Chase Briscoe is 30/1 to win at Martinsville

CHASE BRISCOE Martinsville Advance No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: Xfinity 500 (Round 35 of 36) ● Time/Date: 2 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Oct. 29 ● Location: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway ● Layout: .526-mile oval ● Laps/Miles: 500 laps/263 miles ● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 130 laps / Stage 2: 130 laps / Final Stage: 240 laps ● TV/Radio: NBC / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● With just two races remaining on the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, Chase Briscoe is looking to find his way back to victory lane where the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors team has been the strongest – the short tracks. The mission begins this weekend with the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, where Briscoe’s performance has been strong since the introduction of the NextGen car at the start of the 2022 season. A fourth-consecutive top-10 finish at the half-mile oval tucked in the hills of Ridgeway, Virginia, would add to the Stewart-Haas Racing driver’s momentum headed to the final race of the season at Phoenix Raceway, where the 28-year-old driver earned his first victory behind the wheel of the No. 14 Ford Mustang.   ● Briscoe has earned three straight top-10 finishes at Martinsville dating back to the March 2022 race. He scored ninth-place results in both 2022 events, the second one in the October race, the third and final race of the Round of 8 of the Cup Series Playoffs in which he was eliminated from championship contention. This past April at Martinsville, Briscoe finished fifth in the first stage and second in the second stage, and led twice for a total of 109 laps en route to a fifth-place result.   ● In the fall of 2020, when the NASCAR Xfinity Series returned to Martinsville after a 13-year hiatus, Briscoe drove to a seventh-place finish. The 27-year-old racer also owns two NASCAR Truck Series starts at Martinsville. His best result came in April 2017, when he started eighth and finished 11th. He returned that October to start on the pole and lead the first 39 laps before a late-race accident relegated him to a 19th-place finish.

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

Since the introduction of the NextGen, you have never finished outside of the top-10 at Martinsville. Is that coincidence and good timing after a year of experience in the Cup Series, or is this car more suited to your driving style on a short track? “I don’t know. I’ve always enjoyed going to Martinsville. I felt like I’ve always had speed there, I just didn’t really race that well. So, I don’t know if the NextGen just kind of fits me a little bit better there or if it’s the experience. Martinsville has definitely been a place where we’ve been really good every time we’ve been, we just haven’t been able to capitalize on how good we are. We’ve led quite a few laps there but just haven’t been able to put it all together. It’s a place we always look forward to going to because we are always so fast, so hopefully this time will be different.”   There are a lot of guys who grew up racing asphalt Late Models and who had a goal of racing on tracks like Martinsville. As a dirt racer, is a win at Martinsville as coveted to you as it would be to them? “Martinsville is a very iconic track. The trophy is probably the one that everybody wants. So, from that standpoint, yeah, it definitely is. I feel like if you win at Martinsville, you’re respected as a really good short-track driver and, as a guy who didn’t do any of that growing up, it’d be cool for me to be able to win there. There is a list of guys who are just incredible short-track racers, and that’s not something that I grew up doing, so if I could add my name to that, it would be really cool.”   You didn’t do much Late Model racing growing up, but you did get behind the wheel of a pavement Late Model this year and won in just your second start. Have you learned anything from that limited amount of time on track? “It’s a completely different kind of racing, but I do feel like I’ve learned some things as far as technique that could really help. The reason Denny Hamlin and William Byron are so good at short tracks is because they do have that foundation in Late Model racing. It definitely doesn’t hurt to get that experience.”

Kevin Harvick is 40/1 to win his final Las Vegas race

 

KEVIN HARVICK Las Vegas Advance No. 4 Mobil 1 Extended Performance High Mileage Ford Mustang

Event Overview

●  Event:  South Point 400 (Round 33 of 36) ●  Time/Date:  2:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Oct. 15 ●  Location:  Las Vegas Motor Speedway ●  Layout:  1.5-mile oval ●  Laps/Miles:  267 laps/400.5 miles ●  Stage Lengths:  Stage 1: 80 laps / Stage 2: 85 laps / Final Stage: 102 laps ●  TV/Radio:  NBC / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

