ROAR! - Weekly Racing Magazine - September 8, 2020 by A.E. Engine

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BY THE NUMBER LEGENDARY NO. 43

THROWBACK AND THE PLAYOFFS MAKE IT A WEEKEND TO REMEMBER

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THEY BLEW IT! ERIC REACTS TO THE SOUTHERN 500 In this week’s episode of Out of the Groove, host and creator Eric Estepp gives us his race review and analysis of this weekend’s race at Darlington. It was a very busy night, for a number of reasons. It was the first race of the playoffs, it was the throwback night, and to top it off it was the Southern 500, a crown jewel event for the NASCAR Cup Series. Eric takes us through a couple of the top stories from the race, but he does devote a considerable time to analyzing the top finishers. There were a few drivers who had a lot running 0 0 4

on the line tonight, and some unexpected incidents with big playoff ramifications. But of course with it being throwback weekend, Eric does give us his take on the throwback schemes now that we’ve seen them under the lights. Who had the best paint scheme and who had the worst after seeing them under the sunset? And where did this year’s Southern 500 fall on Eric’s patented Groovy Gauge, especially seeing how this is the third time we’ve been to Darlington in the past few months. Check out this week’s episode to find out!

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

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mr.steak THE MAN - THE LEGEND - THE STEAKS

5 LESSONS LEARNED

LESSONS LEARNED AT DARLINGTON Sunday night’s opening race of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs ended with a familiar face — that of Kevin Harvick — in Victory Lane. The Cook Out Southern 500 at fabled 1.366-mile Darlington Raceway proved to be far from predictable, however, as Harvick didn’t win in the fashion to which he’s been most accustomed to doing so this year. Meanwhile, several drivers saw promising runs go sour while others struggled all night to get anywhere near the front. Following are five lessons learned from a fun throwback weekend at the track “Too Tough to Tame.” BY JA RED TURNER

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

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5 LESSONS LEARNED

FIVE PLAYOFF DRIVERS ARE IN THE DANGER ZONE

fter not getting the finishes they wanted at Darlington, several playoff drivers find themselves in a precarious position with two races left in the Round of 16. Those currently on the wrong side of the cutline for advancing are Stewart-Haas Racing’s Clint Bowyer, SHR’s Cole Custer, Wood Brothers Racing’s Matt DiBenedetto and Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney. SHR’s Aric Almirola, who is tied with Bowyer in points, would be the last driver to advance and would do so on the basis of a tiebreaker. While only Kevin Harvick has technically punched a ticket to the Round of 12, these five drivers have the most work to do over the next two weekends after not faring all that well in the playoff opener. “I certainly was hoping for more,” said Bowyer, who finished 10th. “I’m frustrated, to be honest with you. We were gonna be in the single digits, for sure there, and were looking pretty good, but just had a lot of trouble.”

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

mr.steak THE MAN - THE LEGEND - THE STEAKS

5 LESSONS LEARNED

FIGHTING FOR HIS FUTURE, ERIK JONES ALMOST BECAME A SPOILER

f the top 13 finishers at Darlington, only one was a non-playoff driver. The lone non-title contender in the bunch was 2019 Southern 500 winner Erik Jones, who is fighting for his future in the sport after recently learning that won’t be retained by Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. Jones came home fourth in his No. 20 Toyota. “It was good,” he said. “It was really tough to pass. Once you got up inside the top seven or eight, those guys were all pretty equal, and it was hard to make ground from there. We started deep, 30th, and drove up and finished fourth. We got a couple of extra spots at the end, but this car was quick. We just never got up front. We just needed to get up front and get some clean air. We just never got to the lead. That’s what held us back, I think. It’s tough. The cars are finicky.”

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

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5 LESSONS LEARNED

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CHASE ELLIOTT, MARTIN TRUEX JR. DIDN’T SEE EYE-TO-EYE

y far the most dramatic moment of the evening at Darlington occurred with just over 13 laps to go when Martin Truex Jr. and Chase Elliott banged together while battling for the lead, sending both drivers into the wall and costing both a shot at the win. Elliott crossed the finish line 20th in his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. “Truex had a run on me there off of Turn 4 and he just kind of cleared himself into Turn 1,” Elliott said. “He was close, but he wasn’t all the way clear, obviously. I hate it, obviously. He just slid up in to my left front, I felt like, and on we went.” Truex had a different version of what transpired. “Basically, when I made up my mind and I was driving it in there and then he drove in on my right-rear quarter, there was no possible way that we both weren’t crashing,” the Joe Gibbs Racing driver said. “That’s what happened.”

