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Chandler Smith – No. 81 Wheelers Toyota GR Supra Preview – Focused Health 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

by MikeSeptember 5, 2024

SMITH AT ATLANTA: Georgia-native Chandler Smith will return to his home track this weekend as the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) races at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS). Smith has one top-five finish in three starts at AMS, which came earlier this year when he finished in second.

DARLINGTON RECAP: Smith started the latest NXS race at Darlington Raceway in fifth and struggled with handling for most of the race. The No. 81 earned an eighth-place finish.

ON THE PITBOX: Crew Chief of the No. 81, Jeff Meendering has visited Victory Lane 10 times as a NXS crew chief, most recently with Smith at Richmond in March 2024. His teams have collected 67 top-five finishes, 138 top-10 finishes, and 14 pole positions under his leadership. (more…)

Taylor Gray – No. 19 Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra Preview – Focused Health 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

by MikeSeptember 5, 2024

GRAY AT ATLANTA: Taylor Gray started 19th and finished fourth in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this year. That race was his only experience at the 1.54-mile track so far.

GRAY XFINITY SEASON: Gray has claimed a pair of top-five finishes and three top-10s in nine NASCAR Xfinity Series starts this season. He made an incredible first impression with a third-place finish in his debut at Richmond Raceway in March. More recently, Gray posted top-five qualifying efforts in his last two starts at Pocono Raceway and Michigan International Speedway on the way to back-to-back top-10 finishes. (more…)

Michael McDowell & the No. 34 Team Up with B’laster for Atlanta Race

by MikeSeptember 4, 2024

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (September 4, 2024) – Michael McDowell and the No. 34 return to the Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend.

McDowell showed solid speed at the 1.5-mile Motor Speedway when he captured his first-career pole and earned his first Top-10 of the season, an 8th-place finish, back in February.

This weekend the No. 34 Ford Mustang Dark Horse will have B’laster on the car. Forming its roots in Cleveland, Ohio, the heart of the Rust Belt, B’laster has manufactured penetrants, lubricants, cleaners, solvents, rust removers, greases, and protectants for professionals and DIYers since 1957. Known for PB B’laster, the #1-selling penetrant, B’laster products are formulated to penetrate, lubricate, loosen, overcome, fix, and conquer each job. (more…)

Denny Hamlin – No. 11 Mavis Tire Toyota Camry XSE Preview – Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

by MikeSeptember 4, 2024

HAMLIN AT ATLANTA: Denny Hamlin owns one win in 28 starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Overall, he has posted six top-five finishes, 10 top-10s, and 452 laps led at the 1.54-mile track. Hamlin has led in six of the past seven Atlanta races, including 15 laps when the series visited in February. Earlier this year, Hamlin finished 23rd at Atlanta after being collected in multiple accidents during the 400-mile race.

REGULAR SEASON RECAP: During the 26-race regular season, Hamlin scored three wins, nine top-five finishes, 12 top-10s, three pole awards, and 917 laps led. According to Loop Data provided by NASCAR, Hamlin leads the series in green flag speed, fastest on restarts, fastest drivers late in a run, and laps in the top 15. He also ranks second in laps led, average running position, driver rating and laps run on the lead lap. (more…)

Ty Gibbs – No. 54 He Gets Us Toyota Camry XSE — Quaker State 400 – Atlanta

by MikeSeptember 4, 2024

SECOND SEASON: Ty Gibbs is competing in his second full NASCAR Cup Series season driving the No. 54 He Gets Us Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing. He has 11 top-10 and seven top-five finishes and is 15^th in points which qualified him for the NASCAR Playoffs for the first time.

LAPS LED: He has led 352 laps this season, which is the most he has led in any Cup season.

FIRST: In May at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Gibbs scored his first career pole position in the Cup Series. He second pole position was won on July 13 at Pocono Raceway. (more…)

Joe Graf Jr. / No. 19 G-Coin Toyota GR Supra Preview – Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway

by MikeAugust 30, 2024

GRAF JR. 2024 NXS 3^rd Race of Season: The August 31^st race at Darlington Raceway will mark Joe Graf Jr.’s 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) 3^rd race thus far in the season. With 2 of the 4 scheduled starts for Graf Jr. behind him, Joe has returned to the Xfinity series better than ever. With an average finish through the first two races of 14.5, he is on pace to shatter his previous season’s number of 25.3. Joe will look to continue his success thus far at Darlington.