●  In 23 years of NASCAR Cup Series racing that has spanned 822 career starts, Kevin Harvick has racked up plenty of laps and even more miles in his Hall-of-Fame-worthy career. So, it’s only appropriate that his No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang carries the branding of Mobil 1 Extended Performance High Mileage advanced full synthetic motor oil in the South Point 400 this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Mobil 1 Extended Performance High Mileage safeguards an engine for 20,000 miles between oil changes by providing exceptional wear protection of critical components. Among active Cup Series drivers, there is no one with higher mileage than Harvick. He ranks fifth all-time in miles run (308,238.364) and 10th all-time in laps completed (231,068). These statistics place Harvick among a who’s who of NASCAR royalty.     ●  All-time miles run among all NASCAR Cup Series drivers, past and present:         1.  Mark Martin (326,364.17 miles)         2.  Ricky Rudd (322,457.663 miles)         3.  Terry Labonte (318,907.583 miles)         4.  Bill Elliott (308,803.511 miles)         5.  Kevin Harvick (308,238.364 miles)         6.  Richard Petty (303,748.756 miles)     ●  All-time laps completed among all NASCAR Cup Series drivers, past and present:         1.  Richard Petty (307,844 laps completed)         2.  Ricky Rudd (259,746 laps completed)         3.  Mark Martin (255,044 laps completed)         4.  Terry Labonte (254,874 laps completed)         5.  Bill Elliott (238,923 laps completed)         6.  Darrell Waltrip (237,773 laps completed)         7.  Kyle Petty (232,922 laps completed)         8.  Dave Marcis (231,392 laps completed)         9.  Jeff Gordon (231,223 laps completed)         10.  Kevin Harvick (231,068 laps completed)         11.  Ken Schrader (220,638 laps completed)   ●  DYK? Las Vegas has been hosting races since 1996 and, in its 27-year existence, Harvick has competed at the track every single year. His first race at the 1.5-mile oval north of the Las Vegas Strip was a NASCAR Winston West Series race on Nov. 2, 1996. Driving for Wayne and Connie Spears, Harvick started fourth and finished 13th. Ken Schrader won, Michael Waltrip finished third, Butch Gilliland finished sixth and Hershel McGriff finished 21st. How is Harvick connected to those four individuals?     ●  Ken Schrader: It was at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, on May 2, 1998 where Harvick raced Schrader for the win in the NASCAR Winston West Series race. Schrader prevailed, but Harvick made his mark by starting second and finishing second and leading 32 laps in between. Schrader took the win by 1.314 seconds, but veteran NASCAR team owner Richard Childress took note of the then 22-year-old Harvick. In Harvick’s Winston West return to Fontana on July 18, he one-upped his performance from two months prior. Harvick started from the pole and ended with the win, taking the checkered flag by 1.15 seconds over Austin Cameron. He led 52 of the race’s 100 laps. Those victories were part of a five-win campaign that led Harvick to the 1998 Winston West championship and, ultimately, a 14-year career with Richard Childress Racing, with the team signing Harvick to race in the Xfinity Series in 2000.     ●  Michael Waltrip: Next year, Harvick will be a teammate to Waltrip – not on a race team, but in the broadcast booth. Harvick will transition from a firesuit to a suit and tie in 2024 when he joins Waltrip on the FOX broadcast team.     ●  Butch Gilliland: Harvick has raced against three generations of Gillilands, beginning with patriarch Butch Gilliland (they first raced together on April 21, 1996 in the Truck Series at Phoenix Raceway), and then Butch’s son David Gilliland (in both Xfinity and Cup Series races from 2004-2018) and finally David’s son Todd Gilliland, who was a Cup Series rookie last year and remains in the series.     ●  Hershel McGriff: McGriff was recently inducted into the 2023 NASCAR Hall of Fame and is known for his unsurpassed longevity in the sport. His first race was the 1950 Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway when he was a 22-year-old competing in NASCAR’s sophomore season. His final race was the 2018 Port of Tucson Twin 100s where, as a 90-year-old, McGriff drove in the first of two 100-lap NASCAR West Series races at Tucson (Ariz.) Speedway. Harvick and McGriff competed against each other in Winston West from 1996 through 1998.   ●  Harvick has made a total of 46 starts across four NASCAR divisions at Las Vegas:     ●  4 NASCAR Winston West Series starts (1996-1998): Best result – won from the pole in 1998 Cactus Clash, leading 89 of the race’s 100 laps.     ●  3 NASCAR Truck Series starts (1997-1999); Best result – eighth in 1997 Carquest Auto Parts 420k.     ●  11 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts (2000-2011): Best result – first, earned twice (2004 Sam’s Town 300 and 2010 Sam’s Town 300).     ●  28 NASCAR Cup Series starts (2001-present); Best result – first, earned twice (2015 Las Vegas 400 and 2018 Las Vegas 400).   ●  Since joining Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014, Harvick has finished among the top-10 in nine of the 15 NASCAR Cup Series races contested at Las Vegas. In that span, the driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Extended Performance High Mileage Ford Mustang has led 621 laps and won twice – March 2015 and March 2018. Harvick finished 12th in each of the Cup Series races last year at the 1.5-mile oval and ninth in the series’ prior visit to the track in March.   ●  Harvick has led a total of 679 laps in the NASCAR Cup Series at Las Vegas, the most of any Cup Series driver in the history of the track. Next best in this category is seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson with 595 laps led. All but 58 of Harvick’s laps led at Las Vegas have come in his 10 years with Stewart-Haas Racing.   ●  Harvick’s win at Las Vegas in March 2018 was his 100th career victory across NASCAR’s top-three national touring series – Cup, Xfinity and Truck. He has since scored 21 more Cup Series wins to bring his record to 121 total victories – 60 in Cup, 47 in Xfinity and 14 in Truck. Only three other drivers in NASCAR history have surpassed 100 wins across NASCAR’s top-three series: Kyle Busch (229 wins), Richard Petty (200 wins) and David Pearson (106 wins).   ●  There have been 30 NASCAR Cup Series races contested at Las Vegas, including its inaugural race on March 1, 1998. Harvick has started 27 of those races, the most of any driver, past or present.   ●  The Mobil 1 branding on Harvick’s No. 4 Ford Mustang goes more than skin deep as the world’s leading synthetic motor oil brand gives Harvick an added advantage. Mobil 1 products are used throughout his racecar and they extend beyond just engine oil. Power steering fluid, transmission fluid, gear oil and driveline lubricants from Mobil 1 give Harvick a technical advantage over his counterparts by reducing friction, heat and rolling resistance.Mobil 1 is a sponsor whose technology makes Harvick’s No. 4 Mobil 1 Extended Performance High Mileage Ford Mustang faster.

