LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Race Preview: Circuit Of The Americas

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Race Information

– Round: NASCAR Cup Series race No. 6 of 36

– Track Location: Circuit Of The Americas (COTA) – Austin, Texas

– Race Name: EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix

– Broadcast: Sunday, March 26th at 3:30 PM ET live on FOX (TV), PRN (Radio) Sirius XM NASCAR Ch. 90

– Team Entrants:

 

Noah Gragson, No. 42 Black Rifle Coffee Company Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
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Circuit Of The Americas Stats

– Noah Gragson will make his first NASCAR Cup Series start at COTA on Sunday

– NXS Starts: 2; Best start: 12th, Best finish: 4th (2022); Top 5s: 1, Top 10s: 1

2023 NCS Season Stats

– Starts: 5, Best start: 20th; Best finish: 12th (Atlanta); Laps led: 1; Current points position: 24th
 

– About Black Rifle Coffee Company: Black Rifle Coffee Company (BRCC) is a Veteran-founded coffee company serving premium coffee to people who love America. Founded in 2014 by Green Beret Evan Hafer, Black Rifle develops their explosive roast profiles with the same mission focus they learned while serving in the military. BRCC is committed to supporting Veterans, active-duty military, first responders and the American way of life.

 To learn more about BRCC and save 25% off your first time purchase or subscription, visit Black Rifle Coffee Company and use the code “BRCCMOTOR” at checkout. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, or subscribe to Coffee or Die’s daily newsletter for updates. 

– Road course starts: Throughout his five seasons in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Gragson has 20 starts on road courses accumulating nine top-five and 17 top-10 finishes. He has raced COTA twice in the Xfinity Series with a best finish of fourth, which occurred in 2022.

– But first, coffee: Gragson delivered a win in the season-opening Daytona event for his partner Black Rifle Coffee Company back in 2020. The rapidly growing and mission-driven premium coffee company founded to support Veterans, active-duty military, and first responders announced last week they are partnering with Gragson for six events this season starting with COTA.

– ANG ppearances: 

  • Sunday, March 26th | Team Chevy Stage: On race day, Noah Gragson will make his way to the Team Chevy Stage for a Q&A session at 11:00 AM local time in the COTA Fan Zone.

– From the Drivers Seat: “Last weekend was the boost we needed for the entire LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team. We ran a solid race in Atlanta, learned a lot and I think we left a little on the table. It was a solid points day. Moving on to this week, we finished fourth at COTA last year in Xfinity and have put a lot of work in during this off season to get better there. It’s a really fun track and an awesome energy with the crowd. I am looking forward to the challenge. I’m really glad to have Black Rifle Coffee Company on the car this weekend – the paint scheme is really sharp and we hope to give them a good show.”
 

Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
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Circuit Of The Americas Stats

– NCS Starts: 2; Best start: 29th; Best finish: 9th (2022); Top 10s: 1

2023 NCS Season Stats

– Starts: 5; Best start: 10th; Best finish: 8th (Atlanta); Top 10s: 1, Laps led: 14, Current points position: 21st
 

– About Allegiant: Las Vegas-based Allegiant (NASDAQ: ALGT) is an integrated travel company with an airline at its heart, focused on connecting customers with the people, places and experiences that matter most. Since 1999, Allegiant Air has linked travelers in small-to-medium cities to world-class vacation destinations with all-nonstop flights and industry-low average fares. Today, Allegiant’s fleet serves communities across the nation, with base airfares less than half the cost of the average domestic roundtrip ticket. For more information, visit us at Allegiant.com.

– First Top-10 of the Year: In a remarkable run to the finish, Jones was able to pass several cars on the white flag lap in Atlanta to bring home his Allegiant Chevrolet with an eighth place finish. Not only was this Erik’s best finish of the season, but it was also LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s best result yet, scoring the team’s first top-10 of the year. A great recovery and sign of tenacity overcoming damage sustained in “the big one” towards the end of the race.

– Racing in the Rain: Jones has raced in the rain three times during his NASCAR career – once at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and three times in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, COTA, and most recently Watkins Glen last season. He’s been quite successful in that discipline, earning three top-10 finishes with a best showing of third place at the ROVAL in 2020. If the wet condition tires end up get used on Sunday, Jones might be one to watch.

