ROAR! - Weekly Racing Magazine - July 27, 2020

LEARNING HOW TO WIN

MID-WEEK RACES FLOP

WITH LAST-LAP PASS ON AUSTIC CINDRIC, BRANDON JONES SHOWS HE’S BECOME A CLOSER

MAURICE PETTY WILL BE MISSED

WILLIAM BYRON ON THE CUSP

IN THE HOT SEAT WITH CHASE CABRE

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MIDWEEK RACES ARE FLOPPING HARD ON TV In this week’s episode of Out of the Groove, host and creator Eric Estepp gives us his review and analysis of the recent TV ratings released following last week’s Thursday night race at Kansas.

To say the least, the ratings aren’t good, and Eric takes us through the history of this season’s midweek races to try to understand the situation.

Mid-week racing started this season in earnest, billed as a change of pace and as an experiment to find more ways to shorten the total length of the 0 0 4

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 27, 2020

season overall each year. However, the pandemic and two months of cancellations that followed forced the issue even further, requiring mid-week races to complete a full season.

So were the mid-week races successful? Eric takes a look at the history of the ratings, the caveats surrounding them, and even the technology used to track the TV ratings themselves. Will we see more mid-week races? Find out in this week’s episode of Out of the Groove.

5 LESSONS LEARNED

THEIR TIME TO SHINE: XFINITY, TRUCK AND ARCA SERIES

5

LESSONS LEARNED AT KANSAS A weekend with no NASCAR Cup Series racing? No problem. While NASCAR’s premier division had a rare Sunday off after competing on Thursday night, the drivers of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series were hard at work — racing a total of four times over two days at Kansas Speedway. Busiest of all was the truck series, which competed on both Friday and Saturday at the 1.5-mile track. Following are five key takeaways from an action-packed weekend of on-track activity in America’s heartland.

BY JA RED TURNER

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 27, 2020

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5 LESSONS LEARNED

5

BRET HOLMES HAD IT COMING WITH ARCA WIN

N

ow in his third season as a full-time ARCA Menards Series driver, Bret Holmes has seemed capable of challenging for wins and being a contender for the series championship. What Holmes had not done until Friday night at Kansas Speedway, however, was actually win a race, which he did in convincing fashion by leading 82 of 100 laps and taking the checkered flag a whopping 14.458 seconds ahead of runner-up Ryan Repko. For Holmes, a 23-year-old Alabama native who competes for his family-owned team, the win was a long-time coming. “We’ve been working so hard for this,” said Holmes, who went to Victory Lane for the first time in his 69th career ARCA start and is now second in the ARCA driver standings. “I’ve been working my whole life for this. My team did this for me. It’s been a long tough road. I just thank my family and my friends.

They believed in me when I didn’t.”

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 27, 2020

5 LESSONS LEARNED

4

MATT CRAFTON CAN BREATHE A SIGH OF RELIEF

M

att Crafton’s pursuit of a record-tying fourth NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series championship this season was shaky at best coming into the race weekend at Kansas Speedway. Mired in a lengthy dry spell, Crafton hadn’t been to Victory Lane since winning on the dirt at Eldora Speedway in 2017 and was hovering near the playoff bubble with hopes of accumulating enough points to make the 10-driver playoff field if he couldn’t secure a victory in the regular season. But with a win on Saturday at Kansas, Crafton doesn’t have to worry about any of that now. “Feels like a monkey off of my back; that’s all everyone wants to talk about,” said Crafton of his drought, which ended at 67 races. “I just kept my head down and didn’t worry about it.” Now guaranteed entry into the playoffs, Crafton can focus his efforts on joining NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr. as a four-time champion of the truck division.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 27, 2020

