ROAR! - Weekly Racing Magazine - September 21, 2020 by A.E. Engine

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THE COLLAPSE IS COMPLETE AT BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY In this week’s episode of Out of the Groove, host and creator Eric Estepp gives us his race review and analysis of Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Four drivers have been eliminated from the NASCAR playoffs, and despite a valiant late race effort, Kyle Busch’s winless streak continues to grow. And of course, Eric has all the details. The big question is what happened during the third stage of the race? Drivers became extremely separated, with only six drivers on the 0 0 4

lead lap of the race at one point. Was it the tire wear and pit strategies that led to this huge gap? Eric gives us his take on it. Either way, it meant the close of the race was a bona fide duel between Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch. Even when presented with opportunities to bump and run, both drivers kept it clean and raced without incident in front of 30,000 fans. So how’d it rank on Eric’s patented Groovy Gauge? You’ll have to watch the episode and find out!

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

mr.steak THE MAN - THE LEGEND - THE STEAKS

5 LESSONS LEARNED

LESSONS LEARNED AT BRISTOL P

laying host to a NASCAR Cup Series playoff event for the first time, Bristol Motor Speedway offered quite the spectacle with the running of Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race — the third and final event in the Round of 16. While much of the focus heading into the elimination race was on which drivers would manage to advance to the Round of 12, it was Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch who really stole the show. Following are five lessons learned in Saturday night’s 500-lapper under the lights in Thunder Valley. BY JA RED TURNER

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

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5 LESSONS LEARNED

DENNY HAMLIN IS DUMBFOUNDED BY RECENT SLUMP

or most of the 2020 season, Denny Hamlin has been one of the series’ top performers. But since earning six wins over the first 24 races, Hamlin has been uncharacteristically cold over the past five weeks — a stretch during which he’s recorded only one top-10 finish. Hamlin’s rough patch continued on Saturday night at Bristol, where he took the checkered flag three laps down and in the 21st position after suffering damage in the middle of the race when teammate Martin Truex Jr. slowed abruptly on the track while running just ahead of him. “I was pretty happy about where we were going to be, and then we crashed,” Hamlin said. Although Hamlin had already punched a ticket to the next round prior to Saturday night’s event, he is unhappy about his recent struggles. “I don’t believe in the word ‘luck’ being used in racing, but damn..I’m ready for a reset,” Hamlin tweeted shortly after Saturday night’s race concluded.

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

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5 LESSONS LEARNED

THE BOYS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BUBBLE TOOK CARE OF BUSINESS

rriving at Bristol with relatively little daylight between themselves and two of the four drivers on the wrong side of the cutline for advancing to the Round of 12, Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch and Aric Almirola all needed to piece together solid outcomes to be assured of moving on in the playoffs. Mission accomplished. On a night when none of the four drivers looking to make up ground in the standings fared particularly well, the three drivers just ahead of the cutline took care of business in their own ways at the .533-mile high-banked short track. “We definitely did what we needed to do,” said Bowyer, who finished sixth — one spot behind Almirola and nine spots ahead of Busch. “We did what we had to do. Obviously, you come here to win a race and be on top of that building over there, but proud of the guys and all their efforts. We’re moving forward, and that’s all that matters right now.”

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

mr.steak THE MAN - THE LEGEND - THE STEAKS

5 LESSONS LEARNED

DRIVERS NEEDING A BIG NIGHT DIDN’T PUT UP MUCH OF A FIGHT

illiam Byron and Cole Custer came into the Bristol elimination race only a few points on the wrong side of the cutline for advancing to the next round. Matt DiBenedetto and Ryan Blaney were likewise on the wrong side of the cutline but faced a must-win situation. Unfortunately for all four drivers looking to make up ground in the playoff standings, it didn’t happen. While Byron was involved in an accident not of his own making while running just inside the top 10, Custer, DiBenedetto and Blaney simply didn’t perform well enough to erase their respective deficits on 12th-place, and as a result, none one the four will have an opportunity to compete for the championship over the season’s final seven weeks. “I think we can hang our heads high on what we’ve done this year, but we still have a lot of races to win the rest of this year,” said Custer, a series rookie. “So, we just have to keep building.”

