Joe Graf Jr. | Notes of Interest | Wawa 250
No. 08 Bucked Up Energy | EAT SLEEP RACE Chevrolet for SS GreenLight Racing
The Lowdown: 22-year-old Joe Graf Jr. will return to the “World Center of Racing” at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway set to make his third NASCAR Xfinity Series start and second of 2020 at the famed 2.5-mile superspeedway.
Full of Energy: Bucked Up Energy and its sister products will continue its role as the primary partner of Graf’s No. 08 Chevrolet Camaro. Dover International Speedway is the 14th race in a multi-year, multi-race deal with the former ARCA Menards Series winner.
Bucked Up is the everyman (or woman) energy drink. We don’t care about the color of your collar; whether blue or white, we all require energy to power our days. We want something that tastes like success, enhances mood and focus, and most of all delivers long-lasting energy.
Associates are important too!: For the 22nd consecutive race, EAT SLEEP RACE will serve as a major associate marketing partner of the No. 08 Chevrolet Camaro.
EAT SLEEP RACE has been a partner of all 21 of Graf Jr.’s career NASCAR Xfinity Series races dating back to the 2019 season for three races (Iowa, Daytona and Richmond) at Richard Childress Racing (RCR).
Since 2001, EAT SLEEP RACE has offered a full product line including accessories and apparel for men’s and ladies. As one of the pioneers of motorsports apparel, the brand has deep roots in the racing industry and was created to offer fresh designs for all racing enthusiasts.
Core Development Group also continues its support of Graf in an associate partnership role.
Chassis Intel: SSGLR Chassis No. 702; competed last at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on June 20, 2020 (Start: 23rd | Finish: 34th)
Chassis No. 702 also ran at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in February 2020 with a 36th-place finish after qualifying fifth.
Chassis No. 702 is known for its performance at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2019 with a second-place outing after an eighth place starting position.
Who | What | For Who: Joe Graf Jr. is a Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate driving the No. 08 Bucked Up Energy | EAT SLEEP RACE Chevrolet Camaro for Bobby Dotter’s SS GreenLight Racing.
Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Career Superspeedway Nuggets: In three NASCAR Xfinity Series Superspeedway races, has completed 224 of the 333 laps available. He holds an average starting position of 11.3 and an average result of 31st with a best finish of 23rd at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in July 2019.
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.
New Paint: For Friday night’s Wawa 250 fueled by Coca-Cola, Graf Jr.’s No. 08 Bucked Up Energy Chevrolet Camaro will sport a new paint scheme support Bucked Up Energy’s supplements.
The WOKE AF high-stim pre-work supplement will take the role as the primary marketing partner for the penultimate superspeedway race of the season.
The traditional supplements Bucked Up and the world’s first and only true nootropic pre-work workout supplement BAMF will hold associate placements on Graf Jr.’s No. 08 Chevrolet Camaro.
Each supplement provides different elements, as well as different objectives offering each consumer a real reason to get Bucked Up!
Bucked Up Energy as their WOKE AF, Bucked Up and BAMF supplements are available at BuckedUp.com, as well as your local Vitamin Shoppe and GNC locations.
Triple Duty Recap: Joe Graf Jr. heads to Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on the heels of a respectable debut weekend at the Monster Mile.
Competing in just his third ARCA Menards Series East race, Graf Jr. suffered an engine failure early in the race, but bounced back with a strong 19th place finish in Saturday’s Drydene 200 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
After starting 23rd, Graf Jr. overcame early race radio issues to post a respectable 21st after being passed by SS GreenLight Racing teammate David Starr in the closing laps.
Welcome Aboard: Last week, Graf Jr. announced a new partnership with the band AVOID.
Exploding out of Seattle, Wash., hotly-tipped hard rock five-piece AVOID have been rapidly making a name for themselves to their electrifying live shows and an unabashed experimental approach to music.
The result is an alchemistic audio dose of heavy hedonism; the stamp of a young act unafraid to equally embrace both their innovation and individuality.
Forming in 2017, AVOID’s debut full length ‘Alone’ was released in 2018, garnering more than 1.5 million streams to date and strong Spotify playlisting support. The record debuted at No. 3 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Pacific Chart.
Coming Soon: Joe Graf Jr. will unveil a new Bucked Up Energy paint scheme early next week for the Sept. 5 SportClips Help A Hero 200 “Throwback” Xfinity Series race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
The 22-year-old will make his second debut at the track dubbed “Too Tough To Tame.”
The Second Half: Despite the coronavirus pandemic which shuttered NASCAR Xfinity Series races for more than two months, the series recently reached the halfway point of their season at Kansas Speedway in late July.
Now, 21 races down, 12 races to go, Graf Jr. is ranked 21st in the Xfinity Series championship standings and looks to improve his average finish of 23rd over the final nine weeks of the season.
Sneaker Mania: Along with the adrenaline of Motorsports competition, Joe Graf Jr. also has a vogue for hype sneakers. In his current collection, he owns and wears at least 80 limited edition sneakers – and his collection continues to grow every month.
He’s an ARCA graduate too!: Graf Jr. is a graduate of the ARCA Menards Series where in 39 races, he earned one win, seven top-fives and 21 top-10 finishes all for Chad Bryant Racing (CBR).