Kevin Harvick, Driver No. 4 Mobil 1 Extended Performance High Mileage Ford Mustang

You’ve won at Las Vegas twice and have finished among the top-10 six times in your last nine races at the track. What do you need to be quick there? “Las Vegas has a lot of tire fall-off, so it’s important to have a good-handling racecar. It’s also a track where you’re constantly moving around trying to find the right grip.”   The South Point 400 will mark your final race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. As you compete at all these racetracks one last time, is it becoming more and more surreal that the next time you’re at these tracks, you won’t be racing? “I’ve had that question a lot, and every time I go to one for the last time, it doesn’t feel that bad. Coming back this year and running this last season and making it as public as it’s been, to have a plan for logos and racetracks and fans and people to come the last time, and to go back and look at all the old pictures and hear the fans’ stories and racetrack stories, or whatever the scenario is, it’s put really good closure to whatever event it is. There’s really not anything that has happened so far where I was like, ‘Oh man, I’m not so sure that I’m happy about it being the last time.’ I’m so far into planning for next year, and everything is already lined up with the television and the management company, and you’ve already moved on to making a new plan and you’re living out the rest of the plan that you’d already laid out at this time last year. I think the closure to me has just been the fact that it is what it is. That points to us doing a really good job of planning it all out, and I feel like we’re good at just moving on to the next task.”   Are you compartmentalizing your emotions as your final season winds down? “I feel like that’s something that, throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to be pretty good at. You just go and just do what you’re supposed to do no matter what the surrounding situation is, whether it’s chaotic, or you’re running good, you’re running bad, you run into somebody, last year, first year, I think it’s just been one of those things that I’ve been fortunate to be able to do, just climb in the car, put the window net up, and it’s just what you do. No matter the magnitude of the scenario, it’s just part of the next step to get to where you want to be. Going into the year, obviously we knew that we’d planned out the last year and the last season of what we wanted to do and it’s just part of the plan. For me, we’re definitely structured planners, so you just execute that plan and then you go to the next one. I know at the end of the year it’ll obviously look different but, on the flip side, I’ve been very fortunate to be successful at what I do. I’ve basically lived out my childhood dream to do what I wanted to do, and now it’s time to move on. It’s time to do something different after we go to Phoenix and race there for the last time, and for me, that’s exciting.”   Has there been a particular moment this year during all the tributes to your career that’s really resonated with you? “I think when the 4EVER signs started showing up on the walls and you had to drive by them every lap – at Watkins Glen they had the tribute through the esses and you drove by it every single lap. You drive by my pit marker at a lot of these racetrack and it’s the 4EVER sign. Marcus Smith (president and CEO of Speedway Motorsports) was very up front in saying, ‘Hey, we’ve got to have a chance to do this type of stuff, and to be able to do it with the fans and the sponsors and with the team and everybody that’s involved in it.’ What I don’t think is a big deal is a big deal to a lot of people, because I do this on a week-to-week basis. I’ve grown up around it and I’ve seen it from every end of the spectrum that you could see it from. It’s a big deal to a lot of people, and it’s a big deal to each racetrack and their local fans and markets. So it’s been fun to see it all play out. I don’t know if there’s one that sticks out above the other ones, but I think for me the biggest moment was running that 29 car at North Wilkesboro.”   Las Vegas has become quite the sports town. What are some of the sports you might’ve played if you weren’t a NASCAR driver? “I’m not the most athletic person, but I have a little bit of grit and determination, which is the only thing that got me through my four years of wresting in high school. I don’t know what I would’ve done. I went to the local junior college and knew I wanted to race and never pursued the wrestling piece of it. I would’ve definitely had to do some things a little bit differently. I was a little guy in high school. I think that worked out OK now, being 47 years old, but I always wanted to race and I have no clue what I would’ve done if I wasn’t driving cars. I started driving go-karts when I was 5 and raced cars when I was 16 and started traveling all over, racing cars or working on the trucks for Wayne and Connie Spears as a mechanic. Racing is all that I’ve known. I have no clue in which direction it would’ve gone if it wasn’t for racing.”

