mustang will make its debut at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, May 17. The NASCAR Cup Series race will air at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and MRN.

For more information about Scag Power Equipment, visit Scag.com.

About Scag Power Equipment
Scag Power Equipment, a division of Metalcraft of Mayville Inc., is one of the largest independent manufacturers of commercial lawn mowing equipment in the United States. Metalcraft of Mayville Inc., an ISO 9001:2008 Registered company, manufactures products in its three facilities, totaling over 850,000 square feet, located in Mayville, West Bend, and Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.

About Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields two full-time entries – the No. 34 of Michael McDowell and the No. 38 of John Hunter Nemechek – from its Mooresville, N.C., headquarters just outside of Charlotte. In 2020, the team announced an expansion to include the No. 38 Ford F-150 in the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series, driven by Todd Gilliland. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.
Scag Power Equipment Joins Front Row Motorsports at Darlington Read More

Gaunt Brothers Racing Hires Nick Ollila as Technical Director

Gaunt Brothers Racing Hires  Nick Ollila as Technical Director

Motorsports Veteran Joins NASCAR Team from Virgin Australia Supercars Championship

 

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 11, 2020) – Gaunt Brothers Racing, which fields the No. 96 Toyota Camry for driver Daniel Suárez in the NASCAR Cup Series, has hired Nick Ollila (pronounced Oh-li-lah) as its technical director, with the motorsports veteran overseeing the team’s engineering department.

Ollila comes to Gaunt Brothers Racing after a three-year stint as the technical director for Kelly Racing in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship. The Warren, Michigan-native returned to the United States late last week in time for the resumption of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, which begins May 17 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway as NASCAR becomes one of the first major North American sports to return to action since the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

“Nick brings considerable insight into what we’re doing with our current inventory of racecars and what we’ll be doing with our NextGen car in 2022,” said Marty Gaunt, president and CEO, Gaunt Brothers Racing. “He has deep experience in all forms of motorsports, specifically in embracing technology and managing people. Nick also has a strong rapport with our partner Toyota, as many of the people he worked with when he was at Red Bull are the same people there today. He’ll be able to hit the ground running, which is good, because with two to three races a week, we’re all going to be running.”

 

Gaunt first worked with Ollila in 1997 when the two were at Kranefuss-Haas Racing. Gaunt was the general manager of the NASCAR Cup Series team and Ollila was its chief engineer. Their NASCAR paths crossed again 10 years later when both worked at Red Bull Racing – Gaunt as general manager and Ollila as chief aerodynamicist.

 

“It’s the people who make the cars go, and Nick has been making cars go since the early ‘70s,” Gaunt said. “We’re lucky to have a lot of long-term employees who have been with us for 10 years, but scaling up from running a part-time schedule to a full schedule meant bringing in more people. Coming up with the recipe of having all the right people in all the right places isn’t easy, but Nick is a good chef.”

 

NASCAR is where Ollila has spent the bulk of his career, which includes being the drivetrain specialist at Rod Osterlund Racing in 1980 when Dale Earnhardt won the first of his seven NASCAR Cup Series championships.

 

“Motorsports is my passion, and I’m proud to have turned it into a career,” Ollila said. “I’ve spent time in a variety of racing series, but NASCAR is the one that intrigues me the most. The level of competition is unmatched, so success is very satisfying. I’ve known and worked with Marty Gaunt and many of the people at Gaunt Brothers Racing for years. They’ve got a great foundation and they’re building for the future, and I’m very happy to be a part of shaping that future.”

 

Ollila’s racing career began at Team Penske in 1972 as a mechanic. He prepared cars for each of the series in which the organization competed, a lineup that included INDYCAR, NASCAR, Can-Am, Formula 5000, sports cars and Formula One.

 

NASCAR became Ollila’s focus in late 1976. He joined DiGard Racing as the team’s drivetrain specialist, working with NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip until the end of the 1978 season, whereupon he went to work for Osterlund.

 

INDYCAR and Penske beckoned in 1982, and Ollila returned as the team’s engine builder, enjoying four championships (1982, 1983, 1985 and 1988) and four Indianapolis 500 victories (1984, 1985, 1987 and 1988).

