Ryan Truex / No. 19 ToyotaOutfitters.com Toyota GR Supra Preview – Shriners Children’s 200 at Darlington Raceway

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No. 19 ToyotaOutfitters.com Toyota GR Supra News and Notes:

  • TRUEX AT DARLINGTON: Fresh off his first career NXS victory, Ryan Truex and the No. 19 team head to Darlington, South Carolina this weekend for the Shriners Children’s 200. In three prior starts at the track, Truex has an average finish of 23.3, highlighted by a 15th place finish back in 2018. With the momentum of a win on his side, Truex looks to improve upon his track record at the track dubbed ‘too tough to tame’ this weekend. Truex also has one NCS and two NCTS starts at Darlington in his career.
  • DOVER RECAP: Dover was nothing short of a life-changing weekend for Truex as he secured his first career NXS victory in front of his hometown fans. He won the race in dominating fashion as he won both stages, led a race-high 124 laps, and took the checkered flag nearly five seconds ahead of second place. Truex came out of the gates fast and quickly worked his way to the front after qualifying was rained out, leaving him to start from the 12th position. By lap 34, Truex took the lead and never looked back, leading to the most impressive performance of his seasoned career. Amidst his domination, Truex more than doubled his career laps led and earned the maximum amount of points possible for a single NXS race.
  • HE BELONGS HERE: Following his statement win in Dover, Truex made a statement of his own when he said “I belong here” in his post-race interview. Given his performance in just five races this season, Truex has backed that statement up with the results he’s achieved. Of all drivers with at least five starts, Truex has the best average finish (7.0), ranks fifth of all drivers for laps led (133), and ranks 18th in the driver standings despite running half as many races as the full-time field. During his part-time stint this season, Truex has proven he can run up front with the best week-in and week-out, even without being in the car every week.
  • ON THE PITBOX:Crew Chief Jason Ratcliff will oversee the No. 19 team and its driver rotation in 2023. Ratcliff is in year 18 under the JGR banner. He won the 2009 Xfinity Championship in tandem with Kyle Busch after an eight-win season. The championship-winning crew chief has 54 Xfinity wins across five different drivers, including current JGR NCS driver, Christopher Bell. He has 15 NCS wins as crew chief between two former JGR drivers – Matt Kenseth and Joey Logano.
  • NO. 19 IN 2023:The JGR No. 19 will have a rotating schedule of drivers throughout the 2023 season. Drivers on the schedule as of Talladega are Myatt Snider, Ty Gibbs, Connor Mosack, Joe Graf Jr., and Truex. With five top-five finishes and a win through the first nine races, the group of drivers have carried the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra to 8th in the owner standings.
  • JGR AT DARLINGTON: Joe Gibbs Racing has a dominant history at the lady in black. In 80 cumulative starts, the team has scored 11 victories, 36 top-fives, 51 top-tens, 12 poles, and 1,324 laps led. At 51 top-tens, that comes out to a 63.8% top-ten rate across all starts, meaning JGR entries are more than likely at the front of the field each time they take the track at Darlington. To go along with the immense NXS success, JGR also boasts 10 wins and 69 top-ten finishes in the Cup Series.
  • FOLLOW ALONG:Follow along for updates and a behind-the-scenes look at Truex’s 2023 season.

Twitter:@Ryan_TruexI Facebook:Ryan TruexI Instagram:@ryan_truex

  • RACE INFO: Coverage of this weekend’s Xfinity Series race at Darlington Raceway is scheduled for Saturday, May 13th, at 1:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Ryan Truex, Driver of the No. 19 ToyotaOutfitters.com Toyota GR Supra:

“Now that you’ve finally crossed the first win off your bucket list, what is your approach going into Darlington?

“The goal is still to win. It always will be. That said, there is an immense amount of pressure off my back…I’m not sure how much the mindset will really change between last week and this week in terms of approach. If anything, now that I know what it feels like to win, I’m even more motivated to get back to victory lane. I had a great time celebrating the win and all, but our focus is on coming back and competing for some more hardware Darlington.”

JGR PR

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