CRC Industries, Inc. has extended its entitlement sponsorship of the Brakleen 150 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Pocono Raceway with a multi-year renewal.

CRC Industries, Inc., a global leader in the production of specialty products and formulations for the DIY enthusiasts and maintenance professional, began its partnership with Pocono Raceway in 2021 as the NCTS race entitlement sponsor.

The company, with global headquarters in Horsham, Pa., titled the race after one of its premier North American-trademarked brands Brakleen®, the original aerosol brake parts cleaner that was derived in 1971.

“We are excited to return to Pocono again to showcase our love and support for motorsports,” said Len Mazzanti, CEO of CRC Industries. “Acceleration is everything on race day. But as the crew and driver will acknowledge, braking is just as important. Because clean, reliable brakes are essential to the safety of everyone, CRC developed Brakleen® more than 50 years ago.

“Brakleen® helps ensure that brake jobs are done right the first time, with the strongest performance available, a spray pattern that penetrates and a fast-drying, residue-free formula that saves you extra clean-up time and money. Continual improvements like these have made CRC Brakleen® the most trusted brake cleaner in motorsports and garages around the world.”

This season’s edition of the Brakleen 150 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race will be held Saturday, July 22. The 150-mile, 60-lap race will begin at Noon ET (TV: FS1, Radio: MRN, SiriusXM).

“Pocono Raceway is thrilled to extend this partnership with CRC Industries and further showcase the line of Brakleen® products,” Pocono Raceway President Ben May said. “We take pride in our Pennsylvania roots, and it is great to be able to showcase another iconic Pennsylvania company that has been doing it for over 50 years.

“Pocono Raceway is motivated by CRC Industries’ enthusiasm and sustained commitment to NASCAR racing in Pennsylvania and to all the avid NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series fans who love watching the trucks race around ‘The Tricky Triangle.’”

Pocono Raceway is celebrating the partnership with their fans by offering a limited $15 discount on a Brakleen 150 race ticket for the first 150 fans. Click HERE now to see if you have qualified to purchase this exclusive ticket offer.

The race weekend features four races in three days, highlighted by the Pocono 400 NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday, July 23. The Brakleen 150 will be joined by the Pocono 225 NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday, July 22. The weekend kicks off Friday, July 21, with an ARCA Menards Series race.

Tickets for the Pocono 400 NASCAR race weekend are on sale and various options are available HERE. For more information, please visit www.poconoraceway.com.

Pocono Raceway PR

Richmond Raceway and Martinsville Speedway announced today a renewal of their partnership with the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) that includes the naming rights for two NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour races scheduled for the Commonwealth.

The Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150 will take place Friday, March 31, and will be a part of Toyota Owners 400 Weekend featuring the ToyotaCare 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday, April 1, and the Toyota Owners 400 NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday, April 2.

“Richmond Raceway is thrilled to be hosting the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race once again,” said Richmond Raceway President Lori Collier Waran. “Richmond Raceway is a major attraction for the travelers of Virginia. Welcoming this series back will help promote the VTC’s mission to continue developing tourism in the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

“We are proud to continue our support for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150,” said Rita McClenny, President and CEO of Virginia Tourism Corporation. “Richmond Raceway is a major tourist attraction for race fans visiting the area and Virginians alike. We are looking forward to travelers discovering why Virginia is the destination for racing lovers.”

Richmond first hosted a modified race in NASCAR’s inaugural season on May 16, 1948. This was the first NASCAR sanctioned race in Virginia. Since then, Richmond has hosted the modern-day NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour from 1990-1993, 1997, 1999-2022 and 2021-2022.

The Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200 Whelen Modified Tour season finale is slated for Thursday, Oct. 26 and a part of the NASCAR Playoffs race weekend featuring Dead On Tools 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday, Oct. 28 and the Xfinity 500 NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday, Oct. 29.

The first modified race at Martinsville Speedway was a part of NASCAR’s inaugural season on July 4, 1948. This race would be the third NASCAR sanctioned race in the history of the Commonwealth of Virginia. NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour raced at the significant half-mile short track from 1985-2002, 2005-2010 and 2021-2022.

“The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour draws nationwide attention to Martinsville, so it’s a fitting platform to promote Virginia as a tourist destination,” said Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell. “We can’t to wait to welcome fans and visitors to the beauty and wonder only Virginia provides during our incredible fall weekend of racing.”

“We are proud to continue our support of the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150,” said McClenny. “Richmond Raceway is a major tourist attraction for race fans visiting the area and Virginians alike. We are looking forward to travelers discovering why Virginia is the destination for racing lovers.”

To learn more about Virginia Tourism Corporation, visit virginia.org.

