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Martin Truex Jr. – No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry Preview – The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway

by MikeMay 14, 2020

No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry News and Notes

TRUEX AT DARLINGTON: In 14 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Darlington Raceway, Martin Truex Jr. has earned one victory, two top-five finishes and six top-10s. The Mayetta, New Jersey native led 28 laps on his way to winning the 2016 Southern 500 at the historical track and has led laps in three of the past four Darlington races. The track was also the site of Truex clinching the 2004 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship driving the No. 8 car for Chance2 Motorsports.
LAST TIME AT DARLINGTON: Truex finished 15^th in last fall’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. After starting 22^nd, he methodically climbed his way into the 10 before a loose wheel during stage two forced him to make an unscheduled pit stop that dropped him off the lead lap and he was never able to recover the lost time.
FIRST FOUR RACES: The No. 19 driver ranks 15^th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings through the opening four races of the season. According to NASCAR Loop Data, Truex ranks in the top 10 in average running position, fastest drivers early in a run, fastest laps run, green flag speed, laps in the top 15, laps led and percentage of laps run on the lead lap.
STRONG IN THE STAGES: As a sign that Truex and the No. 19 team continue to be contenders at the front of the pack, he ranks third in stage points earned so far this season despite having to start from the rear of the field at Auto Club Speedway and Phoenix Raceway. Counting stage points earned in the four races (including the Duels at Daytona), Truex has claimed 46 stage points. Only Chase Elliott (50) and Joey Logano (47) have earned more.
iRACING EXPERIENCE: Truex competed in the final eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race last Saturday at the virtual North Wilkesboro Speedway. After starting 14^th, he was collected in an early accident and suffered front-end damage to his No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry. Despite the misfortune, he rallied to as high as seventh before being involved in another incident late that dropped him to a 20^th-place finish.
THE REAL HEROES PROJECT: As part of The Real Heroes Project campaign, the No. 19 Camry will carry the name of Dr. Wheeler Jervis above the driver’s window for Sunday’s race at Darlington Raceway. Dr. Jervis is a critical care physician and medical director of the Intensive Care Unit at Novant Health hospitals in Charlotte, North Carolina. During the COVID-19 crisis, Dr. Jervis and his team of doctors, nurses and other healthcare experts are managing the care of numerous critically ill people in the intensive care unit. The Novant Health connection is a personal one for Truex as his foundation works closely with the hospital on a number of projects, including the Novant Health Martin Truex Jr. Foundation Children’s Emergency Department at Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center and Novant Health SherryStrong Integrative Medicine Oncology Clinic that are both currently under construction.
BASS PRO SHOPS: A longtime supporter of Truex and NASCAR, Bass Pro Shops will be featured as primary sponsor of the No. 19 Camry for Sunday’s race at Darlington Raceway. Bass Pro Shops is North America’s premier outdoor and conservation company. Founded in 1972 when avid young angler Johnny Morris began selling tackle out of his father’s liquor store in Springfield, Missouri. Today the company provides customers with unmatched offerings spanning premier destination retail, outdoor equipment manufacturing, world-class resort destinations and more.
JGR AT DARLINGTON: Joe Gibbs Racing owns seven NASCAR Cup Series victories at Darlington Raceway, including Erik Jones’ win last season. Overall, the organization has amassed 24 top-five finishes, 52 top-10s, two pole awards and 1,595 laps led in 88 combined starts at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval.
TUNE IN: Coverage of this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway begins Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN Radio and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

Martin Truex Jr., Driver of the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry

Talk about getting back to racing this weekend in Darlington…

“Everyone is excited to get back going and to put on a good show for everyone tuning in. This is a huge opportunity for our sport and one we all are taking very seriously to take the proper precautions during this time. From a racing standpoint, it is going to be different. To not have any practice or qualifying will be different from our typical weekends, but it is the same for everyone. I have confidence James (Small, crew chief) and our guys are prepared. We feel good about our chances at Darlington with how we have run there the past few years.”

Truex NASCAR Cup Series Stats at Darlington Raceway

Starts		Wins		Top 5		Top 10		Poles		Laps Led		Avg. Start		Avg. Finish
14		1		2		6		0		232		16.4		11.6

Truex 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Season Stats

Starts		Wins		Top 5		Top 10		Poles		Laps Led		Avg. Start		Avg. Finish
4		0		0		0		0		15		16.8		24.5

Truex NASCAR Cup Series Career Stats

Starts		Wins		Top 5		Top 10		Poles		Laps Led		Avg. Start		Avg. Finish
517		26		102		205		19		8,921		14.4		15.8

About Bass Pro Shops®

Bass Pro Shops is North America’s premier outdoor and conservation company. Founded in 1972 when avid young angler Johnny Morris began selling tackle out of his father’s liquor store in Springfield, Missouri, today the company provides customers with unmatched offerings spanning premier destination retail, outdoor equipment manufacturing, world-class resort destinations and more. In 2017 Bass Pro Shops acquired Cabela’s to create a “best-of-the-best” experience with superior products, dynamic locations and outstanding customer service. Bass Pro Shops also operates White River Marine Group , offering an unsurpassed collection of industry-leading boat brands, and Big Cedar Lodge , America’s Premier Wilderness Resort. Under the visionary conservation leadership of Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops is a national leader in protecting habitat and introducing families to the outdoors and has been named by Forbes as “one of America’s Best Employers.”

