Quaker State Joins Trackhouse Racing & Suárez
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Trackhouse PR
Today, Quaker State solidified itself as a major player for years to come in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) with two significant announcements at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS). Quaker State will be extending one of the longest running NCS race entitlements with the Quaker State 400, the summer event at AMS, and forming a new sponsorship and technical alliance with Trackhouse Racing.
This year will see the 13th straight Quaker State 400, which began in 2011 at Kentucky Speedway and moved to Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2021. The multi-year extension retains the summer race at the newly resurfaced 1.54-mile speedway.
Additionally, Quaker State is announcing a new alliance with one of the hottest teams in NASCAR, Trackhouse Racing, and their two NCS teams, the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driven by Ross Chastain and No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driven by Daniel Suárez.
“Today is a great day for the Quaker State brand,” said Steve Reindl, VP of Shell Lubricants North America. “We are very proud to extend our relationship with Atlanta Motor Speedway and SMI, one of the longest running in the series in modern history. Additionally, we are thrilled to be joining forces with Trackhouse Racing, Justin Marks, Pitbull, Daniel Suárez and Ross Chastain.”
“Since its reconfiguration, Atlanta now hosts two of the most intense and intriguing races all year. Add the fact that we are forming a new relationship with one of the fiercest up-and-coming teams in the Cup Series - and we have a lot to be excited about starting this year,” said Reindl.
NASCAR champions Kurt Busch and Chase Elliott have won each running of the Quaker State 400 on Atlanta Motor Speedway’s quad-oval in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Brad Keselowski was a three-time winner of the 267-lap race at Kentucky Speedway. Kyle Busch, who earned the first Cup victory at the racetrack in 2011, and Martin Truex Jr. each won twice.
Eleven of the 12 Quaker State 400 races have been won by a current or former NASCAR Cup champion. Rookie Cole Custer, in 2020, was the exception.
“The Quaker State 400 and Atlanta Motor Speedway share a storied history of exciting NASCAR action,” said Atlanta Motor Speedway Executive Vice President and General Manager Brandon Hutchison. “We’re looking forward to our first Quaker State 400 under the lights at AMS this summer and we’re thrilled to have Quaker State partnering with us to deliver incredible race weekend experiences for years to come.”
Trackhouse Racing, which was a single car team in the 2021 season, acquired Chip Ganassi Racing’s NASCAR assets at the end of the year, which enabled the team to expand to two full-time NASCAR Cup Series entries. Trackhouse experienced a breakout year in 2022 under its expansion, with both drivers finding victory lane and the NASCAR playoffs.
Suárez and Chastain have started strong in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, earning multiple top-10 finishes in the first four races in their Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s.
In the agreement with Trackhouse, Quaker State will have branding on both cars and driver uniforms throughout the 2023 season. Quaker State will also be the primary sponsor on the No. 99 driven by Suárez at the NCS race at Richmond Raceway in April and the Quaker State 400 at AMS in July.
“Quaker State represents everything we hoped to attract when we started Trackhouse Racing,” said team founder and owner Justin Marks. “A powerful, globally-recognized brand, that is committed to our racing team, as well as elevating our drivers in unique and engaging ways. Retail programs, guest hosting, influencer cross-overs and promotions really excite me as an owner because it continues to tell our collective stories. Additionally, the technical alliance is really important to our core product, which is delivering fast race cars each week that compete for wins and championships. As a racing historian, it is truly humbling just to carry the “Q” and colors on our race cars.”
The Quaker State brand has a long history with NASCAR and has enjoyed unprecedented success with some of its top race teams. Quaker State motor oil has been in NASCAR drivers’ engines for more than 7 million on-track miles, and more than 170 victories by some of the most-recognized drivers. Quaker State motor oils have helped deliver championships at each of the three levels of NASCAR, including 10 NASCAR Cup Series Championships.
Quaker State’s high-quality full synthetic motor oils are specially formulated to deliver strong engine performance and are designed to protect today's sophisticated engines. As high-efficiency engines continue to develop and require low-viscosity oils, Quaker State will be ready to meet today’s requirements and prepare for future engine technology.
AMS PR
Eckes ekes out Fr8 208 overtime victory
Christian Eckes took the checkered flag in thrilling fashion to capture the Fr8 208 Saturday afternoon at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The win marked the 22-year-old’s third top-10 showing in as many races and second among the top five finishers.
“It’s what I came here and set out to do,” said Eckes. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say that it’s been a little bit emotional.”
Eckes edged second-place Nick Sanchez, who closed out regulation with the lead, by 0.078 seconds. Behind Sanchez were John Nemechek (+0.206), Bayley Currey (+0.435) and Ben Rhodes (+0.810) in the top five. The silver finish for Sanchez, the leader through regulation, was tops for his three career starts in the series. Nemechek led a race-best 53 laps.
Eckes’ first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win on the season – and second of his career – was bolstered by leading 35 of the 137 laps. He secured the checkered as the caution waved for a series of crashes that broke out as he crossed the finished line.
