SS GreenLight Racing | NASCAR Xfinity Series | Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway ROVAL | Drive for the Cure 250 Fast Facts
No. 08 SS GreenLight Racing Team:
Driver: Joe Graf Jr. (@JoeGrafJr)
Primary Partner(s): Watchonista | Bucked Up Energy | Core Development
Manufacturer: Chevrolet Camaro
Crew Chief: Patrick Donahue
Starting Position for Drive for the Cure 250: 31st (Event Formula)
Driver Points Position: 21st | Owner Points Position: 29th
Chassis Intel: SSGLR Chassis No. 720; competed last at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway Road Course on August 28, 2020 (Start: 25th | Finish: 26th)
Engine: Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines (ECR)
Notes of Interest:
Clocking In: This weekend at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway ROVAL, Joe Graf Jr. and the SS GreenLight Racing team welcome Watchonista, a global online magazine dedicated to covering the watch industry, watch collecting, and luxury lifestyle as the primary partner of the No. 08 Chevrolet Camaro.
Every day, visitors flock to Watchonista’s website and social media channels to interact with immersive content produced by their dynamic team of writers, editors and content producers.
Additionally, Watchonista will bring the added support of its partners WAX Insurance, STANDARD H, and Cantonment, all of which will have placement on Graf Jr.’s No. 08 Watchonista Chevrolet Camaro in the final road course race of 2020.
Bucked Up Energy, Core Development Group and EAT SLEEP RACE will maintain their affiliation with the team this weekend as associate marketing partners.
Talladega Superspeedway Recap: A strategy to keep Joe Graf Jr. out of the expected “big one” at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway paid off during last Saturday’s Ag-Pro 300, unfortunately the team experienced engine failure during Stage 3 in the race which ultimately hindered the result and left the team with a 31st place finish, 36 laps sky of the checkered flag.
Turning Lefts and Rights Again: For the fourth time in his NASCAR Xfinity Series career, Joe Graf Jr. will compete on a road course. Graf, 22, has never competed on the Concord, N.C.-based road course before Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 250.
Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway ROVAL Starts: Joe Graf Jr. will make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in Saturday afternoon’s Drive for the Cure 250 at the 2.28-mile, 17-turn Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway ROVAL Road Course.
Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Career Road Course Nuggets: At tracks classified as a road course, Graf has competed in just three NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Road America (Wisc.) and the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway Road Course respectively.
He holds an average starting position of 26.7 (per rule book) and an average result of 25.7 with 99 percent of the laps complete.
Put Me In Coach: During this weekend’s Xfinity weekend at Charlotte, Graf Jr. is working with fellow NASCAR driver Will Rodgers who will serve in a dual role as a spotter and driver coach for the 29th Xfinity Series race of the season.
Rodgers an experienced road racer has four ARCA Menards Series wins between the East and West divisions, including victories at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway and New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP).
Rodgers will be able to give Graf Jr. firsthand knowledge of the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway ROVAL, as Rodgers competed in the 2019 edition, qualifying 10th.
Early Preparation: To help Joe Graf Jr. prepare for the fundamentals of Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 250, earlier this year while on the West Coast Swing, Graf Jr. and his crew chief Patrick Donahue participated in the Chris Cook Performance Driving School at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Chandler, Ariz.
Say Whaaat?: For at least the next five weeks, Joe Graf Jr. and partner Bucked Up Energy are allowing one lucky fan the opportunity to win a year’s supply of Bucked Up Energy or over $1,000 in cash!
Winner’s choice!
Plus, the more you promote the contest yourself, the more entries you receive!
To view contest rules and enter, click here.
Vote For Me: Voting is open for the 2020 edition of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Most Popular Driver.
Approved voters are allowed to vote for their favorite NASCAR Xfinity Series driver at least one time per day for the next two months through Mon., Nov. 9, 2020.
To cast your vote for Joe Graf Jr. visit, nascar.com/xfinitymostpopulardriver.
School Back In Session: While juggling a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule with SS GreenLight Racing, college life has resumed for Joe Graf Jr.
With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Graf Jr. has resorted to online classes at the University of New York, where he is pursuing a degree in business, media and sports management.
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, 28 races down, five 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 five 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.
From the Pit Box: Industry veteran Patrick Donahue is Joe Graf Jr.’s crew chief. He will crew chief his 182nd NASCAR Xfinity Series races on Saturday. In his previous 181 races, he has two wins, eight top-five and 14 top-10 finishes to his resume.
He has four Xfinity races as crew chief at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL with a best finish of 23rd in 2018 with Joey Gase.
This Is 2020: Entering Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, Graf Jr. has 31 career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts to his credit with four top-15 and 10 top-20 finishes. After 28 races in 2020, he stands 21st in the championship standings with five races remaining.
Hello From The Other Side: Graf Jr. has a teammate at SS GreenLight Racing. Sports car standout Jade Buford drives the No. 07 SS GreenLight Racing Chevrolet Camaro. The 32-year-old will make his fourth Xfinity start of 2020 on Saturday.
Follow on Social Media: For more on Joe Graf Jr. visit JoeGrafJr.com, like him on Facebook (Joe Graf Jr.), follow him on Twitter (@JoeGrafJr) and Instagram (@joegrafjr).
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.
Joe Graf Jr. Pre-Race Quotes:
On Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway: “Tough deal, kept our nose clean all day and lost an engine with about 40 to go. We’ll keep moving forward and get focused on the ROVAL
“We have five races left in 2020 and we are determined to make the most of them!”
On Watchonista Partnership: “I’m super excited to welcome Watchonista to NASCAR and have them be a part of the NASCAR Xfinity Series with SS GreenLight Racing. I’m a frequent visitor to the site being an avid collector of many things myself and to be able to bring this partnership to fruition is a testament to a lot of hard work and Watchonista eager to expand their horizons.
“Hopefully, we can have a strong finish on Saturday for Watchonista, WAX Insurance, STANDARD H, and Cantonment and then work on building our partnership for years to come.”
On Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway ROVAL: “I’m optimistic about the weekend. I’ve been spending a lot of time on iRacing to prepare for Saturday’s race and I am very fortunate to have the coaching and feedback of Will Rodgers too.
“I’m not sure what to expect if we get some rain on Saturday, but our goal is to leave Charlotte with a top-20 finish to carry us back to Kansas Speedway.”
Race Information:
The Drive for the Cure 250 (67 laps | 155.44 miles) is the 29th of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2020 schedule. The 38-car field will take the green flag shortly after 3:30 p.m. on Sat., Oct. 10, 2020, with live coverage on NBC, the Performance Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90). All times are local (Eastern).
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 its two-car program in 2020.
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