Looking for a Rebound … Chase Purdy returns to Kansas Speedway for the fourth time in his career looking for a rebound. The driver of the No. 61 BAMA Buggies Toyota Tundra TRD Pro is eager to deliver a resilient performance on Saturday night after being collected in an accident last weekend at Darlington Raceway. Kansas’ wide, sweeping 1.5-mile layout could be perfect antidote for Purdy as he has two top-15 finishes in three previous starts.
Raising the Bar … In his six starts this season, Purdy has recorded track-best finishes in half of them. The Meridian, Miss. native’s career-high at Kansas was a 10th-place finish in the second race of a doubleheader in July 2020. Given Purdy’s track record of elevating his career-best performances this year, another run to top a track-best result would earn him the best finish of the young season.
HRE Salutes … Both of HRE’s No. 16 and 61 teams will recognize military veterans close to team members during the NASCAR Salutes campaign in the month of May. Purdy will carry Paul Baker on board the right-side door at Kansas on Saturday night, a close family friend and mentor of Andrew Diehl, tire specialist on Purdy’s No. 61. Baker’s first duty station was in Iwakuni, Japan when he joined the Marines in 1980. In 1997, Baker was the test team lead on the V22 Osprey based in Pax River, Maryland. He retired as a Master Sergeant in 2000.
Chassis Selection … Crew chief Matt Lucas and the BAMA Buggies team have prepared chassis No. 018 for Saturday’s 200-miler at Kansas. Purdy most recently drove this chassis to a 14th-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March.
Tune In … All on-track activity will be carried live on FOX Sports 1 on Saturday at Kansas, beginning with practice and qualifying at Noon ET, followed by the green flag at 8:00 p.m. ET. Stay connected with the No. 61 BAMA Buggies team by following @Hattori_Racing on Twitter, @hattoriracing on Instagram, and Hattori Racing Enterprises on Facebook.
Chase Purdy Quote:
On making his fourth start at Kansas Speedway:
“Kansas looks like a typical 1.5-mile track, but it’s developed a lot of character. There are so many options of lanes to run with the progressive banking, so you have a few things you can try to change the way your truck drives. We’re bringing the same BAMA Buggies Toyota Tundra TRD Pro that we finished top-15 with at Las Vegas even after we had some damage, so I have a lot of confidence in Matt (Lucas) and the guys that we’ll have some raw speed this weekend. We’ve had several races where we’ve been fast, but we’d like to keep elevating our game and get our first top-10 of the year this weekend.”
HRE PR
