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KYLE BUSCH M&M’S Fudge Brownie Debut

by MikeMay 19, 2020

HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (May 18, 2020) – Following a 10 week-hiatus, the NASCAR Cup Series completed a successful return Sunday at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway as a national television audience on FOX witnessed one of the first major sporting events since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Fudge Brownie Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), his up-and-down race on Sunday was more successful than indicated by his final finishing position of 26th place. The day was filled with adversity from the very beginning, as Busch was forced to start at the rear of the field because of prerace inspection issues.

But one thing fans have witnessed over the last several years is the defending Cup Series champion and his team don’t back down from adversity, and Sunday was no different for Busch and the M&M’S team. Just 93 laps into Sunday’s 400-mile race, Busch made his way into the top-10 for the first time. But it was not smooth sailing from there as adversity struck again on lap 143, with Busch hitting the outside wall, causing damage to the right side of his M&M’S Toyota. However, a caution gave Busch and his team time to repair his car. Again, Busch worked his way back up through the field from 29th inside the top-10 by lap 247. Just as it looked like Busch would salvage at least a top-10 finish, he was forced to come to pit road under green with 29 laps remaining, resulting in a disappointing finish.

The good news for Busch is a rare second chance at the same track in less than a weeks time as the Cup Series returns to Darlington for the Toyota 500k on Wednesday night. Not only does Busch and his No. 18 get another shot at a Darlington win, they will be doing it with the colors of the new M&M’S Fudge Brownie product. The sharp, new look highlights the newest permanent addition to the M&M’S lineup. M&M’S Fudge Brownie are in stores now and feature the fresh-out-the-oven brownie taste without the hassle of baking.

In addition to competing in Wednesday’s Cup Series Toyota 500k, Busch is also scheduled to compete in Tuesday night’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Darlington. Like he did on his Cup Series car Sunday, Busch will again sport the M&M’S Thank You Heroes scheme on his No. 54 Toyota Supra. The race is Busch’s second of five Xfinity Series starts scheduled for 2020, with Tuesday’s Darlington race replacing the Chicagoland Speedway stop on the tour that was previously scheduled for June.

So, while “The Lady in Black” didn’t treat Busch well the first time around in 2020, he and the M&M’S Fudge Brownie team get another shot at the track “Too Tough to Tame” on Wednesday night. The No. 18 team will no doubt regroup and have a shot at victory lane with some new colors on board.

KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 M&M’S Fudge Brownie Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:

What are you able to take to Wednesday night’s Cup Series race from Sunday’s race at Darlington?

“Going back and trying to figure out what we need to do to get better. We’ve got problems unloading off the hauler and being good. It takes a lot of work between Adam (Stevens, crew chief) and myself and the engineers to get the car tuned in and dialed into the racetracks. We fought the same thing last year at Indy. We ran terrible last year at Indy with no practice, and it’s a race we had won twice in a row in previous years. It’s something we definitely have to work on, but I have the confidence we can do that. We have M&M’S Fudge Brownie on the car this week for the first time. It would be great to have a good run and showcase them since we get another shot at Darlington here in a few days.”

Out of necessity, you’ll be running some midweek races for the first time ever. What are your thoughts on midweek races?

“To me, a race is a race. Whether I’m in a Cup car, Xfinity, Truck, or a Super Late Model, I’m not sure racing on a Wednesday is going to be all that different for me. Over the years with everything that I’ve raced, I’ve raced during the week all the time, so that part shouldn’t be a problem. As far as going forward, whatever NASCAR decides in the future on when they’ll have races, I’ll be there. It’s really whatever they think is best for the future of the sport and something our fans will like. If they tell me the races are on any day of the week, I’ll be there to race. Doesn’t make much difference to me what day of the week it is.”

What did you think of the safety procedures in place throughout the day on Sunday?

“It seemed to go really smoothly and really easy. Just being able to walk around the track from your bus to the car and just be there to do a job and a duty and less chaos kind of going around, the day seemed to make it a bit easier. Other than that, you kind of miss just being with or around your guys.”

What do drivers mean when they say you have to “race the track” at Darlington?

“It’s tough to pass there, for sure. It’s so difficult. So you run your laps until you get to a pit stop and try to get your guys to have a good stop for you so you can jump a couple of guys. Pit stops become really important there, as is track position and trying to stay up front.”