Allmendinger grabs emotional win in Charlotte Road Course elimination race

October 8, 2023 

By Reid Spencer 

NASCAR Wire Service 

 

CONCORD, N.C. – Road course aficionado AJ Allmendinger stole some thunder from the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff drivers with a convincing victory in Sunday’s Bank of America Roval 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course.

 

Driving the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, Allmendinger led twice for a race-high 46 laps, including the last 33, and beat runner-up William Byron to the finish line by 0.666 seconds to win his first Cup race of the season, his first at the Charlotte Road Course and the third of his Cup Series career—all on road courses.

 

Kyle Busch finished third at the 2.32-mile, 17-turn circuit, two spots short of the win he need to advance to the Playoffs’ Round of 8. Joining Busch on the Playoff elimination list were Ross Chastain (who finished 10th), Bubba Wallace (16th) and Brad Keselowski (18th).

 

Allmendinger took the lead for the final time when Ryan Blaney pitted from the top spot on Lap 77, under caution for a wreck in the frontstretch chicane involving Denny Hamlin, Ty Dillon and Mike Rockenfeller.

 

The 41-year-old from Los Gatos, Calif., survived four more cautions and four more restarts before he completed what he termed “the drive of my life.”

 

Allmendinger was weeping during the cool-down lap and teared up in his post-race interview.

 

“I hate crying right now, but it’s a freaking Cup race, man,” he said. “You don’t know when it’s ever going to happen again…

 

“This is why you do it. This is the only reason you do it. You fight. All the blood, sweat, tears, everybody at Kaulig Racing has just been such… I’d say a down year, but up-and-down year. It’s our second year in the Cup Series.”

 

Byron and Ryan Blaney already had advanced to the Round of 8 in the Playoffs by virtue of their respective victories at Texas and Talladega.

 

Joining them in the next round, which starts next Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, are Tyler Reddick (who ran sixth from the pole on Sunday), Denny Hamlin (37th), Christopher Bell (15th), Chris Buescher (seventh), Kyle Larson (who started from the rear in a backup car and finished 13th) and Martin Truex Jr. (20th).

 

The regular-season champion, Truex, claimed the final berth in the Round of 8 by 12 points over Chastain, the first driver out.

 

Ill-fortune that befell Chase Elliott near the end of Stage 2 facilitated Allmendinger’s victory. Just as Elliott, the race leader, was approaching pit road to “short” the stage, BJ McLeod’s spin in Turn 4 caused the second of seven cautions and forced NASCAR to close pit road.

 

Elliott steered back to the racing surface and won the stage but lost critical track position after pitting during the stage break and never regained it. He finished ninth behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman.

 

Ty Gibbs came home fourth, followed by Joey Logano.

 

After a strong run from start to finish, Busch was philosophical about his exit from the Playoffs.

 

“The guys gave me a great piece today,” he said. “The Lenovo Camaro was pretty fast, just lacked a little bit on the long run, just didn’t quite have the feel of the tire that I was really looking for to be able to turn into the corners and to be able to drive out of the corners and keep pace with the front two there at the end.

“But overall, this ride is on me anyways. The first two weeks of this round were obviously not very good, and we didn’t score any points. That’s where it’s at. That’s where it lies. Texas, Talladega, just not being able to execute and do a good job when points were on the line.”