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

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KYLE BUSCH IS FED UP WITH PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING

aturday night marked one of Kyle Busch’s best outings of 2020, as the reigning series champion finished second after leading 159 of 500 laps and giving race winner Kevin Harvick literally all that he could handle in the final laps. Busch, however, was less-than-pleased about recording his first top-five finish since Dover on August 22. In fact, Busch was downright hostile in his post-race comments, taking aim at Joey Logano, Joey Gase and Garrett Smithley, all of whom he believed raced him too hard while running multiple laps down. Busch’s harsh critique started with Logano, a longtime rival, and went from there. “He’s nobody’s friend for a reason,” Busch said. “Some of those dipshit kids don’t know what the hell they’re doing or where they’re at and can’t stay out of the way. Nothing like a Gase and a Smithley.” Asked about how it felt to advance, Busch offered an equally harsh assessment of his team. “We’ll be eliminated next round,” he said.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

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KEVIN HARVICK IS HAVING A SEASON FOR THE AGES

ust when it seemed like Kevin Harvick’s 2020 season couldn’t get any more magical, think again. Winning for the ninth time this year and for the fifth time in the last nine NASCAR Cup Series outings, Harvick outdueled a persistent Kyle Busch over the final laps at Bristol to move just one victory shy of becoming the first driver since Jimmie Johnson in 2007 to earn 10 victories in a single season. Harvick, who turns 45 in December, is enjoying what is by virtually all accounts his best season in two decades as a driver in NASCAR’s premier division. “Where you’re good is where you have the best results, and fortunately for me, they’re coming right now,” Harvick said. “We got to nine wins, so that’s one step closer than we were at eight. I don’t know if we’ll make it to 10, but we’re going to keep trying to do the best we can every week, and it’s just been an unbelievable year.”

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

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JUST SAYIN’

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KEVIN HARVICK DESERVES OUR GRATITUDE

Kevin Harvick has never been the most likeable driver in the NASCAR Cup Series garage. In fact, in my years as a journalist covering all things NASCAR, I personally have never found him to be overly friendly or accommodating. All of that notwithstanding, let me take a moment to tip my hat to the driver whose nickname is “Happy.” Harvick is having the kind of season in 2020 that only happens about once a decade. By the time it’s all said and done, his 2020 season may even go down as one of the greatest in the history of the sport. And for that, Harvick deserves our appreciation. 0 1 8

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

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LACK OF DRAMA AROUND THE BUBBLE DISAPPOINTED ▶

The buildup to Saturday night’s race at Bristol was justifiably hyped due to the fact that this was the first ever playoff elimination event at a place notorious for on-track run-ins and fireworks among competitors. Unfortunately, though, all the hype proved to be little more than just that. Rather than one or more of the drivers in a fight for their playoff lives going for broke and doing something on the wild side in an effort to keep their title hopes alive, all of the bubble boys more or less minded their manners. Sadly, the 30,000 fans in attendance deserved better.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

mr.steak THE MAN - THE LEGEND - THE STEAKS

JUST SAYIN’

▶ SHOW OF RAW EMOTION FROM WILLIAM BYRON WAS REFRESHING Typically one of the most mild-mannered drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series, William Byron wore his emotions on his sleeve after wrecking out of Saturday night’s race — an elimination event where he needed to make up just a few points to advance to the next round. But instead of advancing, Byron left Bristol steaming about an ill-advised move by driver Joey Gase that ultimately ruined his night. “What an idiot!” Byron yelled over his in-car radio. How refreshing it was to see Byron express his true, raw feelings in a moment of bitter disappointment. In short: NASCAR needs more of this from its top drivers. 0 2 2

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

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IN THE HOT SEAT

Stefan Parsons

BY ROB TIONGSON

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Throughout the season, Rob Tiongson interviews various drivers in the world of NASCAR. Today, he talks with Stefan Parsons, driver of the No. 99 BJ McLeod Motorsports Toyota Supra. ▶▶ While you’re on a limited schedule with BJ McLeod’s No. 99 team for this year, it’s a team you have some familiarity from last season. What’s it like to drive for his No. 99 team and take on some new to you tracks? It’s definitely beneficial to work with people that you’ve worked with before. I’ve been working with Adam Brooks this year, and he was my crew chief with BJ last year. Being able to build on that momentum from last year and not have to learn from each other, in a sense, in a way that (he knows) what I want and what I need (from the car). And when I say that a car is doing something, Adam already knows that. That’s been a huge benefit for us. The familiarity with working with BJ’s team, I’ve obviously grown close with this team not only racing with them this year but going to the racetrack and working with them. So, I have a lot of friendships on that team and camaraderie and it feels like you’re racing for family. ▶▶ NASCAR has adapted the “show up and race” weekend format for a bulk of the schedule since returning from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. How challenging has it been to not have practice and qualifying sessions to warm up for the races? It’s a little bit of both. It’s kind of a double edged sword. I’ve gone to some tracks this year that I haven’t been to before like Homestead and Pocono.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

