NASCAR driver Ryan Ellis and Country music group, the Wes Cook Band are announcing a partnership today.

The Wes Cook Band’s song “I Stand For The Flag” caught the ears of Ellis when the band was featured last year on FOX and Friends. Nathan Stoops, Wes Cook Band manager, and Ellis’s management team began to brainstorm about how to work together and a two-race partnership was formed.

The popular Wes Cook Band’s song “I Stand For The Flag” will serve as inspiration for a design to be featured on the No. 99 Supra for two NASCAR Xfinity Series races this summer on Sunday, June 16^th 2019 at Iowa Speedway and Saturday, August 24^th 2019 at the famed Road America (Wisc.) road course.

“As a lifelong NASCAR fan, it is an honor to partner with Ryan and share the message of this song,” offered Wes Cook.

I Stand for the Flag co-writer Nathan Stoops added, “We wrote this song as a love letter to America – an olive branch that promotes unity and patriotism. We’re thrilled for the opportunity to spread this message to such a patriotic audience as the NASCAR fans. We know they love AMERICA, just like we do!”

Ellis is thrilled about having the opportunity to make his 49^th and 50^th career Xfinity Series races driving for one of the mainstay organizations in the national series.

“I am thrilled to represent not only the Wes Cook Band, but also this song,” offered Ellis.

“It’s great to have the support of my new friends, The Wes Cook Band. I know they love America just as much as I do, and I know the NASCAR fans share the same love for this great country.

“To be able to work with all of these great partners and have Enlisted Nine, Audio Video Specialists, Top Cover and Nine Line Apparel join us is huge. I would not have this opportunity without them, and I appreciate them coming on board and can’t wait to race with B.J. McLeod and his group again this season.”

Since 2012, Ellis has competed in 77 NASCAR national series races across the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Gander Outdoors Truck Series and the Xfinity Series.

Last year, the Virginia native competed with B.J. McLeod Motorsports at Road America, finishing 17^th in a car supported by Superlite Cars and Audio Video Specialists.

Ryan Ellis Racing PR

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RCR PR

Christopher Bell overtook Brandon Jones with less than 20 laps remaining to capture Saturday’s Alsco 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race and pocketed a $100,000 bonus for his efforts.

Bell, driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, was one of four drivers competing for the series’ Dash 4 Cash bonus. Other eligible drivers didn’t finish far behind – Tyler Reddick finished second, Chase Briscoe finished fourth and Michael Annett wound up eighth.

“That’s pretty cool to get my first win here with the Dash 4 Cash bonus,” Bell said in victory lane. “Joe Gibbs Racing has a really, really good package at Bristol. For whatever reason, we struggled to find that. I didn’t feel good basically all practice and didn’t qualify good.

“As soon as they dropped the green flag for the race, I was really, really loose. But the longer the runs went the better I got.”

Third place went to Cole Custer while John Hunter Nemechek rounded out the top five.

Reddick, piloting the No. 2 Chevrolet out of the Richard Childress Racing shops, was second in both the first and second stages en route to his runner-up finish.

After leading 61 laps, he mistakenly thought the first stage had ended, and the hesitation while still under green allowed Justin Allgaier to shoot past for the stage win.

Reddick shadowed Allgaier for the entire second stage, only to finish second, then lost five spots on pit road due to an issue in the pits. Late contact with the wall wasn’t an issue, he said, as he tried to chase down Bell.

“Not necessarily getting into the wall,” he said. “These composite bodies are just as durable as can be. I just needed a little bit more there to get past Christopher.

“The unfortunate part is when I got behind him it is hard to make the pass.”

Allgaier (JR Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet) won two stages and led 138 of the race’s 300 laps. But during a heated battle up front among himself, Bell, Reddick and Custer, Allgaier’s entry began to slow. Moments later he was pulling his blue and white entry behind pit wall, the victim of an apparent engine issue.

Custer rallied from an early setback that saw him pit twice under yellow to repair damage to his Ford after the opening stage. By the start of the final stage, he was back among the race leaders.

“We just didn’t really have the fire off speed or the perfect scenarios to pass people when we got up in the top five to really get track position,” Custer said. “It was impossible to pass, really. I don’t know. I’m pretty mad because I think we had the best car there at the end, we just didn’t have the best fire off (speed). I know we’ve got to get a little bit better.”

The top four finishers will be eligible for the $100,000 bonus next week at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. The program will continue in subsequent races at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway and Dover (Del.) International Speedway.

Jones inherited the lead when he did not pit after Harrison Burton brought out the caution flag at lap 261. With nearly 80-lap old tires, Jones still managed to hold Bell and the others at bay for nearly 20 laps.

“He (Jones) did a great job,” Bell said of his JGR teammate. “He really did. This place, for whatever reason, suits his driving style. He should have won this race last year. … He just couldn’t quite hang on on those older tires. …

“I knew I was going to have to do the slide job and hopefully take the top away, which I was able to do.”

Only a few things were guaranteed before today’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch would not be winning this race, in fact no MENCS competitors would be winning today. Of the entire field of series regulars, four would be racing to win $100,000 in a Dash for Cash! Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, and Michael Annett all earned the opportunity last week to compete for the money. Also, Harrison Burton would be making his first start in the series.

Custer’s speed put him on pole, and kept him out front for the first 26 laps before Reddick, and his Dolly Parton Chevrolet, took advantage of lapped traffic to make a pass for the lead. The first caution would come out for a Ross Chastain spin on lap 42 with only thirteen cars on the lead lap.

Reddick would continue to lead after the restart, to eventually battle Justin Allgaier through lap traffic before Allgaier made a last lap pass to win the stage. Unfortunately, Reddick would lift off of the gas prior to the end of the 85 lap stage due to a miscommunication from his spotter.

The stage two restart was hectic, but Allgaier would run out front the entire 85 laps and capture the stage victory under yellow after a caution flew in the closing laps.

Christopher Bell’s crew put his Toyota Supra in second place for the start of stage three where he would pressure Allgaier for the lead until Allgaier’s JR Motorsports Chevrolet had a mechanical failure causing him to exit the race with less than 70 laps to go.

With 40 laps to go the caution came out after Harrison Burton found his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Toyota in the wall. He would still manage to restart 11th, the last car on the lead lap.

Brandon Jones stayed out under the caution to lead the field back to the green flag. Even on older tires Jones was able to maintain the lead. As the laps wound down the top four drivers battled within a second of each other as they wound their way around lap traffic in the closing laps.

Bell took the lead from Jones with 17 to go. Jones found himself in the wall shortly thereafter with a flat right front tire, forcing him to pit under green flag conditions.

Reddick and Custer continued to battled for second as tempers ran hot towards the end, but they would be no match for Christopher Bell who captures his first victory at Bristol Motor Speedway, his second victory of the year, and the $100,000 Dash for Cash prize.

Top five: Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, Cole Custer, Chase Briscoe, John Hunter Nemecheck

The NASCAR Xfinity Series finds themselves back on track next week at Richmond Raceway on April 12th at 7:00PM ET.