Erik Jones / No. 20 DEWALT ATOMIC Thank You Heroes Toyota Camry Preview Darlington 400 at Darlington Raceway

by MikeMay 14, 2020

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

JONES AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY: Erik Jones will make his fourth start in the Cup Series at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, May 17, when NASCAR returns to the track. In his most recent trip to “The Lady in Black,” Jones captured his first Southern 500 victory and his second Cup Series victory in just his 100th Cup Series start. In his other two starts at the track, Jones recorded a fifth-place and an eighth-place finish. In addition to his Cup Series starts, Jones has two starts at the South Carolina track in the Xfinity Series where he earned a sixth-place and fourth-place finish.
JGR AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY: Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has 88 total starts at Darlington Raceway in Cup Series competition. In those starts, the team has earned seven wins, 24 top-five finishes, 52 top-10 finishes and two pole starting positions. The team has led 1,595 laps, completed 29,735 of 30,465 attempted laps (97.6%) and earned an average start of 14.4 and an average finish of 11.7. Denny Hamlin leads the team with two wins followed by Bobby Labonte, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Jones with one win each.
THIS WEEK ON THE NO. 20 CAMRY: For the return to racing 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 what have been fighting and continue to fight the Covid-19 pandemic around the United States and the world.
DEWALT ATOMIC:

- 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.

RACE INFO: The Darlington 400 at Darlington Raceway is scheduled for Sunday, May 17, 2020. Coverage will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, Sirius XM Channel 90 and MRN Radio.

Jones Career NASCAR Cup Series Stats at Darlington Raceway:

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
3	1	2	3	0	79	10.7	4.7

Jones 2020 Season NASCAR Cup Series Stats:

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
4	0	0	1	0	0	17.5	19.8

Jones Career NASCAR Cup Series Stats:

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
115	2	24	50	2	582	13.4	16.1

From the Driver’s Seat:

Erik Jones: “I’m looking forward to Darlington. It’s been a really good track to me in the past, over the last few years and especially last year getting the win there in the Southern 500. Hopefully I have another shot at a good run this weekend. It’s going to be a unique weekend with no practice or qualifying. We’re really going to have to hit it right off the truck and hopefully our car is where it needs to be when we start the race. I’m just excited to get back to the race track in general. The iRacing has been fun, but it’s nothing like really being in the car, really being at the track and working with your guys and having that team effort. It’s always a good feeling of everyone working toward one goal, it’s pretty cool. I’m just excited. Darlington has been a great track for me. It’s going to be a unique race and kind of knocking the rust off at first, and then hopefully getting in to a groove and being able to run up front and contend for a win. Really looking forward to it and getting back in the seat.

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.

NASCAR AMERICA AT HOME PROVIDES COVERAGE OF NASCAR’S RETURN AND POST-RACE ANALYSIS ACROSS NBC SPORTS’ DIGITAL PLATFORMS

by MikeMay 13, 2020

Weekday Episodes and Post-Race Analysis on NBCSports.com and Motorsports on NBC YouTube Page

Matt Kenseth Joins The Dale Jr. Download Today at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN

“It’s going to be a steep learning curve. I’m already a little anxious about that first lap at Darlington.” – Kenseth on The Dale Jr. Download

STAMFORD, Conn. – May 13, 2020 – NBC Sports covers the return of NASCAR and provides post-race analysis of upcoming races at Darlington Raceway and Charlotte Motor Speedway with new digital editions of NASCAR America At Home on NBCSports.com and the Motorsports on NBC YouTube page. (more…)

Chris Buescher on Darlington: We’re definitely excited to get back to a real racetrack…

by MikeMay 13, 2020

Team: No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Luke Lambert

Twitter: @17RoushTeam, @RoushFenway and @Chris_Buescher
Race Format: 400.2 miles, 293 laps, Stage Lengths: 90-95-108

Darlington 400 – Sunday, May 17 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

NASCAR Returns to Action

NASCAR makes its return to racing this weekend with a NASCAR Cup Series race that will serve as the first of seven national series races over an 11-day span at two different tracks throughout May.
The race at the historic South Carolina track will be held without fans in attendance and is slated to be NASCAR’s first on-track action in more than two months as the sport and world have been on pause during COVID-19.
Following the initial race back on Sunday, the NCS will again visit Darlington for a midweek race under the lights three days later. The May schedule also includes the crown jewel Coca-Cola 600 in its traditional Memorial Day Weekend home for the 60^th consecutive season, plus other midweek races in prime time.
Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the outbreak before races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville were later postponed.