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5 LESSONS LEARNED

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3

AUSTIN HILL CONTINUES TO PROVE HIMSELF WORTHY

hen Austin Hill was tapped last season to take over the Hattori Racing Enterprises entry that Brett Moffitt had wheeled to the 2018 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series championship, not everyone was convinced that Hill — previously winless in truck competition — could continue the team’s success. But oh how wrong the doubters have been. After a four-win 2019 season culminating in a fifthplace points finish, Hill has been one of the top drivers of 2020. In fact, heading into this past weekend’s truck series doubleheader at Kansas Speedway, Hill had led the standings after all but the season-opening race at Daytona — leaving little doubt that he would make the playoffs, even if he didn’t win during the regular season. But win Hill did — in superb fashion — on Friday at Kansas, formally punching a ticket to the playoffs for the second year in a row and further solidifying his place as one of the drivers to beat for the title.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 27, 2020

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5 LESSONS LEARNED

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BRANDON JONES IS LEARNING HOW TO WIN

S

ince going full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series racing in 2016, Brandon Jones hasn’t had the easiest time finding his way to Victory Lane — despite competing for two of NASCAR’s preeminent organizations in Joe Gibbs Racing and Richard Childress Racing. But after going winless in two seasons at RCR and then in his first season with JGR, Jones finally broke through last fall at Kansas Speedway. Halfway through the 2020 campaign, Jones has added two more wins — the latest one coming on Saturday at Kansas, which is quickly becoming his favorite track. However, unlike last fall at Kansas when he led the final 10 laps, Jones executed a dramatic last-lap pass on Austin Cindric to pick up the victory this time around. Already locked in the playoffs by virtue of winning at Phoenix in March, Jones just needs to show a little more consistency to be considered one of the championship favorites. What happened on Saturday was a good start.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 27, 2020

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5 LESSONS LEARNED

1

AUSTIN CINDRIC HAS NO REASON TO HANG HIS HEAD

REPLACEMENT

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or most of Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Kansas Speedway, Austin Cindric appeared to be sailing toward a recordtying fourth consecutive win that would have matched the streak set by the legendary Sam Ard in 1983. But after leading a race-high 131 of 175 laps, Cindric wasn’t able to hold off a charge from Brandon Jones, who surged from seventh to the lead after a late caution flag set up a two-lap dash to the checkered flag. As much as Cindric hated to fall short after dominating, the Team Penske driver could take heart in knowing that his hot streak continues. It didn’t stop Cindric from second-guessing how he went about attempting to keep Jones behind him, however. “There are a thousand different things you can do right and wrong, and you’ve got to trust your gut and trust the car is gonna stick,” Cindric said. “Overall, it just wasn’t in the cards for four in a row.”

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 27, 2020

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JUST SAYIN’ ▶ MAURICE PETTY WILL BE MISSED The NASCAR world lost a true legend over the weekend when Maurice Petty — a 2014 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee and the brother of seven-time premier series champion Richard Petty — died Saturday at the age of 81. Maurice, whose legacy was cemented during his time as the lead engine builder at Petty Enterprises, supplied the horsepower that propelled older sibling Richard to the majority of his record 200 wins in NASCAR’s premier series. Nicknamed “The Chief,” Maurice also enjoyed a brief driving career consisting of 26 premier series starts.

Condolences to the entire Petty family on the loss of Maurice, a good guy who will always be remembered as one of the greatest engine builders in NASCAR history.

JA RED TURNER ▶▶ Say Hello to Lots of Fans Want to know the most exciting thing about this weekend’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway? The presence of fans — and more than just a few of them.

Under orders from the state’s governor, NHMS is permitted to fill its stands at up to 35 percent capacity, which track executives expect to equal around 19,000 spectators. It will be the largest fan event in New England since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. A big kudos to all involved for making this happen, as it will be refreshing to see thousands of bodies in the stands after a weekend at Kansas Speedway where no fans were allowed.

■■ Richard Petty and longtime Petty Enterprises lead engine builder Maurice Petty.