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

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5 LESSONS LEARNED

WITH RUNNER-UP FINISH, AUSTIN DILLON SEEMS MORE LEGIT

oming into Darlington, Austin Dillon was widely regarded as an underdog in these playoffs. That perception may have since changed a bit, however. With one race down and two to go in the Round of 16, Dillon is well on his way to advancing to the Round of 12 — thanks to an impressive second-place finish on Sunday night. “That was fun,” Dillon said. “We had to start from the tail (of the field) after just a little hiccup there at the beginning. Man, we battled. This team, we’ve had a motto all year; it’s been, ‘FIDO’ — forget it and drive on, and that’s what we kind showed that example tonight.” Dillon nearly ran down race winner Kevin Harvick on the final lap, finishing just .343 seconds off the veteran driver’s bumper. A win would’ve guaranteed Dillon automatic entry into the next round. “Second place is so close,” Dillon said. “I’m going to be thinking about those last 20 laps for a long time.”

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

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KEVIN HARVICK CAUGHT A BREAK WITH THIS VICTORY

here’s an old adage in racing that says it’s better to be lucky than good. That certainly rang true for Kevin Harvick on Sunday night at Darlington. Taking advantage of a dustup between frontrunners Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr., Harvick swept into the lead with 13 laps to go and then withstood a charge from Austin Dillon to score a series-high eighth win of 2020. While Harvick has typically had the best car when he’s gone to Victory Lane season, his latest triumph occurred under much different circumstances. “Our car was extremely loose all night, and we were able to manage to get it better but never really got it going as good as we’d like to,” Harvick said. “But they battled, and we kept ourselves in the right spot. The leaders got tangled up, and we were in position to capitalize on that. Definitely weren’t the fastest car, but definitely put ourselves in a position to capitalize on a moment.”

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

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JUST SAYIN’

JUST SAYIN’ JA RED TURNER

▶ LACK OF EMOTION FROM ELLIOTT, TRUEX WAS BOTHERSOME Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. cost each other mightily on Sunday night at Darlington by not being willing to give an inch while battling for the lead with fewer than 15 laps to go. So what did the two drivers do after the race to make their frustrations known? Absolutely nothing. Yes, you read that correctly. Perhaps the simple fact that Elliott and Truex both remain in a good position to advance to the next round helped them to remain basically chill after such a disappointing ending. But it would have been nice to see some raw emotion from these two drivers, especially considering how high the stakes were and the fact that neither has traditionally had a problem wearing his emotions on his sleeve. 0 1 8

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

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JUST SAYIN’

▶ NASCAR DESERVES A TIP OF THE CAP No matter how the final nine races of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season play out, NASCAR and the sport’s leaders deserve major kudos for doing what it took and being downright creative to get its top division back on schedule after a more than two-month hiatus earlier in the season for the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to a combination of midweek races, doubleheaders and racing on weekends where the Cup Series was originally scheduled to be off, the season is now set to finish on time. Well-done, NASCAR. 0 2 0

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

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JUST SAYIN’

▶ THROWBACK WEEKEND WAS A HIT ONCE AGAIN As usual, Darlington Raceway knocked it out of the park with its annual throwback weekend, which honors and showcases NASCAR’s past with a variety of old-school paint schemes, retro fire suits and more. How Darlington has managed to get everyone connected with the sport — including drivers, fans, crew members and even commentators — to 100 percent buy into the throwback theme has been extremely impressive from a marketing and promotions standpoint. Once again, a great job to everyone who made it happen and all those who participated. 0 2 2