Buescher at Darlington Raceway

Buescher makes his fifth Cup Series start at Darlington on Sunday, where he carries an average finish of 14.8 – his best of any track on the circuit.
Buescher finished 12^th last fall at ‘The Lady in Black,’ his best in four starts, and has finished no worse than 17^th dating back to 2016.
After qualifying 31^st and 27^th in his first two events at Darlington, Buescher followed that with qualifying efforts of 19^th and 12^th in the last two events.
Buescher earned a Xfinity career-best fifth-place run at Darlington back in 2015 in the No. 60 RFR entry. He also finished 12^th two years prior in the No. 16 for Jack Roush.

Luke Lambert at Darlington Raceway

Lambert will be atop the box for his eighth NCS race at Darlington on Sunday. In seven prior events, he has an average finish of 16.4 including three top-10 runs.
All three of those came with Newman in the No. 31, with a 10^th-place result in 2014, an eighth-place finish in 2016 followed by seventh a year later.
Lambert also has one Xfinity Series race under his belt at Darlington with Elliott Sadler in 2012, finishing 24^th.

QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on racing at Darlington:
“We’re definitely excited to get back to a real racetrack. Darlington is probably my second-favorite racetrack, so I’m stoked about kicking it off there. It’s going to be tough with no practice and no fans, the atmosphere is going to be a lot different, but it’ll be great to be back to a racing routine.”

The Real Heroes Project Debuts at Darlington
NASCAR is collaborating with other professional sports properties across the country to embark on The Real Heroes Project. The goal is to motivate and inspire healthcare workers as sports only can, by turning its greatest heroes (the athletes) into their greatest fans. To that end, the name of a COVID-19 frontline worker will be displayed above the driver’s side door on each entry this weekend at Darlington.

For the first race back on May 17, NASCAR worked in partnership with FOX and their tune-in priority market affiliate program to select the COVID-19 worker being recognized. FOX affiliates from around the country were asked to nominate a local hero from their community to be recognized during the return. Buescher’s frontline worker will be Kimberly W. Ebb, MD, selected by WFXT Boston 25. Ebb is a Hospitalist, Medical Director, Division of Palliative Care, Home Health Hospice at the UMass Memorial Medical Center, hailing from Leominster, MA.

On the Car
Fastenal celebrates its 10^th season with Roush Fenway Racing in 2020. The Minnesota company spent three years on the No. 99 before jumping to the No. 17 Cup Series entry, and were the primary partner on the No. 60 Xfinity team that captured the owner’s championship in 2011.

About Fastenal
Fastenal [Nasdaq: FAST] is North America’s largest fastener distributor and a ‘one-stop’ source for hundreds of thousands of OEM, MRO and Construction products. With more than 2,600 stores worldwide, the company supports B2B customers with tailored local inventory and dedicated personnel, who visit regularly, quickly respond to emergency needs, and provide efficient inventory management solutions. Fastenal’s service-oriented business network includes the world’s largest industrial vending program, 14 regional distribution centers, 8 custom manufacturing facilities, thousands of delivery vehicles, and industry-leading sourcing, quality and engineering resources.

Gaunt Brothers Racing Hires Nick Ollila as Technical Director

by MikeMay 12, 2020

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.

CLINT BOWYER No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/ Mobil 1 Ford Returns to Racing

by MikeMay 12, 2020

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (May 11, 2020) – In the 60-plus-year history of NASCAR, there will likely never be a more unusual or more welcomed group of races than the next four Cup Series races held over a 10-day span beginning Sunday with a 400-miler at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

Clint Bowyer, the driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), wishes the race was sooner.

“Tell me where the racetrack is and I’ll be there tonight,” Bowyer said with a laugh when asked about the upcoming schedule.

Bowyer is especially antsy since he hasn’t sat in a racecar since finishing fifth in the March 8 race at Phoenix Raceway. That seems like a lifetime ago before the coronavirus pandemic brought sporting events to a halt in America and made social distancing a way of life.

“It’s been forever since we fired the engines, but I always knew this day would come” Bowyer said. “I hope we can give people something to enjoy as we fight this (pandemic) together. I’ve been going crazy waiting around, so it’s time to go have some fun.”

While Bowyer knows he, himself, will have some fun, it’s not going to be business as usual at Darlington Sunday, or the following Wednesday night when the Cup Series returns for a 310-mile race on the 1.33-mile, egg-shaped oval. Nor will it be standard operating procedure when the series hits Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway for its annual 600-mile race May 24 and a 310-mile race May 27.