mr.steak THE MAN - THE LEGEND - THE STEAKS

IN THE HOT SEAT When I took the green flag, those were my first laps on the track. As a driver, that part is challenging but it’s a welcomed challenge because I felt like Homestead was a little bit of an outlier but Pocono, from the drop of the green flag, we were running pretty good. I think that shows that being able to prepare with notes, onboards, iRacing, and all that kind of stuff, for me personally when I go to the track. But it also shows how the expensive work that BJ’s team does to be prepared when they go to a racetrack. We don’t get practice to work on these things and we don’t get qualifying. You show up and that’s what you have to race with. So, it really is a testament to the team that we’ve been able to show up to a lot of these races without practice and be good off the bat. ▶▶ You kept busy during the hiatus months ago when you partook in the IceBox Pickup Throwdown in various starts. How fun was it to race against your peers and other drivers from other motorsports series when on-track racing was halted? It was a blast. It was a good way for us all to keep busy and represent our partners and sponsors in a way that was beneficial for everybody. And it was also a way for us all to have fun. I feel like everybody walked away from the iRacing deal, whether it was Jordan’s IceBox deal or the Pro Invitational Series, everybody had a good time. I think the fans had a good time as well. It’s a little bit different than say NFL players playing Madden or NBA players playing NBA 2K. Talent matters in what we’re doing. And iRacing is very similar to what we go out and do on the weekends. I think it was good for us to stay a little bit warm in a sense and I think it was great for the fans to have some sort of entertainment when we weren’t actually at the racetrack. 0 2 6

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

mr.steak THE MAN - THE LEGEND - THE STEAKS

IN THE HOTSEAT ▶▶ One of your admirable traits is how you work on race cars that you drive and for other teams in the sport. How much of an asset is it for you to have the knowledge of these cars, particularly as they evolve? I feel like it’s pretty beneficial. I feel like I’ve worn a lot of hats and I’ve been able to see the sport from a lot of different perspectives that a lot of people haven’t been able to. It’s funny, actually, after both XFINITY races at Dover, I got out and went to the spotter’s stand to spot for Garrett Smithley in the Cup races.

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It’s definitely been a very beneficial experience to see these different experiences from different places and I think it only serves to help me as a racecar driver in learning what the car does and also showing people that you’re willing to do what it takes to work hard and be at the racetrack every weekend in whatever way that may be. And as a spotter, you get to see the race from a bird’s eye view. You literally see everything. It’s a lot different than watching a race on TV and I feel like it’s benefited me greatly.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

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IN THE HOTSEAT ▶▶ Let’s say that I’m a relatively new fan who’s tuned into an XFINITY Series race and you’re competing in it. Give me three selling points to convince me that you’re a driver I should root for in the future. That’s a good question. I’d say that I go out there and I try to put in more work than the next guy. I try to be the hardest working guy out there and obviously, it’s a little different in the situations that I’m in versus a situation for JR Motorsports or Team Penske. But I know that when I go out there, I put in absolutely as much work as I can. I’m absolutely prepared as I can. If anything goes wrong, I don’t want it to be because of a lack of preparation or blame myself for anything going wrong. I’d say one,

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it’s my effort at having a good work ethic. Two, I’d say it’s having a unique story with having a family history in the sport and trying to build on what my family has been able to grow over the last four years in NASCAR and being able to try to continue that as so many others have, I feel like that’s something I’m really trying to do and at the same time, also trying to make a name for myself. And I’d say the other thing is trying to be smart and try to go out there and overachive, try to impress people and show them that you do belong there, while at the same time, being smart, staying out of trouble, not doing anything stupid, and representing my sponsors and partners in the best way that I can.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

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

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ROB IS RACIN’

KEVIN HARVICK’S RELENTLESSNESS RESULTS IN BRISTOL VICTORY BY ROB TIONGSON

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espite being a virtual lock for the Championship 4 battle at Phoenix Raceway on November 8th, 2020, Kevin Harvick continues to rack up more wins. By all means, Harvick’s dominant efforts during this NASCAR Cup Series season reflects his effort and performances since joining Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014. With 60 percent of his 58 career wins in the Cup Series coming with SHR, there’s just no stopping “The Closer.” For a driver who’s more comfortable than Kimi Raikkonen with a bottle of water during a Formula 1 race, it’s safe to say that the championship contender isn’t resting on his laurels. “I think for us, you just want to keep doing what you’re doing,”