Richmond Raceway PR

Bearden will pilot AM Racing’s flagship No. 22 Ford F-150 for his second NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series start with support from local partners Bearden Automotive and Parker Electric.

In addition to COTA, Bearden, 27, is expected to pilot the No. 22 AM Racing Ford F-150 in select NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series races this season.

During the week, Bearden serves as a mechanic at the team’s Statesville, N.C.-based shop assisting the team’s ARCA Menards Series and Truck Series programs respectively.

“I am excited to return to AM Racing this weekend at COTA,” said Bearden. “I learned a lot in my NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut last year – even though we experienced mechanical hiccups early in the race.

“The team worked diligently to fix the truck so I could get as many laps as I could under my belt. Without a doubt, I believe that seat time will pay off this weekend and hopefully, I can contend for a top-15 finish in our No. 22 Bearden Automotive | Parker Electric Ford F-150.”

Outside of his responsibilities at the AM Racing shop and competing for the team in NASCAR, Bearden will also continue driving his family-owned No. 66 Super Late Model in various events in the JEGS | CRA Tour this spring and summer.

Bearden will be the third Truck Series driver for the AM Racing organization this season. In addition to Bearden, Josh Reaume and Max Gutiérrez have also piloted the team’s No. 22 Ford F-150 in the opening three races of the 2023 season.

AM Racing team principal Kevin Cywinski believes Bearden has the talent and capabilities of earning the team their first top-10 finish of the season on Saturday afternoon.

“Logan is a very methodical and talented race car driver and he is an important asset to AM Racing,” offered Cywinski. “He did not get a fair shot last year. He qualified on speed and was competitive in the opening laps of the race but unfortunately experienced mechanical gremlins early in the race.

“We are glad everything worked out where he has another opportunity to not only showcase his craft but race in front of friends and family under the AM Racing banner.

“We believe Logan will surprise a lot of people this weekend.”

Truck Series winning crew chief Ryan “Pickle” London will call the shots for Bearden in the 42-lap race.

While AM Racing won’t have two NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series vehicles in the field as they did last season, the Statesville, N.C.-based organization will field cars in both Trucks and the NASCAR Xfinity Series events on Saturday afternoon from the famed Texas road course.

Alongside Bearden, Brett Moffitt will drive the team’s No. 25 AM Technical Solutions Ford Mustang in Saturday afternoon’s Pit Boss 250 in his first Xfinity Series road course race of the year.

For more on Logan Bearden, please visit LoganBearden.com, like his Facebook page (Logan Bearden Racing) or follow him on Instagram (Logan­­_Bearden66) and Twitter (@LoganBearden66).

For more on AM Racing visit amracing.racing, like them on Facebook (AM Racing) follow them on Twitter (@AMRacingNASCAR) and Instagram (@AMRacingNASCAR22).

The XPEL 225 (42 laps | 143.22 miles) is the fourth of 23 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series races on the 2023 schedule. Practice begins on Fri., March 24, 2022, from 3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Qualifying will soon follow from 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. The 36-truck field will take the green flag on race day, Sat., March 25, 2022, shortly after 12:30 p.m. with live coverage on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. All times are local (CT).

AM Racing PR

A trio of NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series drivers, including defending series champion Zane Smith and rising stars Carson Hocevar and Corey Heim, participated in a Goodyear Tire test on Monday at historic North Wilkesboro Speedway in preparation for the upcoming Tyson 250 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race on NASCAR All-Star race weekend.

The Tyson 250 on Saturday afternoon, May 20 (1:30 p.m. (ET), FOX, MRN Radio), will get North Wilkesboro fans ready for Sunday night’s main feature, the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race (8 p.m., FS1 and MRN Radio). For the first time since 1996, the NASCAR Cup Series will compete at NWS during a jam-packed May 16-21 NASCAR All-Star Race week of action that will also include two nights of late model racing and three concerts in addition to the Tyson 250.

In today’s Goodyear test, the trio of teams worked closely with Goodyear officials to help identify a tire for all Truck teams to use in the Tyson 250.

“It’s going to be a cool event, it’s so crazy to see this place come back to life,” said Smith, driver of the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford. “It’s the perfect place for a throwback race. The infield is beautiful and it’s surrounded by a track with so much history. We are trying to figure out our truck and trying to see where we can be better and what adjustments we can make to it.” 

Smith says the unique North Wilkesboro layout, with a downhill frontstretch and uphill backstretch presents a unique challenge.

“I hope we can move around some come race time,” Smith continued. “If you miss the bottom in one and two you are going to pay for it in a big way. We put a lot of focus on handling today. It will be fun trying something new for one weekend.”

