Joe Graf Jr. Daytona International Speedway Wawa 250 Race Preview

SS Green Light Racing was founded by and is operated by Bobby Dotter, a second-generation driver who began his racing career as a teenager in the Chicago, IL area.

SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt | NASCAR Xfinity Series

Daytona International Speedway | Wawa 250

Fast Facts

No. 07 SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt Team:

Driver: Joe Graf Jr. (@JoeGrafJr)

Primary Partner(s): Gtechniq

Manufacturer: Ford Mustang

Crew Chief: Joe Williams

Spotter: Frankie Kimmel                         

2022 Driver Points Position: 26th | 2022 Owner Points Position: 20th

Engine: Roush Yates Engines (RYE)

Notes of Interest:

Welcome Back: This weekend at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Gtechniq, a leader in automotive protective coatings products will serve as the primary partner of Graf’s No. 07 Ford Mustang.

Headquartered in Cumming, Ga., the Gtechniq range includes composite ceramic coatings, leather protection, fabric protection, wheel and trim protection, shampoos and much more.

The Wawa 250 will mark the company’s second event as a primary partner in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Sponsor Intel: In 2004, scientists at Gtechniq created a superior line of products aimed at perfecting all vehicle surfaces. And over the last 20 years, these products have been continually improved to provide a range that outshines and outlasts the competition.

Gtechniq’s line of surface preparation and finishing products are designed to clean, polish, and protect all automotive exteriors, in a way no traditional wax applications can match.

Thanks For Your Support: With more than 66 percent of the 2022 Xfinity Series season complete, Joe Graf Jr. and SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt would like to thank their associate marketing partners AVOID, Bass Reaper Bait Company, Bucked Up Energy, CoverSeal, EAT SLEEP RACE Apparel, fgrACCEL, G-Coin, HazHeart, Model Electronics and ShopRite for their continued support.   

Races for Faces: For the third consecutive NASCAR Xfinity Series season, fgrACCEL and Graf will be participating in myFace’s Races for Faces, an event to raise awareness for myFace, an organization that helps kids and families living with craniofacial differences.

Graf’s partner fgrACCEL is encouraging in the industry along with race fans to join “Team Graf” and show your support of their mission.

While the event will be held on Sept. 18., donations to “Team Graf” will be accepted through Friday, Sept. 30, 2022.

Get Bucked Up at Homestead-Miami Speedway: With their traditional stop at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway later this year, Joe Graf Jr. and partner Bucked Up Energy Drink are giving a lucky fan and a guest an ALL-EXPENSES paid trip to Homestead-Miami Speedway in October, along with $1,000 in spending cash!

To enter, spend at least $10 at buckedup.com from now until Friday, September 30, 2022. Every $10 spent earns another entry.

Visit buckedup.com for additional information.

Partner Spotlight: Ahead of their upcoming partnership with Joe Graf Jr. and SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, G-Coin reminds you that they are giving away FREE gold!

Unlike cryptocurrencies, G-Coin is a digital title to a real asset: 1 G-Coin token equals 1 gram of Responsible GoldTM.

G-Coin combines the best qualities of traditional gold – stability, security, value, confidence, and social status – with the benefits of digital innovation, allowing users to easily save, send, and spend gold.

Download the G-Coin app on iTunes or Google Play and use referral code FHY 6D3 AHT and Joe Graf Jr. will send you $5 worth of G-Coin.

Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Daytona International Speedway Stats: Joe Graf Jr. will make his seventh career start at the “World Center of Racing” in Friday night’s race.

In his six previous efforts, Graf has a best finish of 11th in the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series season-opener Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300 at the 2.5-mile superspeedway.

Graf has posted two top-six qualifying efforts during the 2019 and 2020 seasons respectively.

The former ARCA Menards Series winner made his Daytona International Speedway debut in July 2019 driving for Richard Childress Racing.

In February, Graf qualified 29th in his No. 07 Bucked Up Strawberry Kiwi Energy Drink Ford Mustang and contended for a top-10 finish but late race mechanical issues relegated the Mooresville, N.C.-based team to a 29th-place finish.

He holds an average 19.8 starting position at Daytona.

Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Career Superspeedway Nuggets: In 10 career NASCAR Xfinity Series Superspeedway races, has completed 947 of the 1,922 laps available. He holds an average starting position of 24.1 and an average result of 26th with a best finish of eighth at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in April 2022.