 

–30—

 

NASCAR Cup Series Race – Bank of America ROVAL 400

Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course

Concord, North Carolina

Sunday, October 8, 2023

 

1. (6)  AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 109.
2. (14)  William Byron (P), Chevrolet, 109.
3. (5)  Kyle Busch (P), Chevrolet, 109.
4. (10)  Ty Gibbs #, Toyota, 109.
5. (7)  Joey Logano, Ford, 109.
6. (1)  Tyler Reddick (P), Toyota, 109.
7. (20)  Chris Buescher (P), Ford, 109.
8. (16)  Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 109.
9. (8)  Chase Elliott (P), Chevrolet, 109.
10. (12)  Ross Chastain (P), Chevrolet, 109.
11. (18)  Ryan Preece, Ford, 109.
12. (17)  Ryan Blaney (P), Ford, 109.
13. (36)  Kyle Larson (P), Chevrolet, 109.
14. (15)  Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 109.
15. (2)  Christopher Bell (P), Toyota, 109.
16. (4)  Bubba Wallace (P), Toyota, 109.
17. (24)  Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, 109.
18. (19)  Brad Keselowski (P), Ford, 109.
19. (22)  Kevin Harvick, Ford, 109.
20. (11)  Martin Truex Jr. (P), Toyota, 109.
21. (21)  Aric Almirola, Ford, 109.
22. (25)  Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 109.
23. (32)  Todd Gilliland, Ford, 109.
24. (31)  Harrison Burton, Ford, 109.
25. (29)  Austin Cindric, Ford, 109.
26. (28)  Josh Bilicki(i), Chevrolet, 109.
27. (33)  Austin Hill(i), Chevrolet, 109.
28. (30)  Chase Briscoe, Ford, 109.
29. (26)  Mike Rockenfeller, Chevrolet, 109.
30. (34)  Zane Smith(i), Ford, 109.
31. (37)  Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 109.
32. (13)  Michael McDowell, Ford, 109.
33. (3)  Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 109.
34. (27)  Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, Electrical, 96.
35. (35)  Andy Lally(i), Ford, Accident, 84.
36. (23)  Erik Jones, Chevrolet, Accident, 79.
37. (9)  Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota, DVP, 76.

 

Average Speed of Race Winner:  81.596 mph.

Time of Race:  3 Hrs, 5 Mins, 57 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.666 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  7 for 18 laps.

Lead Changes:  7 among 6 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   T. Reddick (P) 1-27;C. Bell (P) 28-35;C. Elliott (P) 36-50;C. Bell (P) 51;K. Busch (P) 52-57;A. Allmendinger 58-70;R. Blaney (P) 71-76;A. Allmendinger 77-109.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  AJ Allmendinger 2 times for 46 laps; Tyler Reddick (P) 1 time for 27 laps; Chase Elliott (P) 1 time for 15 laps; Christopher Bell (P) 2 times for 9 laps; Kyle Busch (P) 1 time for 6 laps; Ryan Blaney (P) 1 time for 6 laps.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 45,23,1,19,20,99,9,8,54,16

Stage #2 Top Ten: 9,20,11,45,5,1,23,19,34,8

Short Track Kings: Drivers to watch this weekend

Of the five remaining tracks on the NASCAR Cup Series regular season schedule, this weekend’s Richmond Raceway is the last short track, begging the question, ‘Who has been the best on the short tracks this season and should be the ones he watch this weekend?’

The NASCAR Cup Series has competed on six short tracks this season – Martinsville, Bristol Dirt, Phoenix, Dover, New Hampshire and Richmond, and two organizations have dominated the six events winning three each, Hendrick Motorsports won at Martinsville, Phoenix and Richmond and Joe Gibbs Racing grabbed wins at Bristol Dirt, Dover and New Hampshire.

Two drivers this season have won multiple times on the short tracks, including the current NASCAR Cup Series points leader Martin Truex Jr (Dover, New Hampshire) and Richmond Raceway’s most recent winner Kyle Larson (Richmond, Martinsville). The other two short track races were won by Christopher Bell (Bristol Dirt) and William Byron (Phoenix).

The driver with the best average starting position at the six previous short track races this season is Hendrick Motorsport’s William Byron with a 6.5, followed by Tyler Reddick with a 7.0, Kyle Busch with a 7.3, Christopher Bell with a 9.2 and Kyle Larson with a 10.5.

The driver with the best average finishing position at the six previous short track races this season is Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. with a 6.6, followed by Tyler Reddick with a 9.3, Christopher Bell with a 10.3, Kevin Harvick with a 10.3 and Chase Briscoe with a 11.5. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick is the defending winner of this event at Richmond.

A total of 21 different drivers have led laps at the six previous short track races this season, led by Kyle Larson with 405 laps led, followed by William Byron with 383 and Martin Truex Jr. with 378.

Cup Garage Spotlight: Fresh faces in new places

Much like the shuffling of a deck of cards, several drivers in the offseason made moves to different organizations, here is a quick look at some of the changes that took place and who to look for this season in the NASCAR Cup Series.