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

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Harvick said. “You don’t want to get out of rhythm, you don’t want to start thinking about what could happen or what did happen. You just go and do what you do on a week-to-week basis, climb in the car drive it as hard as you can. “The guys are going to put what they think is the best setup in the car for that particular week, and everybody wants to achieve the same goal, so nobody is trying to have a bad night or a slow car.” Prior to Round 29 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Harvick’s incredible season was a lot like the tear that Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson compiled in 1998 and ’07. These Californians rarely put a foot wrong during their championship seasons and went on to respectively capture 13 and 10 victories. Understandably, for newer, casual race fans, it may be hard to understand the relentless nature of Harvick and his No. 4 Busch Light Beer Ford Mustang team. After all, with eight victories and enough Playoff points to waltz to Avondale, Ariz. come early November, why would they continue to tack on points and victories?

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

Maybe Harvick and crew chief Rodney Childers rooted for John Kreese and the Cobra Kai in those Karate Kid movies in showing no mercy and sweeping the leg. When you have your competitors’ numbers and the desire to win is as fervent as Kreese wanting Johnny Lawrence to destroy Daniel LaRusso, you might as well continue to go after the gold. Unlike Kreese and Lawrence, it’s safe to say that Harvick and his No. 4 team are a beloved bunch for their down-toearth approach. During the pandemic times for NASCAR, they’ve represented the championship spirit in being resilient, determined, and strong. Moreover, it’s hard to rag on a racer like Harvick, a driver who’s scrappy, aggressive, and relatable to fans. A native of Bakersfield, Calif. and a driver who carried Richard Childress Racing following the tragic loss of Dale Earnhardt, Sr. in 2001, Harvick represents the old school driver’s attitude and swagger, a good mix in today’s NASCAR.

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mr.steak THE MAN - THE LEGEND - THE STEAKS

ROB IS RACIN’ Winning the Cup title in 2014, the 20-year NASCAR veteran has been in every Championship 4 decider except in 2016 when he placed a disappointing eighth. Otherwise, the tenacious Harvick has made valiant efforts at a second Cup championship. Perhaps it all comes together in 2020, a year in which his winning ways picked up as the summer months rolled by. Nabbing his 50th career Cup win at Darlington, the triumphant return of NASCAR following the COVID-19 hiatus, on May 17th, 2020, Harvick emerged victorious at Atlanta, Pocono, Indianapolis, the Michigan doubleheader weekend, Dover, and the Southern 500 at Darlington. Starting from the fourth position for the Bristol Night Race on Saturday evening, Harvick wasted no time taking the lead, moving to the number one spot on Lap 18. While Chase Elliott prevailed in Stage 1, Harvick finished in third, netting eight pivotal stage points. Playing a bit of a cat and 0 4 2

mouse game in Stage 2 with Kyle Busch, his Las Vegas, Nev. rival took the victory while the dominant driver tallied a secondplace finish, racking up nine more stage points. Scoring 17 total stage points once Harvick and his rivals took to the final segment of the race, it was essentially a battle between “The Closer” and “Rowdy” on the high banked, 0.533mile concrete speedway. Those final 88 laps were like a great action movie, perhaps a bit like Die Hard in which John McClane and Hans Gruber challenged each other in a who’ll flinch first finish. As both drivers navigated around drivers running laps down at Bristol, Busch rocketed by Harvick with 42 laps remaining. Seemingly in command and within sight of his first Cup win of the season, Busch, an eight-time Bristol Motor Speedway winner, was ready to claim another sword. However, Busch had

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

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ROB IS RACIN’

a difficult time trying to put another lap on Joey Logano. Fending off Busch on the outside line like Dark Link in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, Logano’s pesky blocking seemed to benefit Harvick, who ran towards the inside groove. Harvick, whose car stuck like glue on the bottom lane, easily drove past Busch and Logano on Lap 469 to retake the lead. Still, it wasn’t quite the cakewalk to Victory Lane for Harvick in the final 32 laps. Searching for grip on corner exit, particularly off Turns 2 and 4, Harvick ran different lines to impede Busch’s progress. Ultimately, Harvick lived up to his moniker shared by Kyra Sedgwick’s character on a TNT show from 2005 to ’12. Indeed, Harvick, like Sedgwick, was “The Closer” once again, taking his ninth win of the Cup season in front of the thousands of race fans gathered at Bristol. “Yea, Bristol baby!” Harvick exclaimed after his latest win. “Man, I just want to say thank you to all the fans. I was so 0 4 4