 

That Penske connection led Ollila back to NASCAR in 1990, where he became the lead engineer for Hall of Fame driver Rusty Wallace. It was the beginning of a 20-year stint in NASCAR.

 

Ollila worked at Kranefuss-Haas Racing from 1995-1997 where he established and led the engineering and aerodynamics departments. He then went on to an eight-year career at Roush-Fenway Racing as its chief engineer and director of aerodynamics. In 2005, Ollila moved to Richard Childress Racing as its director of aerodynamics where he implemented Indoor GPS, a laser-based measuring system for large-scale metrology that was a first for the industry.

 

In September 2007, Ollila joined nascent Red Bull Racing as chief aerodynamicist. His efforts greatly aided the team’s development, a point punctuated by driver Brian Vickers scoring the outfit’s maiden victory in August 2009 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn and qualifying for the NASCAR Playoffs.

 

Ollila served as a consultant specializing in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and computer-aided design (CAD) from 2010-2016 before heading overseas to Australia, where his first stint was at Arise Racing. There, he was the operations manager and technical director, which segued to his role with Kelly Racing in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship in late 2017.

 

About Gaunt Brothers Racing:

Gaunt Brothers Racing (GBR) fields the No. 96 Toyota Camry for driver Daniel Suárez in the NASCAR Cup Series. The Mooresville, North Carolina-based team is owned by Marty Gaunt, the CEO of Triad Racing Technologies. Gaunt founded GBR in 2010, with his eponymous team starting out in the Canada-based NASCAR Pinty’s Series and the U.S.-based NASCAR K&N Pro Series. Its first driver, Jason Bowles, scored GBR’s maiden victory in the 2011 Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale Speedway in California, with the precursor to that win being the pole position in track-record time at the 2011 Streets of Toronto 100. After seven years competing in NASCAR’s development divisions, Gaunt stepped up to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2017, entering the Daytona 500 with driver D.J. Kennington. After running a part-time NASCAR Cup Series schedule in 2018 and 2019 where GBR made a total of 37 starts with a handful of drivers, GBR committed to a full schedule in 2020. For more information, please visit us online at www.GauntBrothersRacing.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GauntBrothersRacing, on Twitter at @GauntBrosRacing and on Instagram at @GauntBrothersRacing.

Gaunt Brothers Racing Hires Nick Ollila as Technical Director Read More

Talladega Invitational Advance – Daniel Suárez Taking CommScope Toyota to ‘Dega

Talladega Invitational Advance – Daniel Suárez Taking CommScope Toyota to ‘Dega
Details:
 

• Race:  GEICO 70 (Round 5)

• Series:  eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series

• Time/Date:  1 p.m. EDT on Sunday, April 26

• Location:  Virtual Talladega Superspeedway (2.66-mile oval)

• Distance:  70 laps (186.2 miles)

 

Where to Watch:
 

• FOX network

• Announcers: Jeff Gordon, Mike Joy and Larry McReynolds, with in-race commentary from Clint Bowyer.

• FS1 (DIRECTV Channel 219 and Dish Channel 150)

• FOX Sports app

• FOX Sports Racing for fans in Canada

 

DYK?:
 

• We Need a Bigger Podium: Last Sunday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race from virtual Richmond Raceway had 971,000 viewers tune in to the simulcast on FOX and FS1, making it the third-most watched esports event in U.S. television history. The March 29 eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race from virtual Texas Motor Speedway remains on the podium’s top step with 1.34 million viewers. The April 5 eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race from virtual Bristol Motor Speedway takes the second step with 1.179 million viewers. The first eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race March 22 at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway earned 903,000 viewers on FS1 alone. And while the Texas race dwarfed that number by 47 percent, the Homestead race was, for at least one week, the most watched esports event in U.S. television history, having bested the previous record of 770,000 viewers when Mortal Kombat aired on The CW in 2016.

 

• iRacing’s Real-World Context: Last Sunday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race from Richmond was the second-most watched sports event of the weekend. The most-watched sports event? Michael Jordan ‘The Last Dance’ documentary on ESPN.

 

• New Viewers Assimilate to Sim Racing: According to Nielsen, one million unique viewers who did not watch any of the four real-life NASCAR Cup Series races prior to the sports industry’s necessary hiatus to combat the spread of the coronavirus did tune in to one of the four eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series races held thus far.