What makes Darlington a track that is too tough to tame?

“It’s a very narrow and challenging racetrack, especially for the speeds that we carry around there, now. We’re looking forward to getting another shot at Darlington with our M&M’S Fudge Brownie Camry on Wednesday night. You’ve really got to be able to get as close as you can to the wall in order to carry your momentum through the corners because you’ve got to make the straightaways as long as you can. The track is very narrow on entries and exits, so you’re always trying to round the place as much as you can. It’s very one-groovish. You can’t really run side-by-side there. Any time you get alongside somebody, you basically have to let them go. It’s a very big give-and-take type of track. It’s really aero-sensitive now, to where it used to be more about mechanical grip and getting your car to handle well and handle over the bumps well and keep the tires on it. Now you’re restricted off the car in front of you and are trying to find some air, basically.”

M&M’S Fudge Brownie Racing

Race 6 of 36 – Toyota 500k – Darlington

Car No.: 18 – M&M’S Fudge Brownie Toyota Camry

Teammates: Denny Hamlin – No. 11 Toyota Camry; Martin Truex Jr. – No. 19 Toyota Camry; Erik Jones – No. 20 Toyota Camry.

At-Track PR Contact: Bill Janitz, True Speed Communication (704-875-3388 ext. 803 or Bill.Janitz@TrueSpeedCommunication.com).

Primary Team Members:

Driver: Kyle Busch

Hometown: Las Vegas

Crew Chief: Adam Stevens

Hometown: Portsmouth, Ohio

Car Chief: Nate Bellows

Hometown: Fairfax, Vermont

Spotter: Tony Hirschman

Hometown: Northampton, Pennsylvania

Over-The-Wall Crew Members:

Gas Man: Matt Tyrrell

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Front Tire Changer: Cam Waugh

Hometown: Johnstown, Colorado

Jackman: T.J. Ford

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Joe Crossen

Hometown: Salisbury, North Carolina

Rear Tire Changer: Jeff Cordero

Hometown: Salem, Connecticut

Notes of Interest:

The Toyota 500k will mark Kyle Busch’s 540th career NASCAR Cup Series start and his 17th NASCAR Cup Series start at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

Busch has career totals of 56 wins, 32 poles, 202 top-five finishes, 298 top-10s and 17,446 laps led in 539 career Cup Series races. His most recent Cup Series win came in November at Homestead-Miami Speedway, resulting in his second Cup Series championship. Busch’s most recent pole, the 32nd of his career, came in November at Phoenix Raceway.

Busch has one win, four top-five finishes and 10 top-10s and has led a total of 716 laps in 16 Cup Series starts at Darlington. Busch’s average Darlington finish is 12.0.

2019 Darlington:When NASCAR’s top series raced at Darlington in September, Busch led once for a race-high 118 laps. Busch’s lead was late in the race, but he lost it to JGR teammate and eventual race-winner Erik Jones during a round of yellow-flag pit stops on lap 277. He restarted third on lap 281, and later moved himself up to second behind Jones. However, with less than five laps to go, Busch scraped the wall trying to catch Jones and he dropped to third when the checkered flag fell.

56 Career Cup Series Wins: With his Cup Series win at Homestead in November, the 56th points-paying win of his career, Busch passed NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace for sole possession of ninth place on the all-time win list in NASCAR’s top series. Next up for Busch on the list is eighth-place Dale Earnhardt, who had 76 wins during his Hall of Fame career. With his 40th Cup Series victory at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in August 2017, Busch became the fourth-youngest driver to reach 40 Cup Series wins at 32 years, 109 days, behind only Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon and Herb Thomas.

All-Time JGR Wins Leader: With his Brickyard 400 win in July 2016, Busch passed Tony Stewart for most all-time Cup Series wins for JGR. Busch now has 52 wins for JGR to Stewart’s 33 following his most recent win at Homestead last year.

209 and Counting: Busch enters Wednesday night’s race at Darlington with 209 career wins among NASCAR’s top three divisions – Cup (56), Xfinity (96) and Truck (57) – following his Truck Series win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway back in February.