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

jacked up because of you guys! I just kept fighting. We don’t have much to lose. I’m glad we’re all here!” Jubilant and ecstatic, Harvick also possessed some insightful perspective, especially when he was asked about the prospects of a 10-win season. “I’m just fortunate to be able to still be doing this for 20 years now and be successful, and we got to nine, so that’s one step closer than we were at eight,” Harvick observed. “I don’t know if we’ll make it to 10, but we’re going to keep trying to do the best we can every week, and it’s just been an unbelievable year.” For a man who’s making a compelling case for a second title, his thoughts after the race weren’t on Playoff points or preventing a longtime rival from a win. Instead, Harvick’s thoughts were on his cherished prize awarded from the fruits of a laborious race at Bristol. “I think the biggest thing is I get to keep this sword,” Harvick said. “I’m more excited about that.”

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COMMUNITY CREATOR: DANNY B

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BLANEY IS OUT AND BUSCH IS STILL WINLESS This week Danny B gives us his take on the Bristol Night Race, including some juicy “I told you so” moments when it comes to the playoffs elimination predictions. Who saw Ryan Blaney’s elimination coming? And who predicted Alex Bowman’s performance? That’d be Danny B, of course, and in this episode, he gives us the full breakdown. The first thing to jump out was that this year’s race was not a good night for Team Penske at all, with lots of problems and 0 4 6

incidents, as well as an elimination for Ryan Blaney. Danny B breaks down how it all worked out on the track, including a very bad night for seemingly the entirety of Team Penske. That’s not all. Danny also takes us through the importance of stage points, the grueling battle for the finish, as well as a stage by stage breakdown of the track and where the racing was at. Find out all about it in this week’s episode of Danny B Talks!

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

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mr.steak THE MAN - THE LEGEND - THE STEAKS

BY THE NUMBER

CAR NO. BY K EITH WA LTZ

■■ 1965 – Junior Johnson (ISC Archives via Getty Images photo)

ASCAR Hall of Famers Junior Johnson and Rusty Wallace enjoyed considerable success in NASCAR’s premier series while driving cars carrying the No. 27. Wallace recorded 18 of his 55 career victories and claimed the 1989 series championship during his time in the No. 27 cars owned by drag racing legend Raymond Beadle. Johnson claimed 13 of his 50 NASCAR Cup Series victories in car No. 27 during the

■■ 2020 – Gray Gaulding (Getty Images photo)

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early 1960s. Overall statistics show that cars carrying No. 27 in the NASCAR Cup Series have visited Victory Lane 52 times and recorded 398 top-10 finishes in nearly 1,160 starts. A total of 89 drivers have wheeled car No. 27 with nine of them winning at least one race. Buckshot Morris became the first to use No. 27 in the NASCAR Cup Series when he started the Sept. 11, 1949, race at Langhorne Speedway in Pennsylvania. Morris finished 35th in the 45-car field driving a 1949 Oldsmobile. Jimmy Florian was the first driver to win in car No. 27 when he took the checkered flag on June 25, 1950, at Ohio’s Dayton Speedway. Florian led 40 of the 200 laps. Other drivers to win in car No. 27 are Benny Parsons (5), Donnie Allison (5), Cale Yarborough (5), Tim Richmond (2), Jimmy Spencer (2) and Paul Menard (1). Rick Ware Racing is the current caretaker of No. 27.

ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

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NASCAR DEFINED - TRUCK SERIES AT BRISTOL

▶▶ Sam Mayer, driver of the #24 Armour Guard Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 17, 2020 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

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NASCAR DEFINED - TRUCK SERIES AT BRISTOL

▶▶ Austin Hill, driver of the #16 United Rentals Toyota, and Jordan Anderson, driver of the #3 Bommarito.com/Sefton Steel Chevrolet, race during the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 17, 2020 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

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ROAR! WEEKLY RACING MAGAZINE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

▶▶ Grant Enfinger, driver of the #98 ADS/Lucas Oil/Curb Records Ford, pits during the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 17, 2020 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

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