 

• Kind of a Big Deal: A total of 5.4 million unique viewers have watched at least one eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race via FOX, FS1 and the FOX Sports app.

 

• Bet On It: The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series has been cleared and approved by the Nevada Gaming Control Board for wagering. Two types of bets are allowed for the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series: winner of the race and head-to-head winner between drivers. Provisions for licensing the event includes a posting of the official rules for the tournament organizer and that all bets must cease once a race has started. Additionally, each bookmaker is allowed to create its own odds.

 

Daniel Suárez, Driver of the No. 96 CommScope Toyota Camry:        
 

“It’s our first race on a superspeedway after racing on the short tracks the last two weeks. I have no idea what to expect, to be honest. I don’t know if there’s anything different we can do to prepare for this one. The real races on the superspeedways are already unpredictable. I think you can say, for sure, that this one will be even more unpredictable after some of the crazy things we have seen happen on the short tracks the last few weeks. The key to winning on the superspeedway is always about being smart and patient, so that will need to happen this week, for sure. It would be great to have a really good finish with our CommScope Toyota.”

 

 

• This is Suárez’s fourth eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race.

 

• Suárez started sixth and finished 18th in the previous eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race – the Toyota Owners 150 at Richmond.

 

• In actual NASCAR Cup Series racing at Talladega, Suárez has six career starts with a best finish of 10th (April 2018).

 

• Outside of the NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega, Suárez has three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts (best finish is seventh in April 2016) and one NASCAR Gander Outdoors & RV Truck Series start (finished 15th in October 2014).

 

Background:     
 

• The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series is an exhibition esports series featuring a collection of past and present racecar drivers from the NASCAR Cup Series.

 

• The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series is a multi-week series emulating the original 2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule.

 

• With the sports world on hiatus due to the coronavirus, the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series exists in place of actual NASCAR events.

 

About Gaunt Brothers Racing:
 

Gaunt Brothers Racing (GBR) fields the No. 96 Toyota Camry for driver Daniel Suárez in the NASCAR Cup Series. The Mooresville, North Carolina-based team is owned by Marty Gaunt, the CEO of Triad Racing Technologies. Gaunt founded GBR in 2010, with his eponymous team starting out in the Canada-based NASCAR Pinty’s Series and the U.S.-based NASCAR K&N Pro Series. Its first driver, Jason Bowles, scored GBR’s maiden victory in the 2011 Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale Speedway in California, with the precursor to that win being the pole position in track-record time at the 2011 Streets of Toronto 100. After seven years competing in NASCAR’s development divisions, Gaunt stepped up to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2017, entering the Daytona 500 with driver D.J. Kennington. After running a part-time NASCAR Cup Series schedule in 2018 and 2019 where GBR made a total of 37 starts with a handful of drivers, GBR committed to a full schedule in 2020. For more information, please visit us online at www.GauntBrothersRacing.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GauntBrothersRacing, on Twitter at @GauntBrosRacing and on Instagram at @GauntBrothersRacing.

Talladega Invitational Advance – Daniel Suárez Taking CommScope Toyota to ‘Dega Read More

Speedco Partners with Todd Gilliland for iRacing Event Tuesday Night – The Replacements 100 Streamed Live on Twitch

Speedco Partners with Todd Gilliland for iRacing Event Tuesday Night – The Replacements 100 Streamed Live on Twitch
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (March 23, 2020) – Front Row Motorsports (FRM) announced today that Speedco, a member of the Love’s Family of Companies, will partner with Todd Gilliland for Tuesday night’s, The Replacements 100.  The race will be streamed live on www.TWITCH.TV/IRACING and be run from the virtual Kansas Speedway using NASCAR Cup Series-style cars.