▶▶ Cup Drivers Deserved Their Off-Weekend While some fans were likely bummed about not having a NASCAR Cup Series race to watch this past weekend, the off-weekend couldn’t have come at a better time for the drivers. Since returning to competition on May 17 following a more than two-month hiatus for the COVID-19 pandemic, NASCAR’s top division has competed an incredible 15 times. Included in this stretch were multiple midweek races and a doubleheader weekend for the Cup Series at Pocono. This nine-day break between last Thursday night’s race at Kansas and this Sunday’s race at New Hampshire is just what the doctor ordered for the drivers, who have to be feeling fatigued after completing the busiest stretch of racing in the sport’s modern history.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 27, 2020

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IN THE HOT SEAT

IN THE HOT SEAT

Chase Cabre

BY ROB TIONGSON

Throughout the season, Rob Tiongson interviews various drivers in the world of NASCAR. Today, he talks with Chase Cabre, a racer from the ARCA Menards East Series. ▶▶ How close has the iRacing platform gotten with replicating the on-track experience? iRacing has been a tool of mine for many years and it’s gotten a lot of spotlight lately. It’s been great for the service. I love iRacing. I raced in one of the Pro races on the dirt side.

You can stay in contact with all your racers and buddies and have fun with them since we can’t hang out that much. And to be able to continue to have that relationships and keep your skills sharp, iRacing does everything they can to make it as realistic as possible and we’re all lucky to have it. ▶▶ Have you had a chance to try out the 1987 Winston Cup mod with the Chevy Monte Carlo and Ford Thunderbird models?

Yea, I have. That is one of the best cars, in my opinion, on pavement that you can run on iRacing. You can learn a lot about what the drivers did back in the day. It’s crazy to drive but it’s a lot of fun. ▶▶ What would you consider to be your “Welcome to NASCAR” moment that makes you chuckle or smile as a racer accepted by your peers?

Racing is a family sport. Just to have your family support, no matter what – there’s bad days in racing and there’s good days that make you smile. And just to be able to have my family there to support me, day in and day out. Sometimes, they can’t make it out to the racetrack.

But it’s good to be able to have them be a phone call away, or to know they’re there at the racetrack.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 27, 2020

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CHASE ELLIOTT

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MARTIN TRUEX JR.

602

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ALEX BOWMAN

539

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AUSTIN DILLON

438

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10 COLE CUSTER

352

11 ARIC ALMIROLA

576

12 KYLE BUSCH

562

13 KURT BUSCH

561

14 CLINT BOWYER

484

15 MATT DIBENEDETTO

477

16 WILLIAM BYRON

452

17 TYLER REDDICK

442

18 ERIK JONES

440

19 JIMMIE JOHNSON

434

20 BUBBA WALLACE

352

21 CHRIS BUESCHER

345

22 MICHAEL MCDOWELL

341

23 CHRISTOPHER BELL

339

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25 RICKY STENHOUSE JR.

322

26 RYAN NEWMAN

309

27 TY DILLON

277

28 MATT KENSETH

273

29 COREY LAJOIE

259

30 RYAN PREECE

193

31 BRENNAN POOLE

136

32 QUIN HOUFF

101

33 DANIEL SUAREZ

203

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 27, 2020

WINS

POLES

TOP 5

TOP 10

5 0 10 11 4 0 12 16 2 1 7 14 2 0 4 8 1 0 7 9 1 1 7 9 1 1 4 10 1 0 2 6 1 0 2 5 1 0 2 4 0 0 5 11 0 1 8 10 0 1 4 12 0 1 2 5 0 0 2 5 0 0 0 6 0 0 2 6 0 0 5 8 0 0 2 6 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 4 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 5 0 0 0 2 0 1 3 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 BLUE AREAS HIGHLIGHT PLAYOFF QUALIFIERS