Richmond Preview: Harvick and Bowyer Similarly Locked In for Sunday’s Invitational

by MikeApril 17, 2020

Details:

• Race: Toyota Owners 150 (Round 4)

• Series: eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series

• Time/Date: 1 p.m. EDT on Sunday, April 19

• Location: Virtual Richmond Raceway (.75-mile oval)

• Distance: 150 laps (112.5 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

• Twitch.tv/StewartHaaseSports

DYK?:

• Trivia Question: What are the three most-watched esports events on TV in United States history? Answer: The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series and the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series. The March 29 eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race at the virtual Texas Motor Speedway was the most-watched esports event on TV in United States history. Simulcast on FOX and FS1, 1.34 million viewers tuned in, breaking the previous record set by the first eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race March 22 at the virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway by 47 percent. That broadcast earned 903,000 viewers on FS1 alone, which bested the previous record of 770,000 viewers when Mortal Kombat aired on The CW in 2016.

• But Wait, There’s More!: The last eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race April 5 at the virtual Bristol Motor Speedway averaged 1.179 million viewers across FOX and FS1, making it the second most-watched sports telecast of the weekend and the No. 1 sport among adults age 18-49.

• 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.

Overview:

• 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 a necessary hiatus to combat the spread of the coronavirus, the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series exists in place of actual NASCAR events.

• The iRacing undercard event the day prior to Sunday’s headlining eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race is the Saturday Night Thunder race where 43 drivers will compete in virtual NASCAR Xfinity Series cars. The Thunder event complements the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, and NASCAR Cup Series drivers not competing in Sunday’s race are eligible for this race. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer and Chase Briscoe will compete in Saturday Night Thunder.

• The livestream of Saturday Night Thunder begins at 8 p.m. EDT on eNASCAR.com/live. Single-car qualifying begins at 8:05 p.m., which sets the lineup for the four, 10-lap heat races, with each heat race including as many as 15 drivers. Six cars advance from each heat to the feature, with the final two spots in the 26-car field coming from the top-two finishers of a 15-lap consolation race, which takes place after the heat races and is comprised of drivers who have not yet qualified. The 125-lap feature race then follows.

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Light Ford Mustang:

“I’ve been trying to practice one hour a day. I’ve got Busch Light on my Ford Mustang and I’m going to have fun with it. I did win a street stock race this week (on iRacing)…after I wrecked in the first four. I won a Legends race by default because the whole field crashed. But those are really my only two iRacing wins. They’re not pretty. I did wreck the whole field in a Legends race the other day after starting on the front row on lap one. So, that was high entertainment. I figure the whole iRacing thing is really something that’s supposed to be fun for everybody, supposed to be filler for a gap in time during this crazy pandemic. The whole iRacing thing has introduced me to a whole new network of people and it’s opened my eyes to a whole new group of racers. It’s a different culture, but it’s still a racing culture.”

• This is Harvick’s first eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race.

• In actual NASCAR Cup Series racing at Richmond, Harvick has three wins, 15 top-five and 25 top-10 finishes in 38 career starts.

• Harvick’s three wins came in September 2006, September 2011 and April 2013.

Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 PEAK Coolant & Antifreeze Ford Mustang:

“iRacing is extremely realistic. You’re using the same mechanics, the same forces, and the same movements you use in real life to make your car go fast, and that includes your hand-eye coordination and your feet. You drive these things so much with the pedals, with the gas, the brake, the steering input. All of those inputs in your mind are the exact same thing we use to put our car to the front of the field on any given Sunday. That being said, the only sense that you don’ t have in a simulator is the feel from the seat of your pants. We kind of call it the ‘butt dyno’. You balance a racecar kind of like if you put a plate on the end of an ink pen. That’s how you balance a racecar. That thing wants to go on all four different axis’, whether it’s the right-front, left-front, right-rear, left-rear, you can feel all those things, and that’s how you balance a car is through the seat of your pants. In iRacing, you don’t have that. All you have is your visuals, so once you have the hang of that and your mind finally catches on, it’s kind of like riding a bike. It’s a struggle for a little while, but once you catch on to that and realize what’s going on with the movements of your car and the movements of the track and things like that – when to pick up the gas, your timing – once you get all that set, it’s exactly like what we do in real life with our PEAK Coolant & Antifreeze Ford Mustang.”

• Bowyer started 32nd and finished 11th in the previous eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race at Bristol.

