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

No. 28 RSS Racing with Lefcourt Brothers Team:

Driver:Joe Graf Jr.

Primary Partner(s): Bucked Up

Manufacturer: Ford Mustang

Crew Chief:Steve Addington

Spotter: Joe Campbell

Engine: Roush-Yates Engines

Driver Championship Point Standings: 23rd

Team Championship Point Standings: 22nd

Notes of Interest:

Checkered Flag: 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 spent the majority of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season competing for the Sugar Hill, Ga.-based team.

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

Saturday afternoon’s race from Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway signifies the 15th race of the second half of the 2023 Xfinity Series season. It continues the stretch drive for NASCAR’s secondary national series, with just one race remaining on its calendar.

Graf will end his fourth full-time Xfinity Series season with RSS Racing and chase his second top-10 finish of the season with the team.

Welcome Aboard: Joe Graf Jr. and RSS Racing welcome Bucked Up as the primary partner of the team’s No. 28 Ford Mustang for Saturday afternoon’s Xfinity Series Championship Race.

The annual fall Phoenix Raceway short track race marks the 33rd and final race of the 2023 Xfinity Series season and the fifth race of the year where Bucked Up’s colors have flown with Graf.

A long-time partner of Joe Graf Jr. since the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, Bucked Up will utilize the season finale to promote its full line of products.

Bucked Up is a sports nutrition and lifestyle brand focused on helping all athletes and individuals achieve their health and fitness goals. Offering over 500 different products ranging from supplements and energy drinks to apparel and accessories,

Bucked Up is committed to providing customers with the best products available. Dedicated to using high-quality ingredients and non-proprietary blends, Bucked Up’s pre-workout is the No. 1 best-selling product in its class.

The brand’s products are now offered in over 25,000 stores worldwide, including Walmart, Amazon, GNC and Vitamin Shoppe.

Things Are Getting Hot: For Saturday afternoon’s anticipated 200-lap thriller, the team and Bucked Up welcome Hot Spot convenience stores as a major associate marketing partner.

Hot Spot is the newest retailer to offer Bucked Up.

R. L. Jordan Oil Company is a family-owned and operated business headquartered in Spartanburg, SC. They currently operate 41 Hot Spot convenience stores, 10 Hottie’s Kitchens, 2 Hardees, 7 Subways and 8 Hunt Brothers Pizza Shops in North Carolina and South Carolina.

The company grew out of a small country store in Franklin, North Carolina. Gas 4 Less was the first gasoline station in the area to offer high-quality, unbranded gasoline.

Hot Spot continues to serve its customers by constructing and operating state-of-the-art fueling facilities, convenience stores, and branded food stores. Presently, Hot Spot management is focusing on maintaining and enhancing a competitive edge in the markets they serve.

A dedication to innovation and a desire to offer great products at competitive prices has always been our goal.

Thanks For Your Support: With a little more than 96 percent of the 2023 Xfinity Series season complete, Joe Graf Jr. and RSS Racing would like to thank their associate marketing partners: ArmsList.com, AVOID, Bass Reaper Bait Company, Bucked Up Energy Drink, CoverSeal, EAT SLEEP RACE Apparel, fgrACCEL, G-Coin®, GTECHNIQ, JACOB Companies, Lefcourt Brothers Racing, Love Motorsports, Model Electronics, ShopRite and Wawa for their continued support.

Catch Him On The Dial: Before Joe Graf Jr. straps into his No. 28 Ford Mustang on Saturday, the RSS Racing with Lefcourt Brothers driver will be featured on “The Frontstretch” on SiriusXM Satellite Radio Channel 90, with host Pat Patterson on Saturday morning, November 4, 2023, at approximately 10:00 a.m. ET.

Graf will also spotlight a commercial featuring Bucked Up in several spots throughout the weekend, including the complete four-hour program on Sunday, November 5, 2023.

Save The Date: The offseason may be approaching, but that doesn’t mean Joe Graf Jr. won’t be around. This week, he tentatively confirmed his attendance for this year’s 34th annual Stocks-For-Tots.

