RSS Racing | Joe Graf Jr. Phoenix Raceway NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Preview

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No. 38 RSS Racing Team:

Driver: Joe Graf Jr.  

 

Primary Partner(s): GTECHNIQ

 

Manufacturer: Ford Mustang

 

Crew Chief: Steve Addington

 

Spotter: Joe Campbell

 

Engine: Roush-Yates Engines

 

Driver Championship Point Standings: Ninth

 

Team Championship Point Standings: 14th

Notes of Interest:
 

New Home: After spending the last three seasons with SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt (2020 – 2022), Joe Graf Jr. moved to RSS Racing during the offseason where he’ll spend the majority of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season competing for the Sugar Hill, Ga.-based team.

 

In addition to RSS Racing, Graf will also compete in a limited NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule driving the No. 19 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing.

 

Fast Start: With a career-best seventh-place finish earned at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway with RSS Racing and two respectable top-15 finishes with Joe Gibbs Racing at Auto Club (Calif.) Speedway and Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway respectively, Graf enters Saturday afternoon’s United Rentals 200 at Phoenix ninth in the championship point standings.

 

RSS Racing’s No. 38 team has also had a solid start to 2023 – which has the team 14th in the owner championship standings guaranteeing Graf into Saturday afternoon’s starting field.

 

Welcome Aboard: Joe Graf Jr. and RSS Racing welcome GTECHNIQ, a leader in automotive protective coatings products as the primary marketing of the No. 38 Ford Mustang for the fourth NASCAR Xfinity Series race of the 2023 season.

 

Headquartered in Cumming, Ga., the Gtechniq range includes composite ceramic coatings, leather protection, fabric protection, wheel and trim protection, shampoos and much more.

 

The United Rentals 200 will mark the company’s third event as a primary partner in the NASCAR Xfinity Series but first of the 2023 season.

 

Sponsor Intel: In 2004, scientists at Gtechniq created a superior line of products aimed at perfecting all vehicle surfaces. And over the last 20 years, these products have been continually improved to provide a range that outshines and outlasts the competition.

 

Gtechniq’s line of surface preparation and finishing products are designed to clean, polish, and protect all automotive exteriors, in a way no traditional wax applications can match.

 

Thanks For Your Support: With just nine percent of the 2023 Xfinity Series season complete, Joe Graf Jr. and RSS Racing would like to thank their associate marketing partners: AVOID, Bass Reaper Bait Company,  Bucked Up Energy Drink, CoverSeal, EAT SLEEP RACE Apparel, fgrACCEL, G-Coin, Lefcourt Brothers Racing, Model Electronics and ShopRite for their continued support. 

 

Catch Him On The Dial: Before Joe Graf Jr. straps into his No. 38 GTECHNIQ Ford Mustang on Saturday afternoon, the RSS Racing driver will be featured on “The Frontstretch” on SiriusXM Satellite Radio Channel 90 with host Pat Patterson LIVE on Saturday morning, March 11, 2023, at approximately 10:00 a.m. ET.

 

Graf will also spotlight a new commercial featuring GTECHNIQ in several spots throughout the weekend, including the full four-hour program on Sunday, March 12, 2023. 

 

Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Phoenix Raceway Stats: Joe Graf Jr. will make his seventh NASCAR Xfinity Series start at the 1.0-mile speedway on Saturday afternoon.

 

In his previous six starts, Graf has delivered a track-best of 25th earned in the March 13, 2021, running of the Call Before You Dig 200 after starting 16th.

 

Overall, he has an average finish of 30.2 at Phoenix.

 

He has also completed 1,028 of 1,210 laps for an 85.0 percent lap completion.

 

Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Career Short Tracks Stats: At tracks classified as a speedway, Graf has competed in 48 NASCAR Xfinity Series races. He holds an average starting position of 25.7 and an average result of 25.8.

 

Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway | Alsco Uniforms 300 Race Recap: In his most recent NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway, Graf and the Joe Gibbs Racing team showcased the No. 19 CoverSeal Toyota Supra GT in the third Xfinity Series race of the season.

 

After qualifying a solid 17th – Graf battled the handling of his race car throughout the event. Great adjustments by crew chief Jason Ratcliff allowed Graf to maneuver through the field in Stage 3 with a strong 15th-place finish at the checkered flag.

 

Sneaker Mania: Along with the adrenaline of the Motorsports competition, Joe Graf Jr. also has a vogue for hype sneakers. In his current collection, he owns and wears at least 90 limited edition sneakers – and his collection continues to grow every month.

 

The current estimated value of his collection tops $100,000.

 

From the Pit Box: Industry veteran Steve Addington is Joe Graf Jr.’s crew chief.

 

He will crew chief his 267th NASCAR Xfinity Series race as crew chief on Saturday afternoon and his ninth race in the desert of Avondale, Ariz.  

 

In his previous 266 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, he has collected 11 wins, 10 poles, 68 top-five and 118 top-10 finishes.

 

Hello From The Other Side: Graf Jr. has two teammates at RSS Racing.

 

Veteran Ryan Sieg will drive the No. 39 CMRroofing.com Ford Mustang, while younger brother Kyle Sieg will drive the No. 28 RSS Racing Ford Mustang. 

 

Ryan Sieg is set to make his 305th career Xfinity Series start overall and 20th at Phoenix. His best Xfinity Phoenix track finish occurred in the 2019 ik9 Service Dog 200, where he finished 10th after starting 15th for his family-owned RSS Racing team.

 

Kyle Sieg is set to make his 23rd career Xfinity Series start overall and fourth at Phoenix. His best Xfinity Phoenix track finish occurred in the 2022 Xfinity Series Championship Race, where he finished 22nd after starting 22nd for his family-owned RSS Racing team.

 

Follow on Social Media: For more on Joe Graf Jr. visit JoeGrafRacing.com, like him on Facebook (Joe Graf Jr.), follow him on TikTok (@JoeGrafJr), Twitter (@JoeGrafJr), Instagram (@joegrafjr) and YouTube.

 

For more on RSS Racing, please like them on Facebook (RSS283839) and follow them on Instagram (@rss283839) and Twitter (@RSS283839). 

Joe Graf Jr. Quoteboard: 
 

On Phoenix Raceway: “I have experienced the good and bad of Phoenix Raceway throughout my career and I want nothing more than go to the track this weekend and keep up our solid start to the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.

 

“I am excited to be back at RSS Racing and with Steve (Addington) since putting together my career-best finish at Daytona International Speedway last month.

 

“I need to keep pumping out top-10, top-15 finishes to keep our team in a good place moving forward and I believe with the momentum that the RSS Racing team has, we can do just that.”

 

On 2023 Season Outlook: “This is a year of opportunity for me. I’ll be competing for two different teams which brings some pressure for me but only because I want to go out there and do my very best in every race run for both Joe Gibbs Racing and RSS Racing.

 

“I just need to stay focused, communicate with my team and utilize the knowledge that I’ve gained over the past three years to have my best Xfinity Series season yet.”

 

Race Information:

 

The United Rentals 200 (200 laps | 200 miles) is the fourth of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2023 schedule. Practice begins on Sat., Mar. 11 from 10:35 a.m. – 11:05 a.m. Qualifying follows at 11:05 a.m. The 38-car field will take the green flag later in the day shortly after 2:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. ET) with live coverage on FOX Sports 1, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90 (Satellite Radio).  

 

RSS Racing PR

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