NASCAR has implemented a comprehensive health and safety plan with nearly every aspect of how an event is conducted. All upcoming races will be one-day shows without fans in attendance, and the use of personal protective equipment is mandated for series participants and officials throughout the event, as well as health screenings for all individuals prior to entering the facility, while inside the facility and exiting the facility, social distancing protocols throughout the facility, and strict limits on the number of individuals who are granted access.

Bowyer said he supports the steps NASCAR is taking to keep everyone safe, but admits it won’t be the same without full grandstands, especially at Darlington.

“Doing it without the fans sucks,” he said. “No way around it. It’s going to be awkward and it’s going to be difficult. Yes, you will be racing in front of an audience who will be on their couch, but it just won’t be the same. Hopefully it will only be like this for a few races and we’ll be back to normal soon and see everyone at the track.”

The Cup Series drivers will race without practice or qualifying at Darlington – perhaps the toughest track on the circuit. But there’s a precedent. In a September 2018 race, Bowyer started eighth, won Stage 1, led 37 laps and finished fifth at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when rain kept the Cup Series from any practice or qualifying Saturday and Sunday before finally racing on Monday.

Bowyer’s crew chief Johnny Klausmeier believes the lack of track time won’t be difficult to overcome. In fact, he said his team plans on using the same No. 14 Ford in both Darlington races.

“Obviously, we are ready and, if we have a hiccup, we have a backup plan where we can bring another car,” he said. “To have a race under your belt, then go back and have everything set on the car that you just raced, puts you a little bit further ahead for the second race. That could be a little bit optimistic because, obviously, Darlington isn’t the kindest track with the wall and the ‘Darlington Stripe.’ We’ll have personnel ready to turn it around for the second race if we need to.”

Bowyer’s No. 14 will carry Rush Truck Centers and Mobil 1 decals at Darlington. Rush has been the primary partner for the No. 14 team since Bowyer arrived at SHR in 2017 and has been with the organization since 2010. The Texas-based company has used Bowyer and the team to appeal to NASCAR fans as one way to recruit the technicians it needs to operate the largest network of commercial truck and bus dealerships in the country, with locations in 22 states. According to Rush Truck Centers, the trucking industry is expected to need 200,000 diesel technicians over the next 10 years to keep up with maintenance demands.

Mobil 1 isn’t just the world’s leading synthetic motor oil brand, it also provides the entire SHR team with leading lubricant technology, ensuring that all SHR Mustangs have a competitive edge over the competition on the track. In its 17th consecutive season as the “Official Motor Oil of NASCAR,” Mobil 1 is used by more than 50 percent of teams throughout NASCAR’s top three series.

No matter what happens at Darlington or Charlotte, Bowyer said he is glad to be back behind the wheel and appreciates what everyone has done during the pandemic.

“Look, we wouldn’t be here without the doctors and nurses on the frontlines doing what they are doing,” Bowyer said. “That goes the same for the farmers growing our food, the auto workers making safety equipment and everybody doing their jobs. They are the real heroes and I hope these races can give those folks a few hours of fun. They deserve it.”

Bowyer and Rush Truck Centers are joining in a nationwide campaign to call out a special group of heroes – truck drivers. Bowyer’s Ford will carry the Twitter hashtag #ThankATrucker during the first round of races. Many of the No. 14 partners like Rush Truck Centers, Mobil 1, PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant, and Cummins all have ties to the trucking industry.

According to the American Trucking Associations, there are more than 700,000 trucking businesses in the country employing 7.8 million people, including 3.5 million truck drivers. More than 36 million trucks log 297 billion miles per year moving 71 percent of the nation’s freight.

“Anything that we’ve needed during the quarantine, whether its medical supplies, food at the grocery stores or whatever the case may be has been delivered by a truck driver who’s away from his family doing the job to make sure our country still works,” Bowyer said. “If you see one of those truckers going down the road, give him a thumbs-up. They deserve it.”

Hopefully, race fans can thank a trucker on their way to the racetrack in the near future. Until then, NASCAR will take the lead in the coming days as sports slowly restart in America.

Like Bowyer, a lot of fans can’t wait.

Clint Bowyer, Driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

How has your time away from racing been?

“We are quarantined crazy around the Bowyer residence and it sucks, just like it does for everybody. I am over hearing the words COVID-19 and I am over hearing the word pandemic, as is everybody else. My wife asked me, ‘What is wrong with you?’ I told her what is wrong with me is, for 17 years of my life, two weeks is about as long as I have ever been home, even during the holidays. So it’s been rough. I’m ready to go have some fun.”

What’s been the toughest part of the pandemic?

“Trying to keep two kids entertained is the toughest thing. You feel so bad for them. My wife thinks my attention span is shorter than theirs. But, that being said, it’s been tough. We have a farm and we’ve been building fences and I think we’ve caught every fish I know of in the pond.”