At tracks greater than 1.0-mile in size, Graf has competed in eight ARCA Menards Series races. He holds an average starting position of 11.8 and an average result of 12.9.
Despite 39 starts in the ARCA Menards Series between the 2018 and 2019 seasons, Graf Jr. never made a start on a road course.
Did You Know? While NASCAR Xfinity Series competition was idle during the coronavirus pandemic for two months, Joe Graf Jr. got busy.
Whether it was working out, spending time on iRacing in the Pro Series Invitational or Saturday Night Thunder, Graf recently gave an insider view on how his quarantine went and offered even a little insight on himself as a person.
Click here to watch video.
From the Pit Box: Industry veteran Patrick Donahue is Joe Graf Jr.’s crew chief. He will crew chief his 175th NASCAR Xfinity Series races on Saturday and Sunday. In his previous 174 races, he has two wins, eight top-five and 14 top-10 finishes to his resume.
He has seven prior Xfinity races as crew chief at Daytona with a best finish of eighth in July 2019 with Gray Gaulding.
This Is 2020: Entering Daytona, Graf Jr. has 24 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts to his credit with four top-15 and nine top-20 finishes. After 21 races in 2020, he stands 21st in the championship standings with 12 races remaining.
Hello From The Other Side: Graf Jr. has a teammate at SS GreenLight Racing. Veteran Gray Gaulding returns to the seat of the No. 07 SS GreenLight Racing Chevrolet on Friday night.
The 22-year-old Gaulding will make just his second start of 2020 with SS GreenLight Racing and eyes his third straight top-10 finish on a superspeedway dating back to Daytona last July.
NYU Pride: In addition to his duties as a full-time Xfinity Series driver, Graf Jr. is also a student at New York University (NYU) where is pursuing a degree in business, media and sports management.
Graf was also featured in an exclusive NYU documentary in February 2019.
Joe Graf Jr. pre-Daytona International Speedway event quotes:
On Dover International Speedway Doubleheader: “It was a solid weekend at Dover. There isn’t anything quite like the Monster Mile that I’ve ever competed in racing. We made gains in both races and were able to come away with a lot of notes and some momentum going into Daytona this weekend.”
On Daytona International Speedway: “I’m really excited about going to Daytona this weekend. The entire SS GreenLight Racing team really puts a lot of work into their superspeedway program and we showcased a lot of speed at Daytona and Talladega earlier this year before we got collected in someone else’s misfortune.
“A top-10 finish would be huge for us on Friday night. A top-five would feel like a win. Daytona is a place for opportunity, I just hope luck is on our side.”
On The Components of Superspeedway Racing: “Obviously a good car and engine is crucial to success at Daytona. Bobby (Dotter, car owner) puts a lot of emphasis on these races and we’ve got a good Richard Childress Racing motor under the hood this weekend.
“You also have to be able to trust your spotter. “Pockets” (spotter Brian Crammer) does a good job on letting me know what I need to know. He works with other spotters well; it’s just about putting you in the right place at the right time when it counts.
“It doesn’t hurt either to have a good teammate. Gray is pretty experienced when it comes to these superspeedways, so I hope I’m able to work with him and we have the chance to put both SS GreenLight Racing cars in the top-10 when its all said and done.”
STAY CONNECTED:
For more on Joe Graf Jr, please like him on Facebook (Joe Graf Jr.) and follow him on Twitter (@JoeGrafJr) and visit his website at JoeGrafJr.com.
For more on SS GreenLight Racing, please like them on Facebook (SS GreenLight Racing) and follow them on Twitter (@SSGLR0708) and visit their website at SSGreenLight.com.
The Wawa 250 powered by Coca-Cola (100 laps | 250 miles) is the 22nd of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2020 schedule. The 37-car field will take the green flag shortly after 7:30 p.m. on Sat., Aug. 29, 2020, with live coverage on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM.
About Bucked Up Energy:
Bucked Up is the everyman (or woman) energy drink. We don’t care about the color of your collar; whether blue or white, we all require energy to power our days. We want something that tastes like success, enhances mood and focus, and most of all, delivers long-lasting energy.
Bucked Up Energy boasts 300mg of caffeine as well as two added stimulants. This trifecta works synergistically to keep you going all day. On top of that, we added Beta-Alanine; this powerhouse ingredient delivers a faint tingle, signaling that it’s time to work — and earn success.
We want that success. Don’t you?
Get Bucked Up.
About EAT SLEEP RACE:
EAT SLEEP RACE (eatsleeprace.com) is a racing lifestyle apparel company based out of New Jersey. Since 2001 the brand has offered a full product line including accessories and apparel for men’s and ladies. As one of the pioneers of motorsports apparel, the brand has deep roots in the racing industry and was created to offer fresh designs for all racing enthusiasts.
The company has expanded to now offer a dedicated children’s product line of apparel and accessories branded as the Fast Kids Club with it’s hot selling ABC book for future race car drivers.
About SS Green Light Racing:
As one of the most tenured teams in all of NASCAR, SS GreenLight Racing has been a developmental hub for drivers looking to climb the ranks. Led by owner and former driver Bobby Dotter, the team has fielded entries in either the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series or the Xfinity Series competition since 2001.
Coming off a successful 2019 Xfinity campaign, SS GreenLight Racing looks to build further momentum with their two-car program in 2020.
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