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

mr.steak THE MAN - THE LEGEND - THE STEAKS

IN THE HOT SEAT

IN THE HOT SEAT Michael Self BY ROB TIONGSON

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Throughout the season, Rob Tiongson interviews various drivers in the world of NASCAR. Today, he talks with Michael Self, driver of the No. 25 Sinclair Toyota in the ARCA Menards Series. ▶▶ You’re having a terrific ARCA Menards Series season as with two wins, nine top-fives, 13 top10’s as of press time. How encouraged are you about going after your first driver’s championship, especially with a team like Venturini Motorsports? My answer might be a little bit surprising but outside of the two Daytona races, especially here the past couple of weeks before the Daytona road course race win, we’ve been pretty frustrated and a little bit disappointed in the team. We feel like we’re not where we want to be on the oval stuff. We feel like we’ve gone to some racetracks that I excel at like Kansas, Iowa, and Michigan and not been able to compete for wins at those places. So, we feel like we’re a little bit behind where we were last year, especially at this point in the season. We’re kind of searching for speed. It’s been a little bit tough this year with the rules changes for Venturini Motorsports with the less horsepower and some of the mechanical stuff that they’re doing. We’re still searching a little bit. I’ve got a lot of confidence in my guys at Venturini Motorsports because we have so many resources and knowledge in the building. We’re always coming up with ideas and thrashing, trying to figure out how we can get faster and I never question the guys with any of that stuff. I know they’re one to win, one to perform lead laps, and be out front as badly as I do. We’ve got a lot of short tracks coming up and those have been decent for us. But still, we’re not exactly where we want to be. For the tracks that I know and I’m familiar with that we’ve got a chance to find some speed on, I’m looking forward to it and hopefully we can make some improvements.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

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IN THE HOT SEAT ▶▶ How have you kept focused and balanced so that you are re-energized and not burned out by the pressures of competitive stock car racing? I think I look at my situation and for me, it’s a privilege to drive every weekend. There was a couple of years in my life where I didn’t have that opportunity. Funding kept me out of the seat. When I was able to put the deal together with Sinclair and get the opportunity to drive fulltime, it was something that I really cherished. I look at every weekend as an opportunity that I’ve worked for because this opportunity may and probably won’t be there forever. I stay very realistic about things and where my path is heading. I know that these next seven or eight races may be my last seven or eight races in the ARCA Menards Series or stock cars period. I don’t know. I don’t have a long-term outlook in the future unfortunately, so I try to keep myself motivated and look forward to each race. I try to go to each race and have fun and savor the moment of how much work I’ve put in just to get the opportunity to race and remember that I’m fortunate to have done that. There’s a lot of people who wished that they were in my shoes and that they were able to race the amount of times that I get to with a great team like Venturini Motorsports. And those are the kinds of things that I use, when I get down or frustrated, as motivation. 0 2 6

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

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IN THE HOT SEAT

▶▶ Given the curveballs presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, how has it shifted your focus or put you in a position to make unique decisions? So, I think if you’re looking at it strictly from a racing standpoint for me this year, the big changes are not having any practice and the schedule changes. I was extremely excited about the schedule coming into this year. It was the best ARCA schedule that I’ve seen in some time just in terms of tracks that I really enjoying, too. We had two road courses on there, we had a number of intermediate tracks that I really enjoyed, and unfortunately, a lot of that got stripped away and that’s pretty frustrating. I was looking forward to a lot of that stuff, but it is what it is. I have to go with what’s given and take the cards that are dealt. It’s not to say that it’s been a total loss. We still got to go to Daytona and I thought that was one of the coolest events that I’ve ever been a part of with 0 2 8

the chance to race on the Daytona road course at night in a stock car. And there’s been some good in all of this. So, the no practicing has honestly probably been a little worse for us than I would’ve hoped. And I actually thought that might be somewhere we would’ve capitalized because we have a larger notebook from previous years at some of these tracks. But we don’t have a notebook with less horsepower and the mechanical rules that they’ve changed this year like some of the guys who’ve ran in the K&N Series have. Frankly, I feel like that’s hurt us. There have been times like Kansas, for example, if we had some practice, we would’ve found what was wrong with our car and make the correct adjustments to get it more drivable in the race. That’s been one of the changes that’s taken me off guard a little bit. I’ve been a little bit surprised with the outcome of no practice for the 25 team.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