RETURN TO JGR: Graf Jr. competed in the full, 33 race NXS season in 2023 where he had three impressive top-10 performances at Daytona, Homestead, and Kansas, highlighted by a best finish of seventh at Daytona.

DAYTONA RECAP: Joe Graf Jr. started off his weekend strong in Daytona qualifying in 4^th position. The No. 19 Reagan Toyota GR Supra even got to start front row due to the 21 car making an adjustment to their race car. Joe kept it clean and managed to secure a strong finish of 12^th for his team. (more…)

Sheldon Creed / No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota GR Supra Preview – Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway

by MikeAugust 30, 2024

CREED AT DARLINGTON: Sheldon Creed heads to Darlington Raceway this weekend for the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200. Creed has claimed Darlington as one of his favorite tracks throughout his Xfinity Series career, making this weekend a highlight on his 2024 schedule. As he heads into his seventh NXS start at the lady in black, Creed holds one top-five, three top-10s. and 47 laps led. He narrowly missed his first career win at the track in 2022 as he lost the lead on a pass in the final corner by Noah Gragson. In his last run at Darlington in the spring, Creed came home in ninth.

DAYTONA RECAP: In typical Daytona fashion, Creed had an up-and-down day under the lights of Daytona, but he showed up when it mattered. After starting seventh, Creed raced his way to a fourth-place finish in stage one and a seventh-place finish in stage two, thus securing a crucial 11 stage points on the day. After falling back in the lead pack during the third stage, Creed worked his way back up to an eighth-place finish, which secured his 14^th top-10 on the year. (more…)

William Sawalich – No. 18 Starkey/SoundGear Toyota Camry Preview – Southern Illinois 100 at DuQuoin State Fairgrounds

by MikeAugust 30, 2024

SAWALICH ON DIRT: William Sawalich claimed his first victory on dirt two weeks ago at Springfield. Last year, the 17-year-old earned the pole for the race at DuQuoin and finished fifth after suffering damage during the race.

LAST TIME OUT: Sawalich claimed his second-consecutive victory at the Milwaukee Mile last weekend. Sawalich won the pole and led all but two laps on his way to the win. The 17-year-old has won his last four starts across ARCA Menards Series (AMS) – Salem Speedway, Elko Speedway, Springfield Mile, and the Milwaukee Mile. His strong day at Milwaukee helped him gain six points in the ARCA Menards Series East (AMSE) driver standings. He now sits 16 points behind the leader headed into the AMSE season finale at Bristol Motor Speedway in September. (more…)

Chandler Smith – No. 81 QuickTie Toyota GR Supra Preview – Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway

by MikeAugust 30, 2024

SMITH AT DARLINGTON: Chandler Smith has three previous NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) starts at Darlington Raceway with a best finish of 12^th earlier this year. He also has four NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) starts at the Lady in Black with one top-10 finish.

DAYTONA RECAP: Smith finished runner-up to Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) teammate Ryan Truex on Friday night at Daytona. The No. 81 team earned their first pole of 2024 Friday afternoon and ran in the top-10 for most of the night, finishing Stage 1 in second and Stage 2 in eighth. (more…)

Denny Hamlin – No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota Camry XSE Preview – Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway

by MikeAugust 28, 2024

HAMLIN AT DARLINGTON: Denny Hamlin leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers with four wins, 13 top-five finishes, 17 top-10s and 979 laps led at Darlington Raceway. His 8.8-average starting position and 8.3-average finishing position are also best among active drivers. Last September, Hamlin led 177 laps and won both stages before an unscheduled pit stop dropped him to a 25th-place finish in the Southern 500. Earlier this year, Hamlin started seventh and finished fourth at the 1.366-mile oval. He has led in nine consecutive Darlington races dating back to May 2020. Hamlin’s Darlington resume also includes six NASCAR Xfinity Series wins.

FLYING 11: The No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota Camry XSE will feature the Flying 11 this weekend to pay homage to the late Roy Hendrick. Hendrick, who passed away earlier this month, was a weekly competitor at Hamlin’s home track, Southside Speedway. The No. 11 Sport Clips team previously honored the Hendrick family, including Roy’s father, Ray Hendrick, by carrying the Flying 11 colors to victory lane in the 2017 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. (more…)