How was home-schooling your kids during the time away from racing?

“It’s the same for everyone, I think. It makes you feel really dumb, trying to help your 5-year-old and navigate through that. Let me tell you I have a new appreciation for teachers. I can promise you that.”

Did iRacing bridge the gap during the time away?

“Yes, we had a blast. Who’d ever thought that we could have that much fun and be that competitive and have so many people watching us as we did with those iRacing races each weekend? I have a whole new respect for people who put in the time and get really good at that. I sucked when I started but kept getting better. No way can I compete with some of those guys, but I got good enough to where I could really enjoy what I was doing. Those guys have won 800 races and I haven’t even run 800 laps.”

Johnny Klausmeier, Crew Chief of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

Will it be like starting a new season once we go back to racing at Darlington?

“Yes, I think it will. Anytime you take some time off, it will take an adjustment time to get back in the swing of things, but everyone is programmed to race. They are all thinking about going faster and putting speed in the cars. That’s what racers think about all the time. This isn’t going to take a lot of time to get back in the swing of things.”

Has this time away changed your view of racing?

“It makes you appreciate what you have in life. You look at how everyone globally is fighting with this virus. The fact that we get to do something we love every day makes you appreciate it. When you are not doing it, it makes you appreciate it even more. You are always thinking about it and it gives you time to reflect on your career and how you can work harder to be even better at it. Just being away from anything you love gives you time to think about it and come back and do it better.”

How would you describe the first few races of the 2020 season before the break?

“I think they were good. We showed some potential. The races we have known we’d need work, like the 550 tracks, we have some good ideas. I really wanted to run Atlanta and Homestead. I think we will be able to adapt. I was happy with the 750 package and the speedways. We have had some good things to build on. We are improving with our communication with Clint, learning what he needs and wants in the car. If we do that, we’ll continue to improve. You want to win every week, but so far it’s been a good starting point for us.”

No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Team Report

Round 5 of 36 – Darlington 400 – Darlington

Car No.: 14 – Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

At Track PR Contact: Drew Brown with True Speed Communication (Drew.Brown@TrueSpeedCommunication.com)

No. 14 At-Track Crew Roster

Primary Team:

Driver: Clint Bowyer

Residence: Emporia, Kansas

Crew Chief: Johnny Klausmeier

Hometown: Perry Hall, Maryland

Car Chief: Chad Haney

Hometown: Fairmont, West Virginia

Engine Specialist: Jon Phillips

Hometown: Jefferson City, Missouri

Engine Builder: Roush Yates Engines: Mooresville, North Carolina

Spotter: Brett Griffin

Hometown: Pageland, South Carolina

Over-The-Wall Crew:

Fuelman: Rick Pigeon

Hometown: Fairfax, Vermont

Front Changer: Ryan Mulder

Hometown: Sioux City, Iowa

Carrier: Jon Bernal

Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Rear Changer: Chris McMullen

Hometown: Canton, Michigan

Jackman: Sean Cotten

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Notes of Interest:

Bowyer owns career totals of 10 wins, three poles, 81 top-five finishes, 216 top-10s and 2,998 laps led in 508 NASCAR Cup Series races. He also owns eight NASCAR Xfinity Series victories.
- His most recent Cup Series victory came at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn (June 10, 2018).
- His most recent Cup Series pole came at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California on Feb. 29, 2020

Most Recent Race: Bowyer started 18th at Phoenix Raceway on March 8 and charged to the front of the field, running second in the final laps before hanging on and finishing a season-best fifth. He moved to 13th in the driver standings. It was the last race before racing was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Bowyer’s Career at Darlington: Bowyer owns two top-10 finishes in 14 races at Darlington. One of his four career poles came at Darlington on May 11, 2007.

2019 Darlington: Bowyer finished sixth – a career best at the track – at the 70th annual Southern 500. He started 13th and fell as far down as 17th before rallying to finish sixth in the second stage. Bowyer stayed at the front of the field for the remainder of the race delayed by rain and ending in the early hours of Monday morning.

2018 Darlington: Bowyer started 17th and raced up to 11th by the end of Stage 1. In Stage 2, he climbed to seventh before a vibration forced him to pit lane for new right-side tires, dropping him to 27th and a lap behind the leaders. The new tires allowed him to drive through the field, climbing to 12th, and he passed leader Kyle Larson on lap 195 to return to the lead lap. In the final stage, Bowyer raced in 12th when he made contact with a slow moving car on lap 309, which ended his race and left him with a 36th-place result.

2017 Darlington: Bowyer started 16th and moved to 12th in the opening laps, but engine issues on lap 18 sent Bowyer to the garage, ending his race and leaving him with a 40th-place finish.

SHR has one points-paying victory at Darlington (Kevin Harvick in April 2014) and has 10 top-five finishes and 18 top-10s in 35 starts.