 

Speedco is a primary sponsor of FRM and Gilliland in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series this season.  The company is a national network of 53 service locations that provides oil changes, preventive maintenance, inspection services and tire offerings for drivers in the professional trucking industry. Since their inception to the Love’s Family of Companies in 2017, Speedco has been an integral part of FRM’s NASCAR program.
The Replacements is an iRacing.com series founded by NASCAR drivers and industry veterans.  Drivers, spotters, crew members and marketing professionals from across all aspects of NASCAR will compete in a 100-lap race on the iRacing.com platform.
“In the past week, iRacing has become the best way for teams, drivers and partners to reach fans,” said Gilliland. “Kevin Hamlin and T.J. Majors were two of the first in the sport to create an iRacing solution.  I then quickly went to work to get my simulator ready. I want to give something back to our fans, Speedco, their employees and customers during this time.  I think this is something fun we can all do.”
The Replacements 100 is scheduled for Tuesday, March 24 at 9:00 p.m. ET.
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About Love’s Travel Stops 
Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores is the nation’s industry-leading travel stop network with more than 500 locations in 41 states. Founded in 1964 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, the company remains family-owned and operated and employs more than 25,000 people. Love’s provides professional truck drivers and motorists with 24-hour access to clean and safe places to purchase gasoline, diesel fuel, fresh coffee, restaurant offerings and more. Love’s has more than 380 truck service centers, which include on-site and stand-alone Speedco and Love’s Truck Care locations. Love’s and Speedco combined is the largest oil change, preventive maintenance and total truck care nationwide network. Love’s is committed to providing customers with “Clean Places, Friendly Faces” at every stop. To learn more, visit loves.com.

About Front Row Motorsports

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields two full-time entries – the No. 34 of Michael McDowell and the No. 38 of John Hunter Nemechek – from its Mooresville, N.C., headquarters just outside of Charlotte. In 2020, the team announced an expansion to include the No. 38 Ford F-150 in the NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series, driven by Todd Gilliland. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.
Speedco Partners with Todd Gilliland for iRacing Event Tuesday Night – The Replacements 100 Streamed Live on Twitch Read More

No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang: Cole Custer Folds of Honor 500 Race Advance

No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang: Cole Custer Folds of Honor 500 Race Advance
KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (March 11, 2020) – Cole Custer and the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) will compete at Atlanta Motor Speedway Sunday in this season’s second event at an intermediate track. Custer will make his first career NASCAR Cup Series start at the 1.54-mile track in Sunday’s Folds of Honor 500.

 

Custer heads to Atlanta coming off of his best career Cup Series finish, ninth, earned at Phoenix Raceway. The young driver was also the highest finishing 2020 Rookie of the Year contender. The Haas Automation driver started 16th and battled an intermittent power steering problem along with a tight-handling Mustang and finished ninth in the 316-lap event. It was a solid day for the four-car SHR organization with all four entries finishing in the top-10 in the season’s fourth race.
For the last five seasons, Atlanta was the second race of the season. The track is significant because it’s a 1.5-mile layout and a majority of the tracks on the Cup Series circuit are that length and similarly shaped. If things go well this weekend at Atlanta for Custer and the SHR organization, it bodes well for the team’s competitiveness on the same style of track for the rest of the season.
SHR has two wins at the Georgia track – Kevin Harvick in 2018 and team co-owner Tony Stewart in September 2010. Additionally, the Kannapolis, North Carolina team has amassed four pole awards and a total of nine top-fives and nine top-10s, in 39 starts there.
Custer has three starts at Atlanta in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with two top-10 finishes in three starts. Last year, he captured the pole position and finished second to Christopher Bell. He has one Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series start at Atlanta. He started sixth in 2016 and finished 17th.
In his last nine Xfinity Series starts at 1.5-mile tracks, Custer earned two wins, four top-fives, six top-10s and one pole award. The victories were captured at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, and Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. He led a total of 410 laps in the nine starts on his way to an average finishing position of 10.4 and an average starting position of 3.2.
The 22-year-old has made two starts at intermediate tracks behind the wheel of a Cup Series car, both at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The first occurred in March 2018, when he started 30th and finished 25th for the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing team. The second was in his No. 41 Mustang last month, when he started 17th and finished 19th.
“The Xfinity cars have more horsepower than the Cup cars at the bigger tracks, but the Cup cars have a lot more downforce and drag,” Custer said. “The Cup cars are going slower down the straightaways, but much faster in the corners. For me, the biggest difference is getting used to how much speed I can actually carry into the corner with the Cup car, when I’ve been doing something different for three years.”
Haas Automation, founded in 1983 by SHR co-owner Gene Haas, is America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools. The company manufactures a complete line of vertical and horizontal machining centers, turning centers and rotary tables and indexers. All Haas products are constructed in the company’s 1.1 million-square-foot Oxnard manufacturing facility and distributed through a worldwide network of Haas Factory Outlets.
Even though Custer had a trio of starts in the Cup Series in 2018, 2020 officially marks his Rookie of the Year campaign in NASCAR’s most prestigious series. He’s competing for the honor with notables Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick. The three have battled against each other in the Xfinity Series and are making the full-time transition to the Cup Series together.