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CHASE BRISCOE

718

2

AUSTIN CINDRIC

722

3

NOAH GRAGSON

666

4

HARRISON BURTON

587

5

BRANDON JONES

500

6

JUSTIN HALEY

592

7

ROSS CHASTAIN

662

8

JUSTIN ALLGAIER

586

9

MICHAEL ANNETT

510

10 RILEY HERBST

410

11 RYAN SIEG

408

12 BRANDON BROWN

374

13 JEREMY CLEMENTS

342

14 MYATT SNIDER

325

15 ALEX LABBE

301

16 JESSE LITTLE

301

17 JOSH WILLIAMS

293

18 B.J. MCLEOD

256

19 JOE GRAF JR.

227

20 CHAD FINCHUM

212

21 VINNIE MILLER

210

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22 DANIEL HEMRIC

326

23 ANTHONY ALFREDO

300

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24 JEFFREY EARNHARDT

220

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25 TOMMY JOE MARTINS

195

26 AJ ALLMENDINGER

177

27 MATT MILLS

147

28 COLBY HOWARD

129

29 JEB BURTON

115

30 KYLE WEATHERMAN

105

31 KODY VANDERWAL

105

32 DAVID STARR

96

33 RAY BLACK JR.

92

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 27, 2020

WINS

POLES

TOP 5

TOP 10

5 0 10 13 3 0 11 13 2 0 8 11 2 0 9 12 2 1 5 9 1 0 6 12 0 0 7 15 0 0 4 9 0 1 3 9 0 0 2 9 0 0 3 6 0 0 0 4 0 0 1 3 0 2 2 4 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 BLUE AREAS HIGHLIGHT PLAYOFF QUALIFIERS

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PTS.

1

GRANT ENFINGER

320

2

AUSTIN HILL

394

3

MATT CRAFTON

321

4

SHELDON CREED

319

5

BEN RHODES

351

6

CHRISTIAN ECKES

344

7

ZANE SMITH

344

8

BRETT MOFFITT

325

9

DEREK KRAUS

294

10 TODD GILLILAND

289

11 TYLER ANKRUM

267

12 JOHNNY SAUTER

236

13 TANNER GRAY

230

14 STEWART FRIESEN

218

15 RAPHAEL LESSARD

217

16 TY MAJESKI

194

17 AUSTIN SELF

161

18 JORDAN ANDERSON

140

19 CORY ROPER

137

20 SPENCER BOYD

133

21 CODIE ROHRBAUGH

132

22 TATE FOGLEMAN

126

23 SPENCER DAVIS

157

24 NATALIE DECKER

92

25 ANGELA RUCH

84

26 CHASE PURDY

78

27 TIMMY HILL

76

28 CLAY GREENFIELD

75

29 KORBIN FORRISTER

68

30 RYAN TRUEX

61

31 TYLER HILL

58

32 JENNIFER COBB

55

33 PARKER KLIGERMAN

41

WINS

POLES

TOP 5

TOP 10

2 0 4 5 1 0 5 9 1 0 5 6 1 1 3 6 0 0 4 8 0 0 3 5 0 0 2 6 0 0 3 5 0 0 2 6 0 0 2 6 0 0 1 3 0 2 3 6 0 0 1 3 0 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 BLUE AREAS HIGHLIGHT PLAYOFF QUALIFIERS

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 27, 2020 5/15/2020 8:30:21 AM

WILLIAM BYRON CLOSE TO VICTORY

WILLIAM BYRON PRIME FOR FIRST NASCAR CUP SERIES WIN

BY ROB TIONGSON

■■ William Byron battled Brad Keselowski late in the most recent Cup Series race at Kansas.

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W

hile the NASCAR Cup Series has seen surprise winners like Cole Custer and Austin Dillon, William Byron is on the verge of his first breakthrough.

Although some point out to the likes of Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell as drivers ready for their first Cup win, the third-year Hendrick Motorsports racer is equally ready. With his incredible talents and experience, Byron and his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy team are closing in on a trip to Victory Lane.

Recently, Byron showcased some of his brilliance with a 10th at Kansas Speedway. At first glance, it may seem like a respectable finish for the Charlotte, N.C., native. However, let’s take a further look at the 22-year-old driver’s performance in the Super Start Batteries 400.

Starting 15th in Thursday night’s race, Byron bided his time while adjusting to substitute crew chief Keith Rodden. As regular crew chief Chad Knaus was

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 27, 2020

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WILLIAM BYRON CLOSE TO VICTORY on baby watch, Rodden had to dust off the cobwebs as he most recently sat atop a pit box in 2017 for Kasey Kahne.

During the final moments of the 400.5-mile race, the No. 24 team made the aggressive call to put their driver, Byron, at the front of the field on a restart on Lap 201. Certainly, 2012 Cup champion Brad Keselowski passed Byron just five laps later.