The overtime-forcing 10th caution of the race came out with five laps remaining and Sanchez in the lead, ultimately leading to Eckes prevailing out of turn 4 en route to hoisting the hardware.
Jack Wood spun out from the lead with 23 laps to go. He would finish 10th. Truck Series points leader Zane Smith’s started at the poll and crossed 20th among the field. Reigning Fr8 208 winner Corey Heim’s day ended when he jammed up behind Sanchez on a restart, completing only 83 laps.
Following Saturday afternoon’s Xfinity Series RAPTOR King of Tough 250 (5 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM), the Ambetter Health 400 (3 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will conclude race weekend on Sunday.
Tickets and camping options for Sunday remain available at AtlantaMotorSpeedway.com or by calling 877-9-AMS-TIX.
AMS PR
Ankrum's Strong Day ends on White Flag Lap
Carson Hocevar - Fr8 208 Race Recap
On Saturday’s Race at Atlanta: “These kind of races just happen. The Worldwide Express team put together a really great truck. We ran top-ten all day but it was just a difficult decision to decide lanes late in the race. At the end, we got a tire-rub and the tire went down instantly; but, that’s just part of it.”
After a seventh-place run two weeks ago in Las Vegas, Carson Hocevar was looking to make strides to build on his impressive start to the season. Unfortunately, a top-ten run throughout most of the race wouldn’t last as the No. 42 team had a tire go down, slamming the outside fence with under 15 laps to go.
From his fifth-place starting position, Hocevar was able to battle up front as the field ran a majority of the first stage in single-file formation. A caution on lap 23 would put a halt in the action and mix up strategy calls amongst the teams on pit road. Under the caution, Phil Gould would bring Hocevar down pit road for two tires and a small adjustment. This would put Hocevar mid-pack on the restart, leading to his 14th-place finish in the first stage.
As the second stage began, a handful of cautions would fly but the No. 42 team would remain on the racetrack and not visit pit road until the stage was over. Hocevar would secure a 17th-place finish in the second stage and would begin saving fuel to make it to the end on one more stop.
The final stage brought an abundance of cautions, including the final two cautions of the race which included Hocevar. A tire rub on the No. 42 Silverado cut the right-rear tire with just 11 laps remaining in the event. But, the repairs wouldn’t be enough as Hocevar was the cause of the next caution as well; getting into the wall once more which would end his day in 31st.
Niece Motorsports PR
Lawless Alan - Fr8 208 Race Recap
On Saturday’s Race at Atlanta: “I think we did a really nice job today of being up front and competing. Track position was king so we had to sacrifice sometimes to stay up top. We could go where we wanted because the AUTOChargit truck was so fast; it was just unfortunate getting caught up in the incident with Carson.”
A top-20 finish in Las Vegas for Lawless Alan allowed the California driver to build upon his confidence from the year prior. While Alan was able to run inside the top-15 for a majority of the race in Atlanta, a busted radiator coming from an incident with his teammate would end his day with under 15 laps remaining.
Alan started the race in 21st and quickly made his way up into the top-15 as single-file train formed around the top of the racetrack. A caution late in the first stage would create a strategy opportunity for the No. 45 team to collect stage points. But ultimately, Alan finished just outside the top-ten, in twelfth in Stage One.
The second stage saw a few cautions throughout its running, but Alan stayed up front throughout the stage, ending in the 13th position when the green-white checkered flag flew.
Unfortunately, the final stage of the event wouldn’t go as smooth for Alan and the AUTOChargit team as the caution flew on lap 124 for an incident involving Alan and his teammate, Carson Hocevar. After a tire blew on the truck in front of him, the California driver ran into Hocevar which would ultimately bust his radiator and lead to a 32nd-place finish.
Niece Motorsports PR
Bayley Currey - Fr8 208 Race Recap
On His Best Career NASCAR Finish: “It’s awesome. I really wanted to come out here and get some good runs with these guys. I’m friends with all these guys so to come out here and have a great run with them, Unishippers and Worldwide Express is really cool. I’m really excited to see what the future holds.”
After a trip out west to Las Vegas Motor Speedway two weeks prior, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series visited Atlanta Motor Speedway for the running of the Fr8 208. Currey started 30th due to qualifying being rained out and the lineup being set by the metric.
From his starting position in the rear of the field, Currey was able to make his way up into the top-20 by lap 20. Strategy came into play late in the first stage as the No. 41 team decided to take two tires and fuel under a late-stage caution to propel them to the front come the end of Stage One.
The second stage was relatively quiet for the Texas driver as cautions would fly throughout the segment, but no trips down pit road were made. Ultimately, Currey would finish 16th at the conclusion of the penultimate stage.
As the final stage began, Currey started inside the top-ten and cautions throughout a majority of the stage would keep him close to the front. But, the halts in the racing action didn’t slow Currey from making his way to fourth-place and battling for the lead as the race neared its end. After a green-white-checkered to end the race, Currey would finish 4th; his best finish in NASCAR competition.
Niece Motorsports PR
RACE RECAP: Atlanta Motor Speedway
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ThorSport PR
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KBM PR
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KBM PR