Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announces today the 2020 crew chief line up for their NASCAR Xfinity Series programs with Brandon Jones, Riley Herbst and Harrison Burton.

Jeff Meendering will return as crew chief for Brandon Jones and the No. 19 Toyota Supra team for the 2020 season as the pair emerge as the veterans of JGR’s Xfinity Series program. In his first season with Jones, the duo scored Jones’ first-career Xfinity Series win on October 19, 2019 at Kansas Speedway and have recorded six top-five finishes, 15 top-10 finishes while leading 104 laps. With two races remaining in the season, 2019 is shaping up to be Jones’ best season in just his second year at JGR and fifth year in the series.

“I’m having so much fun racing in the Xfinity Series right now and I’m really happy to have Jeff (Meendering) back next year,” said Jones. “We got our first win together this year and having Jeff and the team stay together on our No. 19 Toyota Supra allows us to build on that momentum. We are focused on finishing out this season strong and working hard to have a fast start to 2020 beginning in Daytona.”

Dave Rogers returns to crew chief duties for the 2020 season to lead the No. 18 Toyota Supra team with rookie contender Riley Herbst. No stranger to the top of the pit box or JGR’s Xfinity Series program, Rogers has worked with many talented drivers over the course of his career and will use his vast experience to help guide Herbst in his rookie season. Rogers career numbers in the Xfinity Series are impressive to say the least and include 20 wins, 51 top-five finishes, 82 top-10 finishes, 24 pole starting positions and over 3,000 laps led in 128 starts.

“I’m really going to lean on Dave Rogers next season to learn as much as I can,” said Herbst. “He’s had so much success over the years with a number of different drivers and to have a veteran like him will really help as I continue to learn each week on the track. I’m looking forward to continuing to get to know him and build our relationship as we prepare for Daytona and the 2020 season.”

In his second season as crew chief at JGR, Ben Beshore will move to the No. 20 Toyota Supra team to lead Harrison Burton for his rookie season. Beshore moved from an engineer on JGR’s Cup program to Xfinity Series crew chief for the 2019 season and has worked with seven different drivers throughout the season, including Burton. Beshore and Burton have teamed up for eight starts during the season with one top-five finish and four top-10 finishes. With two races left in the season, Beshore and Burton will have their last showing together in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 16 before shifting to the 2020 season and the No. 20 Toyota Supra team.

“I’m excited to get the 2020 season started and continue building on the relationship that I have with Ben (Beshore) and the entire group at JGR,” said Burton. “This year has really helped me and I’m ready to take the next step in my career with JGR and the No. 20 team.”

“We’ve got a great line up for our Xfinity program for 2020 with Brandon (Jones) really hitting his stride and both Riley (Herbst) and Harrison (Burton) continuing to develop and grow their careers,” said Steve DeSouza, Executive Vice President of Xfinity Series and Development for Joe Gibbs Racing. “I believe we have the right people in place with Jeff Meendering, Dave Rogers and Ben Beshore leading the 19, 18 and 20 teams. We look forward to each competing for race wins and ultimately a 2020 championship, along with Riley and Harrison contending for Rookie of the Year honors.”                  

JGR PR

eam 07 Isokern Fireplaces & Chimneys Chevrolet Camaro: 

Ray Black Jr. battled through a wild night in the O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday night in route to his third top-12 finish of the 2019 season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. 

Black strapped into his No. 07 Isokern Fireplaces & Chimneys Chevrolet for the first time this weekend on Friday afternoon. The 07 ran a total of 24 laps in two practice sessions with a fastest lap time of 29.728 seconds, which put him 21st quickest on the board. Black laid down a lap of 29.140 seconds Saturday evening, which earned him a 17th place starting position for the 200 lap race. 

Black wasted no time making his way forward as the race got underway. On lap 19 the first caution of the night waved after the 66 car wrecked in turn 2. Black was able to work his way up to the 16th position at the time of the caution. At the end of 45 laps, Black had slipped back to the 22nd position. 

During the stage break, Crew Chief Jason Miller called his driver to the pits for four fresh tires, fuel, and some minor adjustments to help the handling on the No. 07 Isokern Fireplaces & Chimneys Chevrolet. The third caution of the evening waved on lap 60 after Brandon Brown made contact with the wall. On lap 79 the caution would wave once again after the 52 of David Starr went spinning through the infield grass. Miller elected to stay out under the caution to gain some valuable track position. After 90 laps of racing, Black was in the 20th position.

