Daytona International Speedway & Milwaukee Mile Competition Notes
TEAM AND RACE NOTES:
Front Row Motorsports heads to two locations this weekend, the Daytona International Speedway and the Milwaukee Mile, with all three drivers looking for that first win of the season.
Michael McDowell and the No. 34 return to Daytona looking for that all important win to lock themselves in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. The 34 Ford Mustang Dark Horse will feature the return of Long John Silver's for Saturday night's event. The 2021 Daytona 500 winner, McDowell is no stranger to the 2.5-mile superspeedway. He has three Top-5s and 8 Top-10 finishes at Daytona in his career, as well as a second-place qualifying effort at this year's Daytona 500 back in February.
Grillo's Pickles will go back-to-back with Todd Gilliland, partnering with the driver to make their debut at the track, after showcasing their green and white livery at the Michigan International Speedway. For Gilliland, the historic Florida track shows much promise for him to capture his first win in the NASCAR Cup Series and lock himself into the 2024 playoffs, leading 16 laps at the 2.5-mile venue in this season's Daytona 500. Gilliland has proven that he has what it takes to be a trusted drafting partner at superspeedways with impressive performances at Daytona, Atlanta, and Talladega. Gilliland scored a Top-10 finish at Talladega in the spring.
Layne Riggs will make his debut at the Milwaukee Mile this weekend in a rare, Sunday race for the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. This will be Riggs' first attempt at the mile long track, but has delivered impressive results at other short-tracks on the Truck Series circuit, scoring Top-5 finishes at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, the World Wide Technology Raceway, the Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, and the Richmond Raceway.
The No. 38 Ford F-150 will bring a new livery this weekend with Riggs' partnering with Zorn Compressor & Equipment for the 175-lap event. Zorn Compressor & Equipment is a family-owned company based in Pewaukee, Wisconsin with multiple branches located in Wisconsin and Illinois.
With over 55 years of experience in the industry, Zorn distributes a wide variety of compressed air equipment, parts, and services and provide maintenance and repair, emergency service and rentals, installation and plant piping, and air, energy, and system audits. Zorn is committed to providing top-quality support regardless of each unique need and strive to exceed expectations.
The Cup Series will kick off the weekend with qualifying on Friday, August 23rd at 5:00 pm ET. The 160-lap event is scheduled for Saturday, August 24th at 7:30 pm ET. Fans can watch the action live on NBC. For Riggs and the No. 38 Ford F-150 team, the weekend will kick off with practice and qualifying on Saturday, August 24th at 4:00 pm ET. Sunday's event is scheduled for 4:00 pm ET and will be televised live on FS1. Fans can listen to the action for both events on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM channel 90.
CUP SERIES COMPETITION NOTES:
No. 34 Long John Silver's Ford Mustang Dark Horse:
DRIVER MICHAEL MCDOWELL:
“We can win at Daytona, we have done it before, and we have showed good speed at the superspeedway tracks. But it's Daytona, so you never know what is going to happen. There's a little bit of unknown since every team not locked into the playoffs races with that urgency to win. It’s going to be intense."
CREW CHIEF TRAVIS PETERSON:
"We know what we need to do to win. Daytona is a great track for us, and we showed all season that we have the speed at the superspeedways to qualifying up front and stay there. I have confidence in Michael and the team that we will bring a fast race car and execute well Saturday night."
No. 38 Grillo's Pickles Ford Mustang Dark Horse:
DRIVER TODD GILLILAND:
"This is an important weekend for us. We only have two races left until the playoffs start, with Daytona being one of them. We have shown a lot of speed on superspeedways this year so I'm confident that we can bring it again this weekend.
"It means a lot to me that I get to showcase the Grillo's Pickles livery in their Daytona debut. They are all about our program and bring so much energy to the track. I can't thank them enough for our partnership. Hopefully I can get Sam Sam the Pickle Man in Victory Lane."
CREW CHIEF RYAN BERGENTY:
"We don't have many races left in the regular season and we need a win to make the playoffs. I think Daytona can be the place Todd (Gilliland) gets the job done. He has shown that he has what it takes to drive these superspeedways, with Daytona being one of them. We're bringing a fast Grillo's Pickles Ford Mustang Dark Horse and have a driver that has what it takes to compete upfront. I'm excited for this weekend."
TRUCK SERIES COMPETITION NOTES:
No. 38 Zorn Compressor & Equipment Ford F-150:
DRIVER LAYNE RIGGS:
"I've never raced at Milwaukee, but Dylan (Cappello) and the team have data to go off of from last year so I think we have a pretty good baseline. We had impressive runs at the other short-tracks this season, so I am confident heading into this weekend.
"I am happy to see Zorn Compressor & Equipment join us for the race. I love the paint scheme, and I think fans will like it too. Hopefully I can represent them well and give them a result we can all be proud of."
CREW CHIEF DYLAN CAPPELLO:
"I can see Milwaukee being a track that Layne (Riggs) can win at. He has shown a lot of speed at these smaller tracks and Milwaukee is no different. I am confident in Layne's ability, we just need to execute and be there in the end."
Comments