Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway
No. 19 Joe Graf Jr. CoverSeal Toyota GR Supra News and Notes:
- GRAF JR. 2024 NXS 4th AND FINAL RACE OF SEASON: The September 17th race at Bristol Motor Speedway will mark Joe Graf Jr.’s 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) 4th and final race of the season. Joe Graf Jr. has steadily been improving on his finishes this season (17th, 12th, 11th). Joe has performed well with Joe Gibbs Racing equipment with an average qualifying position of 12th. He will aim to continue the trend collecting a top-10 at Bristol to finish off 2024 before he looks to be back in a race car in ’25.
- RETURN TO JGR: Graf Jr. competed in the full, 33 race NXS season in 2023 where he had three impressive top-10 performances at Daytona, Homestead, and Kansas, highlighted by a best finish of seventh at Daytona.
- DARLINGTON RECAP: Joe Graf Jr. and the No. 19 team spent the entirety of the race fighting, spot for spot, through the field. Starting 15th, a couple of poor pit stops put Joe deep in the pack. However, at the beginning of stage 3 the No. 19 team clawed its way back. Joe raced smartly and showed his expertise of the ‘lady in black’ as he climbed positions. A late race caution provided the No.19 team pit crew a redemption opportunity which they delivered on gaining Joe an additional 2 spots. Joe Graf Jr. finished 11th in Darlington.
- COVERSEAL: We Have You COVERED: Racing fans know the importance of keeping cars in top-quality condition, and they can extend an unmatched level of care toward their own vehicles with CoverSeal®. These covers don’t just protect vehicles from nature’s damage: whether fans plan to tailgate at the track or barbecue in the backyard, CoverSeal® craftsmanship can protect grills and furniture when not in use. The CoverSeal® weighted apron helps seal the cover to the ground on each version, making the cover easy to use and hard to beat.
- ON THE PITBOX: Seth Chavka will lead the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra team for the 2024 season as he embarks on his rookie season as a crew chief in the Xfinity Series. Chavka is no stranger to JGR, as he has spent time in the Cup Series shop as lead race engineer for the likes of Erik Jones, Kyle Busch, and most recently, Ty Gibbs, since starting his tenure with the team in 2019. Prior to joining JGR, Chavka spent seven years at Richard Childress Racing and one year at Kevin Harvick Inc. as an engineer. In his 13 years spent in NASCAR, Chavka has earned six NASCAR Cup Series victories and four Xfinity Series victories.
- NO. 19 IN 2024: The JGR No. 19 will have a rotating schedule of drivers throughout the 2024 season. Ryan Truex, Aric Almirola, Taylor Gray, Josh Bilicki, Brett Moffitt, Justin Bonsignore, and Ty Gibbs have already made starts behind the wheel. William Sawalich is also slated to run a race later this year.
- JGR AT BRISTOL: Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) drivers have combined for 115 starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, highlighted by 13 trips to victory lane. Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Erik Jones, Ryan Preece, and Christopher Bell have all taken JGR entries to victory lane at the famous short track. Cumulatively, JGR has scored 38 top-fives, 59 top-10s, and have led 3,430 laps at Bristol.
- FOLLOW ALONG: Follow along for updates and a behind-the-scenes look at Graf Jr.’s 2024 NXS Season.
Twitter: @Joegrafjr I Facebook: Joe Graf Jr I Instagram: @joegrafjr
- RACE INFO: Coverage of this weekend’s Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway is scheduled for Friday, September 20th, at 7:30 p.m. ET on The CW, PRN Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
From the Driver’s Seat:
Joe Graf Jr.: “It has been very rewarding getting to work with my Joe Gibbs Racing team this year. I truly feel like we are getting better week after week and the results show that. We are primed to have a great showing in Bristol and hopefully we get CoverSeal in victory lane on Friday night!”
Graf Jr.’s 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:
Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 13.3 |
Graf Jr.’s Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:
Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
129 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 20 | 26.0 | 25.5 |
About Joe Gibbs Racing:
Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is one of the premier organizations in NASCAR with four NASCAR Cup Series teams, four NASCAR Xfinity Series teams, an ARCA Series team, and a driver development program. JGR is based in Huntersville, N.C., and owned by 2020 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Joe Gibbs, who also earned his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was named as one of the NFL’s top 10 coaches of all-time with a winning career that included three Super Bowl Championships as head coach of the Washington franchise. JGR has competed in NASCAR since 1992, capturing more than 400 wins over that span. No team has more combined wins across the sport’s three national series in the history of NASCAR. In addition, JGR has won five Cup Series championships along with four Xfinity Series driver championships and six Xfinity Series owner’s championships. The organization also has captured four Daytona 500 titles, considered to be NASCAR’s premier event each season.
-JGR-