At the end of the second stage, Miller brought Black to the pits so that he would start the final stage with four fresh tires. The final stage of racing from Texas Motor Speedway was eventful to say the least. Four cautions were displayed in the final 100 laps of the race. Black was able to slowly pick his way forward during the final stage, all the while avoiding several incidents around him. With 30 laps remaining, Black restarted in the 14th position. With a combination of great strategy by Jason Miller and an excellent display of driving by Ray Black Jr, the No. 07 Isokern Fireplaces & Chimneys team was able to secure a 12th place finish at Texas Motor Speedway. 

Ray Black Jr: 
“We had an awesome weekend from start to finish at Texas. The guys brought a really fast race car to the track and Jason did a great job fine tuning it for the race. Our goal coming into the weekend was a top-15 and we did just that with a 12th place finish. I'm really proud of our effort and I'm looking forward to Phoenix next weekend." 

Bobby Dotter Thoughts on the 07 Team: 
“It was a great weekend in Texas. The 07 team unloaded with a lot of speed during practice and were able to carry over that speed into the race on Saturday. We've been chipping away at it throughout the year and I thought tonight was one of the best performances I've seen out of Ray and the 07 team this season. Looking forward to carrying this momentum into Phoenix." 


Team 08 'The Country Network' Chevrolet Camaro: 

Gray Gaulding secured his sixteenth Top-15 finish of the season for Bobby Dotter and SS Green Light Racing after finishing in the 13th position at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday night.

Gaulding made his first laps of the weekend around Texas Motor Speedway Friday afternoon for two practice sessions. The 08 ran a total of 23 laps in two practice sessions with a fastest time of 29.789 seconds, which put him 22nd quickest on the board. Gaulding laid down a lap of 29.354 seconds Saturday evening, which earned him a 22nd place starting position for the 200 lap race. 

As the race began the 08 car began steadily moving forward. When the first caution of the day waved on lap 19, Gaulding was up to the 20th position. The remainder of the stage went caution free and when the green and white checkered flag signaled the conclusion of the first stage, Gaulding remained in the 20th position.

Crew Chief Patrick Donahue called Gaulding to the pits for service. After four fresh tires, fuel, and adjustments to the 08 Chevy, Gaulding was ready to tackle stage two. The on track action continued heating up with caution flags flying on lap 60 as well as lap 79 for two separate incidents. On lap 81 Donahue made a strategy call to bring Gaulding to the pits under caution, so they could stay out at the conclusion of stage two. By the end of the stage Gaulding was able to work his way up to the 15th position. 

The 08 car would start the final stage from the 7th position. On lap 128 the caution waved for the 98 of Chase Briscoe. Gaulding had slipped back to the 15th position, but was still running competitive lap times. Donahue called Gaulding to the pits on lap 130 and sent him back out on track. After an incident on lap 140, Gaulding stayed out on track once again and would restart from the 4th position with 55 laps to go. After a treacherous final 50 laps, Gaulding was able to escape the late race carnage and pilot his No. 08 Chevy to a 13th place finish. After an impressive run at Texas Motor Speedway Gray Gaulding was able to surpass the No. 51 of Jeremy Clements in the NASCAR Xfinity Series point standings. Gaulding now sits in the 13th position and has a 12 point lead over Clements. 

Gray Gaulding: 
“We came away with a 13th place finish here at Texas Motor Speedway. We're pretty happy with that considering where we were with practice on Friday and where we qualified. Thanks to my guys at SS Green Light Racing. Thanks to LokaMedia.com, Oil Fire, the Country Network, OT Tavern and all our great sponsors for being on board for Texas. We've got some great partners and we couldn't do this without their support." 

Bobby Dotter Thoughts on the 08 Team:
“Gray and the 08 team fought hard all night and were able to come away with another top-15 finish. It was a wild night of racing, so I knew if we could stay out of trouble we were going to end up having a good night. Really proud of all the effort from both of my guys. It's been a fantastic season and I'm looking forward to these last two races." 

SS Green Light Racing PR