The No. 96 Toyota Camry for Gaunt Brothers Racing (GBR) and its driver Daniel Suárez will feature a brand new look for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City.
The colors of GF Machining Solutions, a Swiss-based company with roots dating back to 1863 and locations in 50 countries worldwide, will adorn the GBR Toyota for Sunday’s 400-mile race on the 1.5-mile oval located smack in the Heartland of America. The company’s U.S. operation has been in partnership supporting the numerous racing programs of Toyota Racing Development (TRD), and it proudly takes the stage on the Kansas oval this weekend.
“It’s great to be on the No. 96 Toyota Camry this weekend in Kansas,” said Philipp Hauser of GF Machining Solutions. “We have such a great partnership with TRD. Because we provide them with state-of-the-art manufacturing technologies and machining solutions, we’re already following each and every race and are privileged to see TRD competing at the highest possible level. Now, being able to see our colors on the car just makes it even more rewarding.”
GF Machining Solutions is one of the world’s leading providers of machines, automation solutions and services, and the company’s mantra, “Passion for Precision,” will be on display across the rear roofline of the GBR Toyota this weekend.
Meanwhile, Suárez, his crew chief Dave Winston, and the rest of the No. 96 GF Machining Solutions Toyota team, whose owner Marty Gaunt himself has had strong ties with TRD and Toyota as both a team owner and engine builder dating back to the early 2000s, look to improve upon their last visit to Kansas July 23.
The single-car effort that took on the full Cup Series schedule for the first time this season since joining NASCAR’s top ranks as a part-time team in 2017 equaled its best performance of 2020 with an 18th-place finish on that Thursday night in July. It arrives at Kansas coming off its ninth top-25 of the year in last Sunday’s Charlotte Roval 400 and isready to tackle the season’s final four events with an eye focused firmly upon an improved 2021 campaign.
With GF Machining Solutions’ “Passion for Precision” riding along, Suárez, Winston, Gaunt and the rest of the GBR team hope their passion for building a championship-contending racing program from the ground up generate a solid result Sunday afternoon at Kansas.
Daniel Suárez: Driver of the No. 96 GF Machining Solutions Toyota Camry for Gaunt Brothers Racing:
You’re heading to Kansas featuring partner GF Machining Solutions on your Toyota Camry for the first time. Your thoughts on that?
“It’s always exciting to feature an important partner for the first time – it’s important for a partner like GF Machining Solutions and it’s important for the sport of NASCAR. They’ve been around for a long time and they are partners with TRD, who has been an important supporter of everything that has happened at Gaunt Brothers Racing for a long time. Plus, it gives us another really good-looking paint scheme. The Hispanic Heritage paint scheme we had at Charlotte last weekend was definitely something that created a lot of excitement, and this weekend we get to do it again with GF Machining Solutions. I hope we can give them a really good result.”
This weekend marks the first of back-to-back races on 1.5-mile ovals and the final two on intermediate tracks this season. Will your back-to-back top-25s at Texas and Kansas in July help you this weekend and next?
“We always show up at the racetrack trying to improve on the last race, the last time we raced at a particular track. Our race at Kansas in July was a good execution day and I was really proud of everyone. It took a while for the track to come in and we struggled with the rear end being loose and trying to make our Toyota turn in the first part of the race. Dave (Winston, crew chief) did a good job with the adjustments and we were running pretty good at the end. Communication was really good. And I have to say it was a good job by my spotter (Steve Barkdoll) for helping me get through all the trouble that happened in front of me. The conditions will definitely be different this time. It was a night race in July and Sunday is a race in the daytime, but the temperatures are supposed to be pretty cold. We’ll see how all of that balances out.”
No. 96 GF Machining Solutions Toyota Camry Team Report
Race 33 of 36 – Hollywood Casino 400 – Kansas
Car No. 96: GF Machining Solutions Toyota Camry
Primary Team:
Driver: Daniel Suárez
Hometown: Monterrey, Mexico
Crew Chief: Dave Winston
Hometown: Miami, Florida
Technical Director: Nick Ollila
Hometown: Warren, Michigan
Car Chief: Mark Hillman
Hometown: Lockport, New York
Engine Specialist: Kirk Butterfield
Hometown: Carrollton, Ohio
Engine Builder: Toyota Racing Development
Headquarters: Costa Mesa, California
Spotter: Steve Barkdoll
Hometown: Garrison, Iowa
Over-The-Wall Crew:
Gas Man: Cory White
Hometown: Vinson, Iowa
Front Tire Changer: Mike Mead
Hometown: Sherrills Ford, North Carolina
Rear Tire Changer: Brandon Traino
Hometown: Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Tire Carrier: Mason Harris
Hometown: Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia
Jackman: Bailey Walker
Hometown: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Windshield: Mark Hillman
Hometown: Lockport, New York
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