All-time victory list: With 10 career victories, Bowyer is in a 59th-place tie on the all-time wins list with Donnie Allison and Sterling Marlin.

Bowyer’s Top-Three Finishes at SHR (2017- Present):
- Wins
  - Michigan International Speedway (June 10, 2018)
  - Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (March 26, 2018)
- 2nd place:
  - Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth (March 31, 2019)
  - Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (Oct. 15, 2018)
  - Dover (Del.) International Speedway (May 6, 2018)
  - Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (April 24, 2017)
  - Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway (June 25, 2017)
  - Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (July 1, 2017)
- 3rd place:
  - Richmond (Va.) Raceway (April 13, 2019)
  - Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (Sept. 30, 2018)
  - Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway (June 24, 2018)
  - Atlanta Motor Speedway (Feb. 25, 2018)
  - Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (Oct. 29, 2017)
  - Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California (March 26, 2017)

Bowyer’s Stage Victories
- Indianapolis Motor Speedway Stage 1 (Sept. 10, 2018)
- Pocono (Pa.) Raceway Stage 2 (July 30, 2017)
- Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (Oct. 14, 2019)

Bowyer Cup Series Career Victories:
- Michigan International Speedway (June 10, 2018)
- Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (March 26, 2018)
- Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (Oct. 13, 2012)
- Richmond (Va.) Raceway (Sept. 8, 2012)
- Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway (June 24, 2012)
- Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (Oct. 23, 2011)
- Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (Oct. 31, 2010)
- New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon (Sept. 19, 2010)
- Richmond (Va.) Raceway (May 3, 2008)
- New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon (Sept. 16, 2007)

Bowyer Cup Series Career Poles:
- New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon (Sept. 14, 2007)
- Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (May 11, 2007)
- Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Sept. 14, 2019)
- Auto Club Speedway (March 1, 2020)

Bowyer Career Cup Series Points Finishes:
- 2019 9th
- 2018 12th
- 2017 18th
- 2016 27th
- 2015 16th
- 2014 19th
- 2013 7th
- 2012 2nd
- 2011 13th
- 2010 10th
- 2009 15th
- 2008 5th
- 2007 3rd
- 2006 17th

Bowyer Cup Series Career Stops:
- 2017- Present Stewart-Haas Racing
- 2016 HScott Motorsports
- 2012-2015 Michael Waltrip Racing
- 2006-2011 Richard Childress Racing

Bowyer Xfinity Series Championship:
- 2008

Bowyer Xfinity Series Career Victories:
- Dover (Del.) International Speedway (Sept. 26, 2009)
- Daytona (Fla) International Speedway (July 3, 2009)
- Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (March 15, 2008)
- Richmond (Va.) Raceway (May 4, 2007)
- Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway in Avondale (April 20, 2007)
- Dover (Del.) International Speedway (Sept. 23, 2006)
- Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park (Oct. 22, 2005)
- Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway (June 12, 2005)

Bowyer NASCAR Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series Victories:
- Kansas (Kan.) Speedway in Kansas City (June 4, 2011)
- Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway in Avondale (Nov. 12, 2010)
- Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth (Nov. 3, 2006)

Crew Chief Johnny Klausmeier’s Victories:
- Talladega SuperSpeedway (Aric Almirola, Oct 14, 2018)
- Pocono Raceway (Kurt Busch, June 6, 2016)

Actual Real-Live Racing Is About To Begin Again!

by Chuck AbramsMay 8, 2020May 8, 2020

Well race fans, a lot has been happening in NASCAR recently. Even though iRacing isn’t “real” racing, the consequences of your actions are very real. (more…)

Friday Night Thunder TONIGHT From Virtual Martinsville Speedway

by MikeMay 8, 2020

Friday Night Thunder

The Place: Virtual Martinsville Speedway

The Date: Friday, May 8

The Time: 8 p.m. ET

Online: enascar.com/live, NASCAR’s YouTube Channel

Distance: Four heat races – 10 laps each; one LCQ – 15 laps; Main Event – 125 laps

Friday Night Thunder at virtual Martinsville Speedway

With such a big response from competitors to join the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, NASCAR and iRacing introduced Saturday Night Thunder in the beginning of April to allow drivers from all series to compete on the platform during the real-time racing postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This weekend the event returns, but this time the action will take place on Friday night, at virtual Martinsville Speedway.

The Friday Night Thunder entry list includes drivers from the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series, NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series and NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.

There will be single-car qualifying to set the heat race grids. From there, the format will feature four 10-lap heat races to set the first 24 spots for the main feature.

Then, there will be one 15-lap last chance qualifier to fill out the six remaining spots in the 30-car field.

The event will be live streamed at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, May 8, on enascar.com/live, and on NASCAR’s YouTube channel.

The main event will be a 125-lap feature that will allow for one reset, with manual cautions and three attempts at a green-white-checkered finish.