He says the buildup for this race throughout the NASCAR industry and sports world has been epic.

“You hear about this track every day in the shop and all of the legends of our sport talk about it and this is a place you always hear about,” Smith said. “The last few years you kept hearing rumors about this place possibly coming back and I think every racer loves short tracks. It was great to see Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. and others help make this place a reality.”

Hocevar said when he walked into the property he was in awe the whole time he was here.

“Rarely do you have a test where you are smiling the whole time you are out there going around the track,” said Hocevar, driver of the No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevy. “It was a lot of fun to be out there today slipping and sliding around on this historic track. It sounds silly, but this is our ‘Field of Dreams.’ I’m not a baseball fan, but it was super cool to see that. This is just like that, this is our deal. Everyone has high expectations and hopefully we meet it. It felt like I was walking into a track where we weren’t supposed to be. I’m just really glad that NASCAR, Dale Jr. and the CARS Tour kept picking at it.  I wanna be the one that goes up that ramp over there (iconic infield Victory Lane on rooftop of Media Center). That is the coolest Victory Lane ever. If I do, I’m not leaving, I will watch the Cup race from there.” 

Heim, who had raced Late Models here in the past, said he felt like his team learned quite a bit during the session.

“I feel like we learned a lot and went through a lot of progressions like we normally do for short tracks,” said Heim, driver of the No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota. “I feel like this track has a lot more grip than what some people said it had. When we come back in the summer when it will be a lot warmer it should be interesting. It’s really cool and a historic moment for NASCAR and racing in general. To see what NASCAR brings this summer is going to be really exciting. This is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” 

NASCAR All-Star Race week will include six days or nights of entertainment including:

• Tuesday, May 16: ASA Stars National Series 
• Wednesday, May 17: CARS Pro and Late Model Stocks 
• Friday, May 19: NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck and Cup Series practice; Concerts by Midland and Chase Rice 
• Saturday, May 20: NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series qualifying and Tyson 250; NASCAR Cup Series qualifying 
• Sunday, May 21: Dierks Bentley pre-race concert; NASCAR All-Star Open and NASCAR All-Star Race 

Schedules are tentative and subject to change. Specific on-track schedules and the All-Star Race format will be released at a later date.

TICKETS:
NASCAR All-Star Race weekend ticket packages for all Friday/Saturday/Sunday activities including NASCAR Cup and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series practice and qualifying sessions; Midland, Chase Rice and Dierks Bentley concerts; NASCAR All-Star Open; NASCAR All-Star Race and Tyson 250 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race are on sale. Single-day tickets for All-Star Friday presented by Raymer Oil and Saturday’s Tyson 250 are also on sale. Tickets can be purchased online at www.northwilkesborospeedway.com. Single-day May 16-17 late model race tickets will be on sale in March.

MORE INFO:
Fans can connect with North Wilkesboro Speedway and get the latest news regarding NASCAR All-Star week and North Wilkesboro Speedway by following on Twitter and Instagram or becoming a Facebook fan.

NWS PR

Joey Logano earned the pole position Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway and said after qualifying that “It’s always been a dream to win on this race track.”

That dream came true one day later as Logano took the checkered flag in Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400.

“(This is) so special to win Atlanta for me,” Logano reflected after the race with a grin stretching as long as the Atlanta Motor Speedway track. “So many memories of me and my dad racing right here on the quarter mile. This is the full circle for us. So many memories gritting over there with the Legends car, racing, having a big time. Dreaming of going straight at the quarter-mile and going on to the big track. That was always the dream to do it. To finally win here means so much to me here personally, but the team.

Logano’s 32nd career win ties him with Dale Jarrett for 27th on the all-time list. The No. 22 car has three top-10 finishes on the season.

Logano, who led for 140 of the 260 laps, had to come from behind with a last-lap pass to distance himself from former teammate Brad Keselowski just enough for his first victory of the NASCAR Cup series season.

Keselowski crossed 0.193 seconds behind after leading for the previous 29 laps heading into the final circuit.

Christopher Bell was third, Corey LaJoie took a career-best fourth and Tyler Reddick closed out the top five.

The first two stages featured only one caution for a single car spin, but a pair of crashes near the front of the pack curtailed the final surge to the finish.

Kevin Harvick lost control of his No. 4 Ford through Turns 1 and 2, resulting in a crash with 71 laps remaining that officially involved 12 cars. Harvick led just one lap and was relegated to a finish outside the top 30. The crash also eliminated last year’s race winner William Byron, who was bidding for his third consecutive Cup Series victory.

Harvick will look to have a better result in what will be his final start at AMS as a full-time Cup Series driver in July. NASCAR returns to the Georgia track for a summer weekend of racing at night, under the lights, headlined by the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart on July 9.