23XI Racing tapped Tyler Reddick to pilot the No. 45 Toyota, alongside his teammate Bubba Wallace in the No. 23 Toyota this season. The organization will also be expanding to a third car on a part-time basis beginning with this weekend at Daytona International Speedway with driver Travis Pastrana behind the wheel of the No. 67 Toyota. Pastrana will be looking to make his NASCAR Cup Series and DAYTONA 500 career debut, and as a new team, Pastrana will have to either qualify or race his way into the Great American Race.

Richard Childress Racing swung for the fences and landed the hottest free agent on the market last season, two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch. This season, Busch will pilot the No. 8 Chevrolet collaborating with crew chief Randal Burnett, as the pair competes alongside teammate Austin Dillon in the famous No. 3 Chevrolet. Dillon is the most recent winner at Daytona International Speedway grabbing the checkered flag back in August to earn his spot in the 2022 Playoffs.

The recently introduced Legacy Motor Club is all brand new for 2023 and has stacked quite the lineup this season. Veteran Erik Jones will return to the historic No. 43 Chevrolet and will have two new teammates to work with as Noah Gragson has moved up from the NASCAR Xfinity Series to drive the No. 42 Chevrolet fulltime with crew chief Luke Lambert, and seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson has returned to the series as an owner/driver and will compete on a part-time basis starting with the DAYTONA 500. Johnson will have former series champion crew chief Todd Gordon calling the shots on top the pit box.

Speaking of moving up from the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Joe Gibbs Racing has graduated Ty Gibbs to the NASCAR Cup Series after his impressive championship winning 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series run. Gibbs will pilot the No. 54 Toyota with crew chief Chris Gayle on the pit box this season, alongside a stable of veterans – Denny Hamlin (No. 11), Christopher Bell (No. 20) and last weekend’s 2023 Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum winner Martin Truex Jr. (No. 19).

Kaulig Racing has also called up A.J. Allmendinger to run fulltime this season in the NASCAR Cup Series in the No. 16 Chevrolet, joining his teammate Justin Haley, who will continue to drive the No. 31 Chevrolet.

Joining Corey Lajoie over at Spire Motorsports this season will be Ty Dillon, who will jump behind the wheel of the No. 77 Chevrolet with crew chief Kevin Bellicourt. Lajoie will continue to be in the No. 7 with crew chief Ryan Sparks.

Stewart-Haas Racing has also called upon Ryan Preece to take over the driving duties of the No. 41 Ford this season with crew chief Chad Johnston. He will be joined by SHR teammates Chase Briscoe in the No. 14, Aric Almirola in the No. 10 and veteran Kevin Harvick in the No. 4 Ford. This will be Harvick’s final season in the NASCAR Cup Series. The California native has announced his retirement at the end of the 2023 season, upon where he will join the FOX Sports TV booth as a NASCAR analyst alongside Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer.

Michael McDowell is 250/1 to win Busch Light Clash

Michael McDowell and No. 34 Ford Team The Clash at The Coliseum Competition Notes

TEAM AND RACE NOTES:

Fr8Auctions.com will support Michael McDowell during his kickoff to the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series race season this weekend. It’s the eighth consecutive season that the Atlanta, Georgia-based asset recovery business has supported Front Row Motorsports (FRM).

McDowell will race the No. 34 Fr8Auctions.com Ford Mustang during The Clash at The Coliseum at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum- a purpose-built track inside the famous stadium. The two-day exhibition event will begin Saturday, February 4 at 6:00 p.m. ET with a practice session televised live on FS1.

Qualifying will also be Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. ET live on FS1.

Sunday will feature qualifying heats (25 laps), two last-chance qualifying races (50 laps), a pre-race concert by Cypress Hill, and finally a 150-lap feature race that will start 27 of the 36-entered teams. The race will feature a mid-race break highlighted with a perfomance by Wiz Khalifa.

All of Sunday’s coverage will be televised live on FOX.

COMPETITION NOTES:

The Clash at The Coliseum will mark the first track test for new faces on the No. 34 team. The team is now led by Travis Peterson who moved over to FRM from Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing. Peterson has new members in place for his road crew that include two new engineers and a car chief. However, the team is poised to be even stronger in 2023.

CREW CHIEF TRAVIS PETERSON:

“We’re not going to miss a beat from the success that we saw out of Michael last season. We’re going to pick up where the team was at the end of last season and our goal is only to improve on what has been built. The Clash is a chance for us to knock off some rust and get back into the rhythm of traveling, putting in full days at the track, and working on our communication with Michael.

“Our goal is to leave The Clash with a top-10 result. Michael enjoyed The Clash last year and had some success passing cars and he had good speed. As a team, we expect nothing less than the same effort with an even better result.”