mr.steak THE MAN - THE LEGEND - THE STEAKS

IN THE HOT SEAT ▶▶ Pretend a new race fan who happened to watch your race on MAVTV, FS1 or FS2. Give me three selling points to convince that fan to support your racing efforts. I hope that people understand the work ethic and what’s gone into it. Let’s face it - a lot of racing, especially at the level that I’m at, there’s a perception and a fact that a lot of the people in racing are fortunate to have family dollars or be born into the right scenario, if you will. I was one of those guys. I was that way when I was racing in the K&N Series, but I went in and that opportunity went away. And when I worked hard to put my own sponsorship together, if anyone realizes the scope of what it takes to go racing from a financial standpoint and how important the financial side of it, I hope that people respect that and respect what I’ve done and the work that’s gone into that and appreciate that. I haven’t been put into a ride. I’ve worked for it on the business side of it. That’s something that’s important to me that I hope is as important to fans and I hope they understand that. The second reason is easy - it’s the Sinclair car. I get so much positive feedback about the car and I feel so lucky to drive a car with a dinosaur on it. We hit so many different fanbases. Kids love the dinosaur car. Older folks see it as a bit of nostalgia and as a brand that they remember from back in the 1940s or 50s as a national brand. Everyone can ask questions about what happened to Sinclair and is it coming back. It’s fun to answer those questions and to support a brand like that 0 3 0

and be an ambassador for them. I get a ton of compliments on that. The third reason - I hope that people like the way that I race. The race at Daytona against Ty Gibbs, that was probably some of the best racing that I feel I’ve been a part of in some time. I feel like I’m a fairly aggressive but very clean racer. I try to race people the way they race me and try to have respect for everyone’s equipment because I know the financial side of it and what goes into that. I hope that people see that I’m always giving it my all but trying to remain respectful and trying to keep things in perspective from other people’s standpoints as well as my own.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

mr.steak THE MAN - THE LEGEND - THE STEAKS

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

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29 KYLE WEATHERMAN

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30 KODY VANDERWAL

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31 JEB BURTON

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32 DAVID STARR

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33 STEPHEN LEICHT

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

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10 TYLER ANKRUM

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12 RAPHAEL LESSARD

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13 TANNER GRAY

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

mr.steak THE MAN - THE LEGEND - THE STEAKS

ROB IS RACIN’

ROB IS RACIN’:

KURT BUSCH MAXIMIZES HIS OPPORTUNITY AT DARLINGTON BY ROB TIONGSON

hile Kevin Harvick drove to his eighth win of the season, Kurt Busch kicked off his NASCAR Playoff run with a strong top-10 at Darlington. Surely, Sunday night’s Cook Out Southern 500 may be remembered for Harvick’s victory or the clash between Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. However, Busch and his No. 1 Monster Energy Chevy team were competitive and maximized on brilliant pit strategy. Sometimes, it’s not about being flashy and loud, but playing with the cards from the dealer and scoring a small victory. Although their numbers may not be as sparkling as Harvick and Denny Hamlin, Busch’s performance is like his 2004 season, a year that rewarded him with the NASCAR Cup Series championship. Primarily known as a driver with an aggressive, smashmouth approach on the track, the 42-year-old racer has refined his approach in the past few years. Going from an outspoken, emotionally driven individual to a

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

mr.steak THE MAN - THE LEGEND - THE STEAKS

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racer who balances the passion with levity, the 21-year Cup veteran can be counted on for maximum results, especially in a year when the spotlight’s been on others. Starting from the 16th spot on Sunday night, it was a somewhat slow but steady march to the front. Perhaps turning to his experience and savvy at “The Track Too Tough to Tame,” Busch was like a savvy quarterback up against a lightning fast defensive unit in the big game. In the past, Busch would’ve charged his way from 16th to the topfive in the first 30 laps before falling back to the top-15 or top-20 with worn out tires in the opening stage. Instead, it was a race of patience, an approach that rewarded him with one of the 16 playoff spots. As seen with past Playoff battles, there’s a turning point that spells doom for some but fortune for others. In the early going of this crown jewel race, Busch and his team saw an opportunity that they had to take, even if typically defied a sound tactic at Darlington. While most of the lead lap drivers pitted during a caution on Lap 84 for tires and fuel, Busch opted for track position, a somewhat bold strategy by crew chief Matt McCall at the abrasive, tire-feasting 1.366mile egg-shaped speedway. Instead of finishing outside of the top-10 in Stage 1, Busch restarted second.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