Returning after a record-setting event in 2022, this year’s event is set for Wednesday, December 6, 2023, in Mooresville, N.C.

Additional details on the engagement will be available through Graf’s social media and Stocks-For-Tots’ official Facebook page.

Since 1989, Stocks for Tots has generated more than $1 million and collected well in excess of 70,000 toys during its never-ending efforts to raise awareness of child abuse throughout North Carolina.

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

In his previous seven 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 30.3 at Phoenix.

He has also completed 1,228 of 1,410 laps for an 87.0 percent lap completion.

Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Career Short Track Stats: At tracks classified as a speedway, Graf has competed in 61 NASCAR Xfinity Series races with two top-10 finishes. He holds an average starting position of 25.4 and an average result of 25.5.

Joe Graf Jr. NASCAR Xfinity Series Career Stats: In 125 career Xfinity Series starts Graf has earned five top-10 finishes, including a seventh-place outing at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in February 2023. During that tenure, he also holds an average finishing position of 25.7.

He earned a career-best Xfinity Series qualifying effort of fifth in 2020 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway with SS GreenLight Racing.

With Joe Gibbs Racing, he earned his non-superspeedway career-best qualifying effort of 11th at Kansas Speedway in September 2023 and most recently at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway in October 2023.

Martinsville (Va.) Speedway | Dead On Tools 150 Race Recap: In the penultimate NASCAR Xfinity Series race of the season, Joe Graf Jr. and RSS Racing chased their second top-10 finish of the season together.

Unfortunately, the team was plagued with bad luck after encountering a flat tire under green in the early laps of the Dead On Tools 250. Graf recovered quickly but fell victim to a mechanical issue and briefly went to the garage for repairs.

He later returned and salvaged the remainder of the race with a frustrating 29th-place finish at the historical Virginia paperclip.

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 monthly.

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 be crew chief for his 296th NASCAR Xfinity Series race as crew chief on Saturday afternoon and his 10th race in the desert of Avondale, Ariz.

In his previous 295 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 Sci Apps Ford Mustang, while younger brother Kyle Sieg will drive the No. 38 RSS Racing Ford Mustang.

Ryan Sieg is set to make his 334th career Xfinity Series start overall and 21st at Phoenix.

Kyle Sieg is poised to make his 50th career Xfinity Series start and fifth at Phoenix.

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), X | Twitter (@JoeGrafJr) and Instagram (@joegrafjr).

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

Joe Graf Jr. Quoteboard:

On Phoenix Raceway: “I can’t believe the end of the season is here. I’ve learned so much in 2023, and I cannot thank everyone at RSS Racing with Lefcourt Brothers Racing enough for their hard work this season.

“We started the year on a high with a top-10 finish at Daytona, and I am optimistic that we can go to Phoenix and contend for a strong finish on Saturday afternoon and end the season on a high note.

“Phoenix is a fun place race to race, but momentum and rhythm are critical to success. We had a decent No. 38 RSS Racing with Lefcourt Brothers Ford Mustang in the spring, but circumstances prevented a better finish.

“The extra practice time on Friday should prove beneficial, and I hope we can capitalize on it for qualifying and the race on Saturday.”

On The 2023 Season: “There is much to appreciate in 2023. I have had the opportunity to represent some great partners and drive for two mainstay teams in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

“We have had our trials and tribulations, but we’ve made some noise throughout the season, and I am proud of our accomplishments. I’d love nothing more than to have a successful race on Saturday to close the curtain on the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season and look ahead to the future!”

Race Information:

The Xfinity Series Championship Race (200 laps | 200 miles) is the 33rd of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2023 schedule. Practice begins on Friday, November 3, 2023, from 4:05 p.m. – 4:55 p.m. Qualifying immediately follows on race day, Saturday, November 4, 2023, at 12:30 p.m. The 38-car field will take the green flag shortly after 4:00 p.m. (7:00 p.m. ET) with live coverage on the USA Network, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. All times are local (MT).