Cole Custer: Driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
What do you do to decompress after a race?
“It’s hard to decompress because all we think about is racing. I try and hang out with friends. We have a lake near the house in North Carolina and I like to go out on the boat with friends as a way to relax. I golf a little here and there, too.”
What is the biggest difference for you between the Xfinity and Cup Series?
“I think, for me, it is getting used to the cars. They are a lot different, especially with the 550 package, and how you work the throttle and everything. How you are going to do that is a lot different than Xfinity. At the same time, you make one little mistake and are a little off in one area, you will lose a ton of spots. Everybody here is pushing it to the limit. Everyone in the top-25 in the Cup Series is probably capable of winning races. It is a matter of trying to perfect every part of it.”
Have you had any pranks pulled on you as a Cup Series rookie?
“Nothing yet, but I’m waiting for it. I feel a guy like (Clint) Bowyer is probably going to be the first one to pull a prank on me. Who wouldn’t pick Bowyer as the first person to do it?”
No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang Team Report
Race 5 of 36 – Folds of Honor 500 – Atlanta
 
Car No. 41: Haas Automation Ford Mustang Team Report

At Track PR Contact: Mike Arning with True Speed Communication (Mike.Arning@TrueSpeedCommunication.com)

Primary Team:

 

Driver: Cole Custer

Hometown: Ladera Ranch, California

Crew Chief: Mike Shiplett

Hometown: Amherst, Ohio

Engine Specialist: Evan Cupples

Hometown: Hudson, Illinois

Car Chief: Tony Cardamone

Hometown: Bristol, Virginia

Engine Builder: Roush Yates Engines

Headquarters: Mooresville, North Carolina

Spotter: Andy Houston

Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

Over-The-Wall Crew:

Fuelman: Chad Emmons

Hometown: Tyler, Texas
Carrier: Dwayne Moore

Hometown: Griffin, Georgia

Jackman: Brett Morrell

Hometown: Windham, Maine

 

Front Changer: Josh Leslie

Hometown: Mount Clemens, Michigan

Rear Changer: Coleman Dollarhide
Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

Road Crew:

 

Transporter Driver: Eddie DeGroot and Scott Robbins

Hometown: Baldwinsville, New York and Woodfield, New Hampshire, respectively
Shock Specialist: Aaron Kuehn

Hometown: Kensington, Connecticut
Mechanic: Nick McIntosh

Hometown: Havre, Montana
Tire Technician: Thomas Gagliano

Hometown: East Hampton, Connecticut
Engineers: Scott Bingham and Davin Restivo

Hometowns: Lawrenceville, Georgia and Ashboro, North Carolina, respectively
Mechanic: Joe Zanolini

Hometown: Sybertsville, Pennsylvania 

Atlanta Motor Speedway Notes of Interest:
  • Cole Custer will make his first Atlanta Motor Speedway Cup Series start on Sunday to bring his total of career Cup Series starts to eight.
  • The Haas Automation driver finished ninth last weekend at Phoenix Raceway. Custer was the highest finishing Rookie of the Year contender at the suburban Phoenix track.
  • 2020 marks Custer’s first fulltime season in the Cup Series and he will contend for Rookie of the Year honors along with four other Cup Series competitors.
  • The Ladera Ranch, California native has three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Atlanta. In last year’s race he started from the pole position and finished runner-up in the 163-lap event. He also has one NASCAR Truck Series starts at the intermediate oval.
  • Custer will sign autographs at the SHR merchandise hauler in the fan midway on Sunday, March 15 beginning at 10:55 a.m.
No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang: Cole Custer Folds of Honor 500 Race Advance Read More

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

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