The format will be as follows (all times ET):

7 p.m.: One-hour practice session

8 p.m.: Stream starts on eNASCAR.com/NASCAR YouTube Channel

8:05 p.m.: Three-minute, two-lap single-car qualifying session. Sets the starting grid for the heats.

8:08 p.m.:

Heat 1 starts. All heats will be 10 laps with no cautions and one reset. There will be four heats and 26 cars will advance.
Heats will set the starting grid for main race with a field of 26 cars.
Heats will be followed by a 15-lap last chance qualifier with six drivers advancing to the main event (30-car field).
Main event will be 125 laps with manual cautions and one reset. There will also be three attempts at a green-white-checkered finish.

Remembering Ray Lee Wood

by MikeMay 8, 2020

For decades people in southern Virginia and beyond knew Ray Lee Wood for the beautiful flowers growing in front of his home in the community of Buffalo Ridge and for the sourwood honey that he collected from his beehives.

They knew of his prized Persian cats and Siberian Huskies, and the goldfish he raised in ponds on his family property.

Others were amazed at his knowledge of the Bible and his loyalty to the Pentecostal Holiness Church.

And there were some that knew the rest of the story, about how Wood was an integral part of some of the grandest triumphs in motor racing history – among them victories in the 1963 Daytona 500, the 1965 Indianapolis 500 and the inaugural American 500 at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham in 1965.

Ray Lee Wood, who died May 5 at the age of 92, was the third son of J. Walter and Ada Wood. In the early 1950s, he and his brothers Glenn, Clay, Delano and Leonard, took on the world of automobile racing with the same passion and determination that they applied to every task they ever took on.

Early in the Wood Brothers’ career, they worked on their race cars under a giant beech tree, its limbs serving as support for pulling engines with a chain hoist. Ray Lee Wood spent the last half of his life serving as caretaker of the famous tree, one that attracted visitors including Edsel Ford II.

As the team began competing in the series now known as Cup, Ray Lee changed front tires and helped prepare the Fords initially driven by his brother Glenn but later driven by some of the biggest names in motorsports.

Leonard Wood said his brother could have added his name to that list had he chosen to do so.

“Ray Lee could have been a race driver as well as Glenn,” he said. In 1958, on the sands of Daytona Beach, Ray Lee hit 142 miles per hour on the measured mile in a hopped-up street car, topping the speed chart for that day.

When the Wood Brothers won the Car Owner’s Championship in 1963 using multiple drivers, Ray Lee Wood was the car owner of record and the Championship trophy bears his name.

When the Woods scored the first of their five Daytona 500 victories, with Tiny Lund filling in for a badly burned Marvin Panch, Ray Lee played a key role in the team’s winning pit strategy.

After the first 10 laps of the 500 were run under the yellow flag because of rain, the Woods saw an opportunity to play a pit strategy similar to those used in road-course races today. They began making their pit stops with the intention of making one fewer stop than their competitors.

They also were hoping to run the race on a single set of tires.

Firestone representative John Laux and Ray Lee were in charge of checking the tires. Both agreed on each early stop that the tires were good to go.

On the final stop, Laux wasn’t so certain. Ray Lee said the tires were good for another 100 miles. His brothers took his advice, and Lund drove on to the checkered flag.

Wood played a similar role in the Indianapolis 500, as he and his brothers pitted the Lotus Ford driven by Jim Clark. Again, Wood checked tires on each stop, and again the call was made to continue. The result was another major win for the Stuart, Va.-based team.

That trip to Indianapolis was a life-changer for Wood.

“When we were up there in Indiana, I felt the calling of the Lord,” Wood said in a 2010 interview. “He had something else for me to do.”

It was the same calling his brother Delano, the family jack man, would feel at the end of the 1983 season.

Not wanting to leave his brothers in mid-season, in an era when good tire changers were hard to find, Ray Lee decided to stay on through the end of that year.

His racing career ended in storybook fashion, with his old friend Curtis Turner driving the Woods’ Ford to victory at Rockingham.

Wood and Turner had become close over the years, and Wood often flew back from races with Turner, so he could be back at work with his grading business on Monday morning.

That race, Turner’s 17th and final Cup win, also was the final NASCAR appearance for Ray Lee Wood, who began spending his Sunday’s at his beloved church, located near his home in Buffalo Ridge.

In the years after that, he never attended another NASCAR race, although he did participate in a Fan Appreciation event at the Wood Brothers Museum in 2011.

His nephew Eddie Wood said that in a family of cool brothers, Ray Lee stood out.

“He had the coolest cars,” Eddie Wood said. “He had lots of girlfriends. He had one of the first color TVs in our county. He was just a happy-go-lucky guy.”

Like his brothers, Ray Lee didn’t do things halfway.