Tickets and camping accommodations for the July 4-9 summer NASCAR event at AMS are available now at www.AtlantaMotorSpeedway.com

AMS PR

Kaulig Racing PR

Harrison Burton and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team were swept up in a multi-car melee on Lap 189 of Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, with the damage to the No. 21 Mustang too severe to be repaired in a timely manner. That dropped Burton to 34^th in the finishing order.

Burton started Sunday’s race from 33^rd place after getting loose in qualifying on Saturday. When the green flag flew on Sunday he spent most of the first two Stages running near the back of the pack.
 
He finished the first 60-lap Stage in 32^nd place. In the second Stage he managed to avoid getting lapped as the Stage wound down and ended that segment in 29^th place and on the lead lap.

As Stage Three got underway, Burton began to move forward. He moved into the top 25 on Lap 167 and was up to 22^nd by Lap 171. 
 
He was still inside the top 25 on Lap 189, 71 circuits shy of the finish, when a wreck that began at the front of the pack left the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang with race-ending suspension damage.

“I don’t even know what caused our wreck,” Burton told reporters at the track. “I was looking back and forth between the windshield and the mirror trying to block people from being aggressive and taking you in the middle of three-wide.
 
“I looked back and forth and by the time I looked back they were wrecking in front of me.”
 Burton said it was frustrating to see his race end as it did. 

 “I feel like our qualifying effort was not very good, obviously,” he said. “I about crashed in qualifying, but I felt really good about our car in the race, but I just could not gain track position to maintain it.  
 
“It’s really, really hard to leapfrog your way forward a lot of spots. It’s just frustrating how that worked out.  
 
“Once you’re back there, you’re bound to get pushed into all the wrecks for sure.”
 
Up next for Burton and the No. 21 team is next Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

WBR PR

Race Winner:  Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Winner:  Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 2 Winner:  Austin Cindric of Team Penske (Ford)

SHR Race Finish:            

●  Chase Briscoe (Started 8th, Finished 24th / Running, completed 259 of 260 laps)  

●  Ryan Preece (Started 24th, Finished 28th / Running, completed 244 of 260 laps)

●  Aric Almirola (Started 5th, Finished 30th / Accident, completed 208 of 260 laps)

●  Kevin Harvick (Started 6th, Finished 33rd / Accident, completed 190 of 260 laps)

SHR Points:

●  Kevin Harvick (6th with 155 points, 22 out of first)

●  Chase Briscoe (23rd with 72 points, 105 out of first)

●  Ryan Preece (26th with 63 points, 114 out of first)

●  Aric Almirola (27th with 63 points, 114 out of first)

SHR Notes:        

●  Almirola led twice for 17 laps, increasing his laps led total at Atlanta to 67.

●  Harvick led one lap, increasing his laps led total at Atlanta to a series-leading 1,360.

Race Notes:       

●  Joey Logano won the Ambetter Health 400 to score his 32nd career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Atlanta. His margin over second-place Brad Keselowski was .193 of a second.

●  This was Ford’s 721st all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory.

●  This was Ford’s 36th NASCAR Cup Series victory at Atlanta. The manufacturer won its first race at Atlanta with NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen on July 9, 1961.

●  There were five caution periods for a total of 34 laps.

●  Twenty-three of the 36 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

●  Logano leaves Atlanta as the championship leader by just a single point over second-place Christopher Bell.

Sound Bites:

“We’ve got some work to do before we come back here. I’m not sure what exactly we were dealing with, but the balance was never where it needed to be in the draft. It would snap loose at the worst time, and that’s how we ended up in the wall and having to fix a toe link. I’m glad we were able to get some of our position back, but I wish it had been a better ending for us.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang

“That was a really tough day. Just a struggle all around. We couldn’t run the top at all and then we had something wrong with the car and spent the rest of the race trying to diagnose it.” – Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 41 Autodesk/HaasTooling.com Ford Mustang

“I’m OK. It knocked the wind out of me, mostly because it caught me by surprise, but I’m OK. I blew a tire. I just blew a tire. I have no idea why. We had way less laps on that set of tires than we had earlier, so I don’t know.” – Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 10 Smithfield Ford Mustang

“I think he (Ross Chastain) just caught me so quick right there in the middle of the corner and then he kind of was up on the right rear part of the corner and he came back down and when he came back down, it just spun the thing out. I don’t think he actually even hit me, but it started chattering the rear tires and then I was just along for the ride.” – Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Busch Light #Break4Busch Ford Mustang

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix on Sunday, March 26 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. The race begins at 3:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.  

TSC PR

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