DRIVER MICHAEL MCDOWELL:

“The Clash is really the first chance that everyone can really get together and see how you stack up against one another. I don’t know if it’s the perfect test, since this event is such an anomaly, but it gives you an idea of where your program may be.

“I agree with Travis, I don’t see us really slowing down from where we’ve come. Sure, we know we have some new faces to the team, but I’ve really enjoyed working with Travis and trust that he’s working hard to give me what I need in the car. We both have lofty goals this year and it’s good to start off with an exhibition event where you can work out any bugs.

“Finally, we’re not getting to The Clash without Fr8Auctions and Marcus Barela. Their unwavering support to the sport, Front Row Motorsports and myself is special. It’s rare you see partners stay so committed for so long. We all want to have a great night for them to say thanks for their support.”

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Craftsman Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 Craftsman Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 Craftsman Truck Series team from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @Team_FRM and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

Martin Truex Jr is 20/1 to win Busch Light Clash

 

Martin Truex Jr. Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry TRD for Joe Gibbs Racing

Event Overview

●  Event: Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum ●  Time/Date: 5 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 5 ●  Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum ●  Layout: Quarter-mile oval ●  Format: 150-lap Feature with a 27-car field set by Heats and Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) ●  TV/Radio: FOX / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio ●  Note:  Heats and LCQ are broadcast live from 5-7 p.m. EST. Feature airs live at 8 p.m. EST.

Notes of Interest

● Entering his fifth season under the JGR banner, Truex has become quite the short-track ace during his first four seasons with JGR’s No. 19 team. Prior to his time with JGR, Truex had never won on a short track. However, since joining JGR, he’s brought home six of his 12 total victories on short tracks, which includes with three wins each on the Virginia shorts track at Richmond Raceway and Martinsville Speedway. In fact, nine of Truex’s wins since joining JGR at the start of 2019 have been on tracks 1.33 miles in length or shorter, which bodes well for the New Jersey native at this weekend’s race on the quarter-mile oval at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.   ● Truex will participate in the Clash for the 12th time in his career this weekend. His best finish of second came in the 2015 edition at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, the traditional home for the non-points event before last year’s inaugural race at the Coliseum. Truex started 23rd and brought home a 15th-place finish at the event in 2022.   ● History was made last February when the NASCAR Cup Series competed for the first time at the Coliseum. The Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum was a bold way to unofficially kick off the start of the NASCAR season. On a temporary, quarter-mile paved oval built on top of what is typically the running track around the football field the Trojans of the University of Southern California call home, NASCAR thundered into America’s second-largest media market. The location was strategic, as was the event’s timing – held on the off weekend between the NFL division championship games and the almighty Super Bowl. For all the unknowns coming into the event, it proved to be an absolute success. The buzz was palpable throughout the weekend, and more than 70 percent of ticket buyers were first-time NASCAR attendees. And with 4.3 million viewers tuned into the live TV broadcast on FOX, its ratings were 168 percent higher than the previous year’s Busch Light Clash, which was held at Daytona and broadcast on FS1. It was the Clash’s best rating since 2016, when it was broadcast on FOX. On Twitter, NASCAR was the No. 1 trending topic in the United States during the race, besting the NFL’s Pro Bowl, which was held the same day.    ● While NASCAR certainly made history last year at the L.A. Coliseum, it’s appropriate to say auto racing history was remade. As World War II wound down, racing open-wheel midget cars around the Coliseum cranked up. Beginning in 1945, the United Racing Association (URA) ran on a quarter-mile track that was paved right over the top of the athletic track. Racing continued through 1948, but under the auspices of the Automobile Association of America (AAA). As more permanent racetracks began populating Southern California, racing at the Coliseum fell by the wayside. That is, until 1979 when Mickey Thompson packaged off-road racing into his innovative stadium series, with the Coliseum serving as his first event of many across the country. Broadcast on ESPN and TNN, it was where an up-and-coming off-road racer with NASCAR ambitions first started making a name for himself – none other than seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson.   ● NASCAR celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2023, and for most of those years the sanctioning body began its annual campaign at Daytona. Starting the year in California isn’t a break from tradition, necessarily. In fact, it could be argued that it’s a return to a previous tradition. Last year’s Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum marked the first time since 1981 that NASCAR didn’t start its season at Daytona. But starting the year in California was not new. In 1965, and again from 1970 to 1981, the NASCAR Cup Series’ season-opening race took place at Riverside International Raceway, a road course that was approximately 50 miles east of Los Angeles. Riverside is long gone, the site now home to the Moreno Valley Mall, but the L.A. Coliseum was at 311 Figueroa Street 34 years before Riverside opened its doors in 1957, and it’s still there today. It’s a juxtaposition of old and new, a microcosm of NASCAR’s brave new world.   ● In true L.A. fashion, almost any NASCAR Cup Series team can show up at the Coliseum, but not everyone is getting past the velvet ropes to participate in the 150-lap main event. Because the track at the Coliseum is only a quarter-mile in length – the shortest track the NASCAR Cup Series will compete on in 2023 – only 27 cars can compete in the feature. Getting to the main event is much more arduous than walking the red carpet and slipping the bouncer a $100 bill.   Here's how it works: ●  Saturday, NASCAR Cup Series competitors will take to the track for practice prior to single-car qualifying to determine the starting order for Sunday’s four 25-lap heat races consisting of 10 cars each. Below is a breakdown on how the heat races will be filled out:   ●  The top-four fastest qualifiers from Saturday’s single-car qualifying session will be on the pole for each heat race, while cars that qualified fifth through eighth will make up the other half of the front row in each heat.   ● The remainder of each field will be filled using this methodology: Heat one will be made up of cars with qualifying positions of one, five, nine, 13, 17, 21, 25, 29, 33, 37.   ● The top-five finishers (20 total cars) from each heat race automatically advance to the Busch Light Clash, with the winner of heat one winning the pole and the winner of heat two earning the outside pole.   ● The winners of heats three and four will fill out the second row, with the remaining order being determined in the same manner.   ● The remaining finishers from each heat that did not advance will continue to one of two 50-lap Last Chance Qualifying (LCQ) races. Below is a breakdown on how the LCQ will be filled out:   ● The starting order for these two events will be determined based on finishing positions in the heat races.   ● Those who did not advance from heats one and three will make up the first LCQ race. The second race will be made up of those from heats two and four.   ● The sixth-place finishers from heats one and two will be on the pole in their respective LCQ races. The sixth-place finishers from heats three and four will be on the outside pole. ●This pattern will continue to fill out the remaining cars in each LCQ.   ● The top-three finishers (six total cars) from each LCQ race will advance to the Busch Light Clash, filling out positions 21-26 of the 27 available positions.   ● The final spot in the Busch Light Clash will be reserved for the driver who finished the highest in the 2022 points standings who does not transfer on finishing position in their heat race or in their LCQ race.   ● All other drivers will be eliminated from competition for the remainder of the event weekend.