• Bowyer considers himself a hobby iRacer. Sunday’s race at Richmond will be just his fourth official iRacing start in a virtual NASCAR Cup Series race.

• Bowyer’s eponymous iRacing team competes in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series with drivers Brandon Kettelle and Brian Schoenberg, and Bowyer’s dirt late model team has been sponsored by iRacing for several years.

• In actual NASCAR Cup Series racing at Richmond, Bowyer has two wins, five top-five and 16 top-10 finishes in 28 career starts.

• Bowyer’s two wins came in May 2008 and September 2012.

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation/Ford Project Apollo Ford Mustang:

“My goal is to just finish the race clean in my Haas Automation/Ford Project Apollo Ford Mustang. I haven’t done much iRacing before, so it’s definitely a little hard to get used to, but hopefully I can get some laps under my belt and get better as I go. I’ll look at the format and figure out what type of strategy I want, and see how I’m running and go from there. There’s going to be some learning because I’ve never done it. I’m definitely going to have someone around me helping through the race. It will be hard keeping track of everything because it is new to me and there’s a lot to handle. I’ve been talking with Chase Briscoe a little about it. He’s had iRacing for a little while now and is pretty good at it, so just getting a general idea of what to look for is important. I’ve also asked Justin Bolton, SHR’s iRacing driver, some questions. I’ve worked with him in the past because he was an engineer on my Xfinity team last year and he obviously knows a lot about it.”

• This is Custer’s first Saturday Night Thunder race.

• In actual racing, Custer has made a total of eight starts at Richmond – one in the NASCAR Cup Series and seven in the Xfinity Series.

• Custer is a winner at Richmond, as he earned an Xfinity Series victory at the track in April 2019.

• Custer also has the opportunity to race his way into Sunday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race. After the Saturday Night Thunder event, Custer will compete in a 25-lap race at 10:30 a.m. EDT on Sunday. Should he finish first or second in that race, he will earn a starting spot in the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race.

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

“I’m ready to get back in my No. 98 HighPoint.com/Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang at Richmond. In the real world, Richmond is a track that I struggled at my first time there, but like anywhere else, I was able to improve with experience. The same things apply to sim racing. The more you do it, the more comfortable you get. Richmond is a tough track, so if you haven’t put in the time to test it out, it’s probably going to be a struggle. I enjoy short-track racing. It’s always exciting and I think we’ll see a lot of those same short-track racing characteristics in the iRacing event Saturday night. Hopefully, I’ll qualify well and have a good run in the heat race to lock into the main so we can put on a show.”

• This is Briscoe’s first Saturday Night Thunder race, but he is a regular iRacer, with most of his races coming in the Xfinity Series.

• In actual racing, Briscoe has never competed in the NASCAR Cup Series. He is currently in his second full season of Xfinity Series racing.

• Briscoe has three Xfinity Series starts at Richmond. He has two top-10s, with a best finish of fifth in September 2019.

About Stewart-Haas eSports:

NASCAR is the ultimate test of driver acumen and mechanical know-how, where teams scrutinize every detail in a never-ending quest for speed. Stewart-Haas Racing has thrived in this environment, winning races and championships to firmly establish its presence in NASCAR. Stewart-Haas eSports emulates these efforts in the virtual world, where sim technology provides a visceral experience that amplifies the grit and determination of NASCAR drivers in the real world. Stewart-Haas eSports is a natural extension of Stewart-Haas Racing, where competition and simulation are one. For more information, please visit us online at www.StewartHaasRacing.com/esports and follow on Twitter @SHR_eSports.

About Stewart-Haas Racing:

Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The Kannapolis, North Carolina-based organization has won two NASCAR Cup Series titles, one NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and more than 70 NASCAR races, including such crown-jewel events as the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. For more information, please visit us online at www.StewartHaasRacing.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/StewartHaasRacing, on Twitter @StewartHaasRcng and on Instagram @StewartHaasRacing.