START RUN STORE Racing on tires with seven more laps than his Playoff rivals, Busch didn’t flail or surrender spots. Instead, he raced to a fantastic fifthplace finish, a result that netted him six stage points. Moreover, Busch exercised patience and decided to “race the racetrack” or bide his time versus focus on all-out approach in Stage 2. Battling handling issues with the transition from dusk to nightfall, the Las Vegas, Nev. racer drove to a respectable 10th-place finish, the final stage points rewarding spot. Once the field got the green flag for the final stage, it was evident that Busch didn’t have race winning pace. Still, it was clear that the No. 1 team had one more ace up their sleeve to maximize on a good start for this year’s Playoffs. In fact, Busch mirrored the strategies of the front trio of Martin Truex Jr, Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin, drivers who opted to pit within the last 61 laps. Despite losing ground on the likes of Harvick and Chase Elliott, who pitted prior to this quartet, they were in position to stay out for the finish while their competitors had to pit before the final laps.

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mr.steak THE MAN - THE LEGEND - THE STEAKS

ROB IS RACIN’ Despite the gutsy strategy, a caution for debris with 47 laps remaining negated this potential advantage for Kurt Busch and his team. Instead of running towards the front of the field, he restarted 11th on the Lap 327 restart. Hovering around 11th for the bulk of this final run, Busch benefited from a Lap 353, Turn 2 tangle involving leader Chase Elliott and secondplace runner Truex. Gaining two spots by Lap 358, Busch salvaged an eighth-place finish. Following the grueling race, Busch reflected on his evening with an optimistic tone. “I’m happy with our run tonight with the Monster Energy Chevy,” Busch said. “I know it’s not a win, but we got everything out of the race that we were hoping for, except maybe the alternate strategy that we were trying with one stop in the final stage. I was hopeful for the long run. I like dancing with the Lady!” In a race in which Busch made 49 quality passes, 71 green flag passes, and compiled an eighthplace average position, a 0 4 2

performance that produced a 97.7 driver rating is the kind of performance that makes this driver into a credible threat for a deep Playoff run. While those in the know may have Harvick and Hamlin locked into the Championship 4, look for Kurt Busch to make a compelling argument to be in that title fight at Phoenix on November 8th, 2020. If history has taught us anything as it did in 2004, it’s best to not overlook Busch because he could sneak his way to another championship by season’s end.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

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between Hendrick and Joe Gibbs, with their respective drivers taking the lead at different points, along with a few other surprising names - notable Kurt Busch, even showing some capacity to fight for the lead. This is all in addition to some unexpected events altering the playoff journey for the likes of Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, and more. Find out what the big events were moment by moment in this week’s episode of Danny B Needs a Minute!

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

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BY THE NUMBER

CAR NO. BY K EITH WA LTZ

■■ 1967 – Richard Petty (Richard Petty Private Collection via NASCAR)

hanks to the amazing career of motorsports legend Richard Petty, 43 is the most successful number in NASCAR Cup Series racing. Statistics show that Petty notched 192 of his 200 Cup Series victories and made 1,125 of his 1,184 series starts in cars carrying No. 43. Petty was already 10 races into his career before he first used the number that would become his trademark. His first start in car No. 43 was during the inaugural Daytona 500

■■ 2020 – Bubba Wallace (Getty Images photo)

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in 1959. Petty’s final start came in the 1992 season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Jack Russell, of Erie, Pennsylvania, was the first driver to use No. 43 in a NASCAR Cup Series event. Russell’s 1948 Ford carried that number when he finished 42nd in the Sept. 11, 1949, race at Pennsylvania’s Langhorne Speedway. Even though he drove car No. 42 during the majority of his career, Petty family patriarch Lee Petty was the first to visit Victory Lane in car No. 43. That triumph came on April 5, 1959, at North Carolina’s North Wilkesboro Speedway. The other drivers to win in car No. 43 were all associated with either Petty Enterprises of the teams in which Richard Petty had an ownership role: Jim Paschal (2), Bobby Hamilton (2), John Andretti (1) and Aric Almirola (1). Richard Petty Motorsports currently fields the No. 43 Chevrolet driven by Bubba Wallace.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

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