Petty GMS Event Preview: NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway

Ty Dillon, No. 42 Ferris Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

– Wide Open Spaces: Ty Dillon will attempt to qualify for his first NASCAR All-Star Race by competing in the All-Star Open on Sunday evening. The qualifying race will run immediately prior to the main feature and will include three stages (20 laps, 20 laps, 10 laps). The winner of each stage will earn a spot in the All-Star Race, along with the Fan Vote recipient.

Dillon has competed in four previous All-Star Open events – three at Charlotte Motor Speedway and one at Bristol Motor Speedway. In his two most recent races (2019 and 2020), the 30-year-old captured second and fifth-place results respectively.

– Dillon at Texas Motor Speedway: Dillon has competed in nine NASCAR Cup Series events at Texas Motor Speedway, posting four top-20 results and only finishing worse than 24th-place once. Running a limited schedule in 2021, the North Carolina native did not participate in any NASCAR event at the 1.5-mile oval last season.

Dillon has also raced in 10 NASCAR Xfinity Series races at the Fort Worth intermediate, earning one top-five and three top-10 finishes. In five NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events, Dillon collected one win (2013), four top-five results and never finished outside of the seventh position.

– Mow Tyme:Ferris will serve as primary partner on Dillon’s Chevrolet Camaro for Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway. Ferris, a brand of Briggs & Stratton, is a leading commercial and industrial turf care equipment provider. The red and black colors will adorn the No. 42 for a total of three races in the 2022 season: All-Star Open at Texas Motor Speedway on May 22, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course on July 31, and Michigan International Speedway on August 7.

As an industry leader, Ferris has built a reputation for accomplishing more work with ease, through innovation, uncompromising performance, and quality features. Ferris makes extremely durable equipment with patented full suspension systems and ergonomic controls and backs them up through world-class dealers.

– About Briggs & Stratton:Briggs & Stratton, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is focused on providing power to get work done and make people’s lives better. Briggs & Stratton is the world’s largest producer of gasoline engines for outdoor power equipment, and is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of commercial lithium-ion batteries, power generation, pressure washer, lawn and garden, turf care and job site products through its Briggs & Stratton®, Simplicity®, Snapper®, Ferris®, Vanguard®, Allmand®, Billy Goat®, Murray®, Branco® and Victa® brands. Briggs & Stratton products are designed, manufactured, marketed, and serviced in over 100 countries on six continents. For additional information, please visitwww.basco.comandwww.briggsandstratton.com.

– From the Drivers Seat: Prior to Covid, Cup Series teams would have two or three hours of practice in one weekend. Does simulator time now play a factor in getting communication down with your crew chief and engineers?

“Yeah, absolutely. It gives you time to get the verbiage down with each other. Building the real relationship matters so much between driver and crew chief and engineers. It’s not always easy with everyone have their own personality, but you have to know where you fit, when to push, and when not to push. We don’t get that time in the physical, real action very often. The new practice format is such a grind in the moment – 15 minutes and then you turn over to qualifying. I’m studying SMT data, they are studying everything they see on the car, and it’s a super quick grind. When we get those precious moments and hours now in the simulator, they are so valuable and helping our team grow so much. When I can sit there and tell them what the car is doing and why I feel uncomfortable or comfortable with doing this motion, so they understand the background and my driving style, it grows our team. We have to use those sessions as much as we can and while it’s not the exact real thing, it’s the best we can do with what we have and we have to make the most of it.”

Erik Jones, No. 43 FOCUSfactor Chevrolet Camaro ZL1