Erik Jones / No. 20 Sport Clips Toyota Camry Preview

by MikeApril 17, 2020

Toyota Owners 150 at Virtual Richmond Raceway

eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series

No. 20 Sport Clips Toyota Camry News and Notes:

JONES AT RICHMOND RACEWAY: In actual NASCAR races at Richmond Raceway, Erik Jones has six Cup Series starts with four top-15 finishes and a best-career finish of sixth in 2017 during his Rookie Season. In addition to his Cup Series starts, Jones has four starts at the Virginia short track in the Xfinity Series earning three top-five finishes and one pole starting position. He recorded his best finish at the track in the Xfinity Series in 2016 when he finished second.
FORMAT: This week’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race at Richmond Raceway will consist of 150 laps with 30 drivers competing for the win. Drivers will qualify Sunday morning to set the field for the Toyota Owners 150.
ROUND 4: This week will mark round four of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series. Jones has competed in the first three rounds and recorded his best finish of 10th at virtual Homestead-Miami Speedway.
VIRTUAL BRITSOL RECAP: Erik Jones started and finished the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway in the 31st position after technical issues plagued Jones in the heat race and the race.
RACE INFO: The Toyota Owners 150 at Virtual Richmond Raceway is scheduled for Sunday, April 19, 2020. Coverage will begin at 1:00 p.m. ET on FOX and FOX Sports 1.

From the Driver’s Seat:

Erik Jones: “I’m looking forward to Richmond. I’ve got a new Sim setup for this weekend, so I think that will go really well. Richmond has been a pretty good track to me in the past in the Cup Series and in the Xfinity Series as well. I hope that we can go and have a good run and get out there and contend in the top 10, top five and have a good shot at it. I’ve been putting in some good time this week on the sim trying to figure out the track and continue to improve. Hopefully it all pays off this Sunday when we get racing.”

About Sport Clips

Sport Clips Haircuts is headquartered in Georgetown, Texas. It was established in 1993 and began franchising in 1995. The sports-themed haircutting franchise, which specializes in haircuts for men and boys, offers online check in for clients, and is ranked by Forbes as “Best Franchise to Buy” in the medium investment category and named a 2020 Top Franchise by Franchise Business Review. There are more than 1,850 Sport Clips stores open in the U.S. and Canada. Sport Clips is the “Official Haircutter” of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), offers veterans preferential pricing on haircuts and franchises, and was named a 2019 Top Franchise for Veterans by Entrepreneur. Sport Clips provides “Haircuts with Heart” through its annual Help A Hero fundraiser that has contributed nearly $8 million to the VFW; national partnership with St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants; and other national and local philanthropic outreach. Sport Clips is a proud sponsor of Joe Gibbs Racing’s NASCAR drivers Erik Jones, Martin Truex, Jr., Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin; Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Indy Car driver Santino Ferrucci; and partners with numerous NCAA and professional sports teams. To learn more about Sport Clips, visit sportclips.com.

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

by MikeMarch 12, 2020

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Car No. 96: Cherry Vanilla Coke Toyota Camry

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

Primary Team:

Driver: Daniel Suárez

Hometown: Monterrey, Mexico

Crew Chief: Dave Winston

Hometown: Miami, Florida

Car Chief: Mark Hillman

Hometown: Lockport, New York

Engine Specialist: Kirk Butterfield

Hometown: Carrollton, Ohio

Engine Builder: Toyota Racing Development

Headquarters: Costa Mesa, California

Spotter: Steve Barkdoll

Hometown: Garrison, Iowa

Over-The-Wall Crew:

Gas Man: Cory White

Hometown: Vinson, Iowa

Front Tire Changer: Mike Mead

Hometown: Sherrills Ford, North Carolina

Rear Tire Changer: Brandon Traino

Hometown: Cherry Hill, New Jersey

Tire Carrier: Mason Harris

Hometown: Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia

Jackman: Joel Bouagnon

Hometown: St. Charles, Illinois

Windshield: Mark Hillman

Hometown: Lockport, New York

Road Crew:

Truck Driver: Gary “Turtle” Clem

Hometown: Eaton, Ohio

Shock Specialist: David Stillman

Hometown: Appleton, Wisconsin

Mechanic: Evan Snider

Hometown: Scottdale, Pennsylvania

Tire Specialist: Liz Prestella

Hometown: South Lake Tahoe, California

Mechanic: Cory White

Hometowns: Vinson, Iowa

Mechanic: Glenn “Cheeseburger” Hilchey

Hometown: Bennington, Vermont

Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 at Atlanta Notes of Interest:

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