But he didn’t exactly pull away from the young racer, even in clean air.

Instead, Byron closed the gap for the next 15 laps and to be honest, it brought shades of Jeff Gordon and Rusty Wallace during Kansas Speedway’s inaugural Cup race in 2001.

With the Nos. 2 and 24 cars playing cat and mouse, it was impressive considering that Byron raced with tires far less fresh than Keselowski during the final 53 laps.

Suddenly, Byron put the spurs to his No. 24 car as he rocketed past Keselowski for the race lead. Yes, it wasn’t to be for Byron, who needed to pit for fuel before the finish.

Well, Lady Luck seemed to be on Byron’s side on Lap 235 when the caution came out. If 0 3 0

■■ Crew chief Chad Knaus has experience getting drivers to Victory Lane.

Byron felt a bit like Jeff Gordon, Rodden channeled his best Ray Evernham vibes when he made the call for Byron to take on two fresh tires and fuel. This aggressive call kept Byron in the lead although he had a swarm of drivers with four fresh tires.

Leading the way with 28 laps remaining, Byron seemed set on finally nabbing his first Cup win. As determined as Byron was to hold the lead, teammate Alex Bowman urged his way to the lead before a caution came out just two laps later for a backstretch crash involving John Hunter Nemechek.

Sure, Byron’s fate was essentially sealed, and he fell back to a 10th place finish in the race. Ultimately, there were some positive takeaways for Byron and his No. 24 team.

“We battled hard last night at Kansas. Was off early with our handling but made significant improvements and put ourselves in

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 27, 2020

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WILLIAM BYRON CLOSE TO VICTORY a good spot late. Proud of that rally by the No. 24 team. Onto New Hampshire,” Byron tweeted following the race.

More importantly, Byron found himself just above the Playoff cutline as he ranks 16th, just 10 markers ahead of Tyler Reddick.

There’s something to be said about small victories leading to big ones for a driver like Byron.

After all, Byron’s NASCAR career seemed to rise quite quickly with strong performances in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series in 2016 and a NASCAR XFINITY Series title in 2017.

Yes, Byron hit a bit of a snag in 2018 before finding lukewarm success last year. After a solid finish last Thursday evening, perhaps there’s reason to believe that Byron’s ready to win his first Cup race.

Moreover, Byron’s got one of the best crew chiefs in the series in Chad Knaus. If there’s anyone who can be a difference maker for Byron and the No. 24 team, it’s none other than Knaus, a legendary crew chief who Byron extolled last fall at Texas.

“Well, I think that we have a really consistent approach,” Byron said. “I feel like we show up to the track every week with a very similar setup and approach to what we’re doing.

“So, I feel like that’s the key to success in a lot of race teams – it’s that consistency piece. It has to be consistently good, but I feel like it has been consistently good for us. So, I feel like that’s a lot of what makes a good race team. And being a great race team is just focusing on that detail.”

Focusing on every detail is a trait that Knaus exudes and it’s quite evident that his young driver has picked up on this facet. Don’t be surprised to see Byron, who showcased his wunderkind abilities during the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series earlier this year, show that real life can imitate art.

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■■ William Byron sits on the Playoffs cut line in 16th place.

+ PERFORMANCE

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NASCAR DEFINED

CRAFTING A GEM. Matt Crafton celebrates with the checkered flag after winning the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series e.p.t 200 at Kansas Speedway.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 27, 2020

IN REMEMBERANCE. The hood of the No. 36 Genteel Coatings Chevrolet, driven

by Dexter Bean, displays a tribute photo of team spotter Brad Campbell on the grid prior to the NASCAR Xfinity Series Kansas Lottery 250 at Kansas Speedway on Saturday. Spotter Brad Campbell passed away July 24 after suffering serious injuries in a car accident.

