No. 19 Toyota Genuine Parts GR Supra News and Notes:
· TRUEX AT TALLADEGA: Ryan Truex will take on the high banks of Talladega for just the third time in his NASCAR Xfinity Series career this weekend in the Ag-Pro 300. With his best finish at the track coming back in 2012 when he finished 11th for Joe Gibbs Racing, Truex is looking to take the decade-plus of experience that he’s collected since then to put together a quality run on Saturday. The race will be Truex’s fourth NXS start of the season and his second of a four-week stint in the No. 19 JGR Toyota GR Supra, where he will be looking to build upon his impressive start to his 2023 campaign. Truex also has 1 NCS and 3 NCTS starts at the 2.66 mile superspeedway.
· MARTINSVILLE RECAP: Truex had a solid run at Martinsville, which ended with a 12th place finish on the day. After starting 14th, Truex hung around the top-15 all race and managed to work his way into the top ten multiple times throughout the night. After finishing Stage One in 11th, Truex’s race was highlighted by a 7th place finish in Stage Two, where he joined JGR drivers Sammy Smith and John Hunter Nemechek in collecting stage points. Ultimately, Truex battled hard during the last stint of the race but came up just short of continuing his four race streak of top-ten finishes.
· PART-TIME DRIVER, BIG TIME RESULTS: Truex has the best average finish out of all NXS drivers with at least three starts this season (5.7). Furthermore, Truex still ranks 9th amongst all drivers for top-five finishes (2) despite having 5 fewer starts than the full-time field. Up to this point, Truex has proven himself as a serious top-ten threat each time he gets behind the wheel of the No.19 Toyota GR Supra.
· SPEEDWAY SMARTS: In Truex’s last two speedway-style starts, he has come home with a pair of third place finishes, both coming at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Although Talladega is notably larger, the style of racing is similar, which should translate well for Truex. With speedway racing being famous for close-quarter racing and big wrecks, Truex’s veteran ability to keep his nose clean and stay patient for the right opportunities could pay dividends in a field full of young NXS drivers.
· NO. 19 IN 2023: The JGR No. 19 will have a rotating schedule of drivers throughout the 2023 season. Drivers on the schedule as of Talladega are Myatt Snider, Ty Gibbs, Connor Mosack, Joe Graf Jr., and Truex. With four top-five finishes through the first eight races, the group of drivers have carried the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra to 12th in the owner standings.
· ON THE PITBOX: Crew Chief Jason Ratcliff will oversee the No. 19 team and its driver rotation in 2023. Ratcliff is in year 18 under the JGR banner. He won the 2009 Xfinity Championship in tandem with Kyle Busch after an eight-win season. The championship-winning crew chief has 54 Xfinity wins across five different drivers, including current JGR NCS driver, Christopher Bell. He has 15 NCS wins as crew chief between two former JGR drivers – Matt Kenseth and Joey Logano. In their short time together, Truex and Ratcliff have found notable success. With 3 top-fives and 5 top-tens in eight races, the duo has proven they are a fast combination.
· JGR AT TALLADEGA: Joe Gibbs Racing has collected 5 wins to go along with 18 top-fives, 28 top-tens, 5 poles, and 380 laps led in 69 collective starts. The team’s last win came in 2014 with Elliott Sadler, who joined Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, and Mike McLaughlin as drivers who have taken JGR to victory lane at NASCAR’s biggest speedway. JGR also has 5 NASCAR Cup Series wins to go along with the 5 NXS wins.
· FOLLOW ALONG: Follow along for updates and a behind-the-scenes look at Truex’s 2023 season.
Twitter: @Ryan_Truex I Facebook: Ryan Truex I Instagram: @ryan_truex
RACE INFO: Coverage of this weekend’s Xfinity Series race at Talladega Superspeedway is scheduled for Saturday, April 22nd, at 4:00 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, MRN Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Ryan Truex, Driver of the No. 19 Toyota Genuine Parts GR Supra
What is your approach to taking on a track as unique as Talladega?
“The main goal is to be there at the end. That’s the key to races like these. A lot of things are out of your control here, but usually the best guys manage to be around when it matters. If we can manage to run up front, we can hopefully avoid the big wrecks. They can happen any time, anywhere though, so it’s going to take a bit of luck. The goal is to put ourselves in a position to get lucky, which means playing it smart and sticking around all day. If we can do that, I feel good about our chances on Saturday.”
About Toyota:
Toyota (NYSE: TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships. Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 20 electrified options, with more in showrooms later this year. Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic, and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
About Joe Gibbs Racing:
Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is one of the premier organizations in NASCAR, with four NASCAR Cup Series teams, three NASCAR Xfinity Series teams, and a driver development program. JGR is based in Huntersville, N.C., and owned by NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Joe Gibbs, who also earned his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was named as one of the NFL’s top 10 coaches of all-time with a winning career that included three Super Bowl Championships as head coach of the Washington franchise. JGR has competed in NASCAR since 1992, winning five Cup Series championships and six Xfinity Series owner’s championships, along with more than 350 NASCAR races, including four Brickyard 400s and four Daytona 500s.
TIL NEXTT IME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
