SS GreenLight Racing | NASCAR Xfinity Series | Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway Road Course | UNOH 188 Fast Facts
Driver: Joe Graf Jr. (@JoeGrafJr)
Primary Partner(s): Bucked Up Energy | Core Development | EAT SLEEP RACE
Manufacturer: Chevrolet Camaro
Crew Chief: Patrick Donahue
Starting Position for UNOH 188: 25th (Event Formula)
Driver Points Position: 21st | Owner Points Position: 24th
Chassis Intel: SSGLR Chassis No. 720; competed last at Road America (Wisc.) Road Course on August 8, 2020 (Start: 26th | Finish: 25th)
Engine: Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines (ECR)
Notes of Interest:
Full of Energy: Bucked Up Energy will continue its role as the primary partner of Graf’s No. 08 Chevrolet Camaro. The Daytona International Speedway Road Course is the 11th 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.
Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Daytona International Speedway Road Course Starts: Joe Graf Jr. will make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in Saturday afternoon’s UNOH 188 at the 14-turn Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway Road Course.
Turning Lefts and Rights Again: For the third time in his NASCAR Xfinity Series career, Joe Graf Jr. will compete on a road course. Graf, 22, has never seen the 3.56-mile, 14-turn road course before Saturday’s UNOH 188.
Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Career Road Course Nuggets: At tracks classified as a road course, Graf has competed in just two NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Road America (Wisc.) respectively.
He holds an average starting position of 27.5 (per rule book) and an average result of 25.5 with 100 percent of the laps complete.
Put Me In Coach: During this weekend’s Xfinity weekend at Daytona, 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 19th 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 Daytona Road Course as he’s set to make his seventh career ARCA Menards Series premier start in Friday afternoon’s General Tire 100 in Daytona Beach.
Early Preparation: To help Joe Graf Jr. prepare for the fundamentals of Saturday’s UNOH 188, 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.
Popular Return: The SS GreenLight Racing team has brought back a popular paint scheme for Saturday afternoon’s 52-lap race. The Bucked Up Energy paint scheme is infused with a patriotic fighter aircraft as a tribute to the country’s Declaration of Independence of the United States on July 4, 1776.
Coming Soon: Joe Graf Jr. is set to announce a new associate marketing partner for the remainder of the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series season ahead of the Xfinity Series doubleheader weekend at Dover (Del.) International Speedway on Sat., Aug. 22, 2020.
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.
18 races down, 15 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 three months 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.
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 171st NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday afternoon. In his previous 170 races, he has two wins, eight top-five and 14 top-10 finishes to his resume.
Like Graf Jr., Donahue will make his Xfinity Series debut as crew chief on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course.
This Is 2020: Entering the Daytona Road Course, Graf Jr. has 21 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts to his credit with four top-15 and eight top-20 finishes. After 18 races in 2020, he stands 21st in the championship standings with 15 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 third 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 Road America: “Learned a lot at Road America. Stayed out of trouble and got a chance to race in the rain. It was an incredibly long race, but we brought our No. 08 Bucked Up Energy Chevrolet home in one piece. Overall, we’re taking steps in the right direction and that’s important.”
On Daytona International Speedway Road Course: “Much like everyone else in the garage, I don’t know what to expect for Saturday’s race. Without practice and or qualifying, we are all going into the race kinda-blinded.
“Sure, you can use iRacing and the simulator to help you prepare but there is nothing like the real thing. We knew the road course races would be one of my biggest challenges this season, but I have run all the laps and saw the checkered flag.
“Our goal is the same this weekend, but we’re hoping to leave Daytona with a top-20 finish.”
On Working With Will Rodgers: “I like working with Will. I raced with him a little bit in the ARCA Menards Series, but he has been a big help for me in preparing for Daytona.
“The good thing for me is that Will is racing the ARCA race on Friday, so being able to pick his brain after the race while everything is fresh will hopefully be a benefit to all of us on Saturday.”
Race Information:
The UNOH 188 (52 laps | 187.72 miles) is the 19th of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2020 schedule. The 38-car field will take the green flag shortly after 3:00 p.m. on Sat., Aug. 15, 2020 with live coverage on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), the Motor 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 their two-car program in 2020.
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