-EJ Appearances: Fans attending this weekend’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix will have a chance to meet Erik Jones on Sunday:

  • Sunday, March 26th | Team Chevy Stage: On race day, Erik Jones will make his way to the Team Chevy Stage for a Q&A session from 10:30 – 10:45 AM local time in the COTA Fan Zone.

– From the Driver’s Seat: With there being no stage breaks for this race, how will that affect the strategy in how you approach this weekend?

“I think it opens up some more options, the old stages how we’ve had the last few years, you were kind of locked in to one way or the other – take stage points or take a higher finishing position. We will see how it used to be I think with running the race backwards and trying to make sure you have enough fuel to get to the end of the race. We will see how much tires matter, I think they are going to be pretty important with probably some more fall off than what we’ve seen in the past with the track aging and getting more slick a bit. I think it will be a fine balance between tires and trying to pit as early as you can to make it on fuel, so we will see how it plays out with our Allegiant Chevy.” 
 

Jimmie Johnson, No. 84 Club Wyndham Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
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Circuit Of The Americas Stats

– Jimmie Johnson will make his first official start at Circuit Of The Americas this weekend.

NCS Career Stats

– Starts: 687, Championships: 7 (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2016) (tied for most all-time), Wins: 83 (sixth all-time), Poles: 36, Top 5s: 232, Top 10s: 374, Laps led: 18,941

2023 NCS Season Stats

– Starts: 1; Best start: 39th; Best finish: 31st (Daytona)
 

– About Club Wyndham: This year, Club Wyndham is offering racing fans 15% off on a bucket list NASCAR vacation. Save on resort stays during race weeks in destinations near select races by booking through Extra Holidays, Club Wyndham’s rental platform. See Offer Details below.* Click to learn more http://www.extraholidays.com/legacy

*Travel offer details: Book by December 31, 2023. Travel by December 31, 2023. Two-night minimum length of stay required. Valid for new reservations only. Reservations are subject to availability. Reservations may be limited during certain holidays. Cannot be combined with any other offer. All monetary amounts are noted in U.S. Dollars unless otherwise noted.

– Hitting the road: Since the DAYTONA 500, Johnson has kept himself fairly busy. He participated in a 24-hour test at Sebring International Raceway as well as a test at Circuit of Americas in the NASCAR Garage 56 entry with Hendrick Motorsports. Along with co-drivers Jenson Button, Mike Rockenfeller and Jordan Taylor, Johnson and the team continue to prepare for the rapidly approaching 24 Hours of Le Mans.

–Lots of reps: For the last two years, Johnson has been perfecting his road and street course craft in an INDYCAR. He competed in 25 events logging 4,213.7 miles on these types of tracks. Since his departure from full-time NASCAR racing, Johnson has participated in seven International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) races as a driver competing in the ROLEX 24 Hours at DAYTONA, 12 Hours of Sebring, Road Atlanta and Watkins Glen endurance events. Additionally, he has logged hundreds of hours on a simulator in preparation for each individual event.

–Racing in the Rain: Both Johnson and crew chief Todd Gordon have experience in racing in the rain. Gordon’s first race at COTA took place in the first NASCAR Cup Series event at the track with driver Ryan Blaney. Johnson ran the IndyGP at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last May in torrential rain, which proved both educational and challenging.

-Crew Chief Todd Gordon’s weekend outlook: “I ran COTA with Ryan Blaney in 2021 in the rain. Neat venue, really long and lots of different facets to this track. There are high speed straightaways, lots of short, tight 90-degree corners and it’s got some sweeping right-handers through the stadium section. So, its really a track that has all the facets of road course racing. This track asks a lot out of the team, car and driver and it’s the first time we’ve gone there with this low downforce and the package we ran at Phoenix. It’s a really cool opportunity. I’m looking forward to the practice and see what Jimmie likes – he is a really good student – and I think his INDYCAR road course experience is going to be key because he understands how to race his way thought a road course. Should be a great weekend.”

-From the Driver’s Seat:  “This is going to be such a great weekend. I’ve had this race on my bucket list for a really long time and I’m thankful for a partner like Club Wyndham for making it possible. I’m looking forward to the challenge of the track, these NextGen cars with the low downforce, and thankful we have a practice on Friday to see what we have to work with. Todd Gordon and the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team have prepared a great car back at the shop. From everything I’ve heard this track puts on a heck of a show, and from a venue standpoint, it’s such a great stage for this sport. I’m looking back to getting back to the track, we have spent some time in the SIM to prepare and I’m ready for the weekend.”

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