“He started a rose garden, and the next thing you know he had 500 of them, and then a thousand,” Wood said. “He bought two expensive Persian cats, Sam and George, and kept getting more until he had 50 show cats.

“He got into Siberian Huskies and had giant goldfish… Whatever he did, he went at it 100 percent.”

Ray Lee Wood lived in the same house where he grew up, and in his latter years was content with a simple life, far removed from the cheering crowds and checkered flags of his early years.

“He was just laid back, in no hurry,” his nephew Len Wood said. “Nothing ruffled his feathers.”

With his racing career behind him, Ray Lee was close to his sister Crystal and his church family, and remained supportive of the racing side of his family.

“Ray never went back to the track after 1965, but he supported us all the way and always followed our races on the radio or TV,” Leonard Wood said. “He was a great brother and a great all-around person.

“I can’t say enough good words about him.”

Wood Brothers Racing

Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glen Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glen’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford driven by Paul Menard in the famous No. 21 racer.

Former NASCAR Cup Series Champion Matt Kenseth Set to Join Chip Ganassi Racing

by MikeApril 27, 2020

Kenseth Will Assume Driving Duties in the No. 42 for Remainder of 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Season

CONCORD, N.C. (Apr. 27, 2020) – Chip Ganassi Racing announces today that when the NASCAR Cup Series returns to the track for the remainder of the 2020 season, Matt Kenseth will be behind the wheel of the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro. Kenseth, the former Cup Series Champion and two-time Daytona 500 Champion, most recently competed full-time at NASCAR’s highest level in 2017, where he finished seventh in the points and won the second to last race of the season at Phoenix Raceway.

The Wisconsin native is a 39-time Cup Series winner and will join a talented group on the No. 42 team, which entered the 2020 season following a best-ever sixth place finish in the 2019 point standings, a fourth consecutive trip to the playoffs, and a playoff race win at Dover International Speedway. With a newly designed Chevrolet Camaro for the 2020 season, the No. 42 team started the year strong, with three top-10 finishes in the first four races.

NOTES OF INTEREST:

Running Up Front – With 18 years of experience in the Cup Series, Kenseth has consistently run near the front, averaging 10 top-five and just over 18 top-10 finishes a year in his 18 full-time seasons behind the wheel. During his career, Kenseth posted at least one win in all but four seasons and made the playoffs in all but one season in which he was eligible, finishing his full-time career with eight consecutive appearances.

A Winning Attitude: Overall, the former Cup Champion, has 39 Cup wins including the Daytona 500 twice, the Coke 600, the Southern 500 and the All-Star race. He has 181 top-5s and has finished in the top-10 in points in 13 of his 18 seasons. When Kenseth scored his first Dayton 500 victory in 2009, he became only the fifth driver in NASCAR history to win a Cup Series Championship, the Rookie of the Year Award and the Daytona 500 — joining Hall of Famers Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, David Pearson, and Richard Petty.

Return to Team Chevy: While this marks the first time Kenseth will race with Team Chevy in the Cup Series, he is no stranger to the manufacturer. Kenseth began his racing career in 1988 in a Camaro and made his debut in the NASCAR Southeast Series in 1994 behind the wheel of a Chevrolet, and continued racing Chevrolet’s in the Xfinity Series through the 2001 season.

QUOTEBOARD:

Chip Ganassi, Owner, Chip Ganassi Racing: “I have always said that when we have to fill a driver spot, that I owe it to our team, our partners and our fans to put the best available driver in the car. We are doing exactly that with Matt. Throughout my time in NASCAR, I have always admired the way Matt Kenseth raced. He has proven to be a consistent winner, strong competitor, and respectful driver, and I’m glad we are able to add another NASCAR champion to the team for the remainder of this season.”

Matt Kenseth, Driver No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro: “This was an unexpected opportunity for sure. I can’t say racing was even on my radar two weeks ago. After spending some time thinking about it and all the unique circumstances surrounding all of us right now, it just seemed the timing and the opportunity was perfect to come back. I know I have a lot of work ahead of me to get up to speed in a relatively short period of time, but I’m looking forward to the challenge. I’m excited to work with Kurt again and to meet all my new CGR team members, and I’m really looking forward to getting back in a Chevrolet. In 1988, I started my career in a Camaro and I can’t wait to finally race a Chevy in the Cup Series. I also need to thank Chip and all his partners for this opportunity. Hopefully we will be on the track soon.”

About Chip Ganassi Racing:

Chip Ganassi has been a fixture in the auto racing industry for over 30 years and is considered one of the most successful as well as innovative owners the sport has anywhere in the world. Today his teams include three cars in the NTT IndyCar Series and two cars in the NASCAR Cup Series. Overall his teams have 19 championships and over 220 victories, including four Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500, a Brickyard 400, eight Rolex 24 At Daytonas, the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ganassi boasts state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Pa.