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NASCAR DEFINED

A HILL OF A RACE. Austin Hill celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Kansas 200 at Kansas Speedway.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 27, 2020

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THE DARK KNIGHT. Brandon Jones celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Kansas Lottery 250 at Kansas Speedway.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 27, 2020

NASCAR COMMUNITY

REDDIT REACTIONS COMPILED BY ROB TIONGSON r/NASCAR

1k

Morgan McClure Motorsports team photo 1991

THERE’S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT STOCK CARS FROM THE 1990S THAT ARE SO memorable and iconic. Whether it’s the transition from boxy to aerodynamic marvels or those incredible liveries, matthewsykes shared a neat team photo of Ernie Irvan and the No. 4 Morgan-McClure Motorsports crew around at least five of their cars. Before Kevin Harvick made the No. 4 into one of the fearsome cars on the track, Irvan whooped it up at superspeedways and road courses with his Kodak car.

r/NASCAR . Posted by u/Bubba Wallace

111

Jesse Little calls out Joe Graf Jr on Twitter!

NO, THIS WASN’T A SCRIPTED ARGUMENT, NOR A MOMENT PULLED FROM NASCAR Heat 5. Actually, it was from Saturday’s wild NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Kansas Speedway. Towards the end of the Kansas Lottery 250, Little and Joe Graf Jr had a bit of a scrap as David Croft of F1 would say. Suffice to say that indeed, this was the rivalry that you didn’t know you needed. That said, Little and Graf’s beef won’t be easily settled via Twitter.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 27, 2020

Snakeskin-PolePos-ColAd.qxp_Layout 1 1/27/20 10:5

r/NASCAR . Posted by u/S0Fein41

0

Rockingham All-Star Race?

By:

BLACK SORRY, REDDIT FANS. ROCKINGHAM SPEEDWAY TALKS ARE ALWAYS intriguing and what’s to say that S0Fein41’s post may not prove true some day? In the meantime, imagine if NASCAR took the All-Star Race to this old North Carolina favorite that loved consuming tires like yours truly with bite-size chocolate chip cookies. r/NASCAR . Posted by u/legacy057

246

[OT] Jeff Gordon co hosting with Regis back in 2001.

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IT’S STILL QUITE SAD REALIZING THE NEWS OF REGIS PHILBIN’S PASSING just before the legendary actor, singer, and game show host’s 89th birthday. While most remember him from “Who Wants to be a Millionaire,” some may not remember his substitute co-host, then three-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon, in January 2001.

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Who is the least deserving Cup Champion?

Which season do you think the Championship winning Cup driver least deserved it?

NAUTILUS573 POSED A RATHER INTERESTING QUESTION THAT CAN be looked at from a literal context. Or in this case, it’s one in which fortune favored a driver who otherwise seemed a distant but remote favorite.

Some recalled Benny Parsons’ 1973 title while others pointed out to Jimmie Johnson’s 2016 championship.

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TWEETSTORM COMPILED BY ROB TIONGSON

▶▶ Well, here’s a fun fact for NASCAR fans.

Yes, we all know that Bubba Wallace’s name is more of a nickname for the Alabaman.

However, Bubba’s first name isn’t Darrell, which is what most fans called him by before the Bubba nickname in the mid-2010’s. For those who are into Jeopardy! or want to be the NASCAR expert of their household, Mr. Wallace’s real first name is actually William.

See, you learned something truly new in this edition of Tweetstorm!

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: JULY 27, 2020

▶▶ We hate to break it to Matt DiBenedetto, but he’s actually a cool guy. Prior to Thursday night’s action at Kansas, “Guido” greeted a few race fans from Colorado. During these pandemic times, one could suppose that racers, athletes, teams, and fans are learning to appreciate each other even more so than before. When life eventually gets back to normal, perhaps these race fans will get to experience the action at the track while enjoying the smell of Sunoco gasoline.

▶▶ This young man’s story will be in the August/September edition of NASCAR Pole Position Magazine, but he’s worth getting to know now. Rajah Caruth continues to make strides with his racing career with new sponsor Sunoco. Keep your eyes out on this talented driver who races Legends and late models.

▶▶ Although Kyle Busch is in the midst of a rather peculiar season, he continues to deliver with memorable quotes or zingers. Following his wild top-five at Texas, when asked how he got through an off-road excursion with his No. 18 car, he simply said, “KFB.” How opportunity or merchandising knocks.

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CREDITS

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