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

What are you expecting from the NextGen car this year that will be different than last year? Do you think your team will make some gains, especially since some changes had to be made to the back of the car in particular?   “I think so, especially on short tracks and road courses, where we had some of our issues. What we’ve seen so far in all of our wind-tunnel testing and everything else I think we’ll be able to make some gains on what we needed last year and what we were lacking. Feeling good about that, but until we go test and also get on the track for real, there’s no guarantee, but it seems like things are lining up that are going to be able to help with what we thought we needed help with last year.”   With the experience you gained there last year, what do you expect at this year’s Clash at The Coliseum?   “I think the Clash will be a better race overall this year. Last year, there were just so many unknowns. You even had a new car and just, setup-wise, it was all a big guess. We all just got thrown out there, and whoever guessed right was the fastest there last year. I think we’ll see more of a competitive race even though they’ve put down new asphalt. Will the asphalt be any different or will it be exactly the same? It will be interesting to see. I expect a more competitive race and it will be hard to make the show if you are not locked in, for sure.”   How did the NextGen cars change your approach to short tracks last year?   “Short tracks were a challenge last year for us. It was a lot harder to pass than the previous car at short tracks. With the increased shifting and the way the brakes were on this car, it’s just so much different. I think the shifting has made the biggest difference. But with the braking going along with that, independent rear suspension, and differential and all of those things going on with the bigger brakes that we have now, we almost have more brakes than the tires can even take. So it’s been a challenge not to modulate that and try not to lock up the rear tires, which has been a big issue for us as a team.”   What are your expectations for this season as you work to get back in the playoffs and focus on getting into championship contention again?   “We are looking forward to the season and we have some pretty high expectations. Winning races and going for another championship is really the only reason why I’m still here, so anything short of that is going to be a disappointment. We’ve got a great team and really no changes other than hopefully the fastest over-the-wall pit crew in the sport. We are pretty excited about that group and what they can get done on pit road for us. It’s going to be all about taking advantage of our opportunities. We had a good season last year, but we didn’t get a win. We had a lot of opportunities to do that but we weren’t able to put one of those away. That’s what we are focused on – how do we not make mistakes and how do we get our cars more competitive more consistently. But I think with the changes NASCAR has made to the cars, I think it’s going to help us. We are fired up and ready to go and I think we are going to make some big problems for a lot of people this year with our Bass Pro Shops Toyota.”