Joe Graf Jr. ARCA Menards Series Career Superspeedway Nuggets: In three career ARCA superspeedway track races, Graf Jr. has two top-10 finishes. He has been running at the finish of all three races. He holds an average starting position of 15.3 and an average result of 11th with three (3) laps led.

In 2018, Graf Jr. was involved in the closest finish in ARCA Menards Series history at Talladega Superspeedway in a photo finish.  

The margin was so narrow in the 69-year history of the series, it was a statistical dead heat, the margin of victory on the computerized scoring monitors showing 0.000 seconds. Only a video replay and the photo finish camera were able to determine Graf finished second by a matter of millimeters.

Sneaker Mania: Along with the adrenaline of the Motorsports competition, Joe Graf Jr. also has a vogue for hype sneakers. In his current collection, he owns and wears at least 90 limited edition sneakers – and his collection continues to grow every month.

The current estimated value of his collection tops $100,000.

From the Pit Box: Industry veteran Joe Williams is Joe Graf Jr.’s crew chief.

He will crew chief his 88th NASCAR Xfinity Series race as crew chief on Friday night and his ninth at the track nestled in Daytona Beach, Florida.  

In his previous 87 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, he has collected one win (Auto Club Speedway | February 2022), seven top-five and 20 top-10 finishes.

Hello From The Other Side: Graf Jr. has a teammate at SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt. Veteran David Starr will drive the No. 08 Special Report with Brett Baier | EVERFI Ford Mustang on Friday night for his 12th start of the 2022 season.

Starr is set to make his 246th career NASCAR Xfinity Series start and 17th at Daytona International Speedway. His best Xfinity track finish occurred in the 2017 Coca-Cola Firecracker 250, where he finished fifth after starting 33rd for BJ McLeod Motorsports.

Follow on Social Media: For more on Joe Graf Jr. visit JoeGrafRacing.com, like him on Facebook (Joe Graf Jr.), follow him on TikTok (@JoeGrafJr), Twitter (@JoeGrafJr), Instagram (@joegrafjr) and YouTube.

For more on SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt, please like them on Facebook (SS GreenLight Racing) and follow them on Instagram (@ssgreenlightracing) and Twitter (@SSGLR0708).

Joe Graf Jr. Pre-Race Quotes:

On Daytona International Speedway: “I always enjoy coming back to Daytona International Speedway especially when we have a returning partner like Gtechniq making their first start at such a historical venue.

“I really enjoy superspeedway racing and I know that Joe (Williams, crew chief) and the entire SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt team bring me fast race cars with the capability of contending for a top-10 finish if not the win.

“We are bringing the same Ford Mustang that hauled the mail at Talladega Superspeedway in April that led us to an eighth-place finish. I hope that we can continue that pace on Friday night and deliver my best run of the season.”  

On Gtechniq Primary Partnership Return: “I’m proud to welcome back Gtechniq in a primary role with our SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt family this weekend at Daytona International Speedway

“As summer slows and the comfortableness of fall approaches, everyone certainly wants their cars to look its best in the sun and Gtechniq not only offers a product that makes it happen, but they outshine and outlast their competition.

“I haven’t always had the best of luck at Daytona, but we always have had speed. Our No. 07 Gtechniq Ford Mustang looks stout and I hope we’re able to draft our way to the front and contend for a top-five finish!”

On Goals For Second Half of 2022: “We made some strides during the first half of the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season but there is certainly room for improvement.

“We have showcased a lot of speed throughout the season so far, but our second half of the year is focused on execution. If we can continue to carry that speed and follow through with the execution – we should be able to turn some heads with some strong and solid finishes.”

Race Information:

The Wawa 250 (100 laps | 250 miles) is the 23rd of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2022 schedule. Qualifying begins at 3:05 p.m. The 38-car field will take the green flag later in the day shortly after 7:30 p.m. with live coverage on the USA Network, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. All times are local (ET).

About SS Green Light Racing with Jeff Lefcourt:

As one of the most tenured teams in all of NASCAR, SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt led by team owner and former driver Bobby Dotter and new partner Jeff Lefcourt has been a mainstay entry in the sport fielding entries in either the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series or Xfinity Series competition since 2001.

SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt will continue with a two-car program in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2022.