A Breakthrough Hit … Jake Garcia looks to add his name to the list of Nashville performers with a breakthrough debut hit on Friday night. The driver of the No. 35 Quanta Services Chevrolet Silverado RST is in search of a signature performance at Nashville Superspeedway (NSS) as only four races remain in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) regular season. Friday’s 200-mile event for the tailgaters marks Garcia’s debut at NSS and a breakthrough victory would guarantee a place in the playoffs in his rookie campaign.
Knocking Down Finishes … During his first 11 races, Garcia has shown an aptitude for executing solid finishes. The 18-year-old enters “Music City” on the heels of a top-10 result at World Wide Technology Raceway on June 3rd and has two-consecutive top-15 finishes. Consistent results have kept Garcia in the playoff conversation over the last eight races as he has recorded four top-10’s and six top-15 results in that stretch. Garcia’s knack for knocking down strong finishes has netted him an average finish of 13.9, seventh-best among the full-time NCTS competitors.
Season to Date … Despite one less start under his belt than his competitors through 12 NCTS events, he is 14th in the drivers’ point standings, 58 points behind the playoff cutline. Garcia posted a season-best fifth-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) in April and has accumulated one top-five and five top-10 results. While he is mathematically alive to make the playoffs, a victory in the next four races would secure a playoff berth.
Crew Chief / Chassis Selection … Chassis No. 350 returns to duty at NSS after Garcia recently drove it to a 15th-place finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This Chevrolet Silverado RST also raced to a fifth-place finish at TMS.
Tune In … All of Friday’s on-track activity from NSS will be carried live on FOX Sports 1 beginning with practice and qualifying at 4:00 p.m. ET followed by NASCAR Raceday at 7:30 p.m. ET and the green flag at 8:00 p.m. ET. Stay connected with the No. 35 Quanta Services team by following @BMR_NASCAR on Twitter, @bmrnascar on Instagram, and Bill McAnally Racing on Facebook.
Jake Garcia Quote:
On the stretch run in the regular season and making his Nashville debut:
“Nashville is a unique, shorter intermediate than what we’re typically used to. The corners are a little flatter and it seems like clean air and track position have always been critical there. We’ve worked hard on our Nashville package in the sim, so hopefully we’ll unload close with our Quanta Services Chevrolet. We still want to make the playoffs, but the best way to do it would be to continue to improve and run in the top-five to give ourselves a shot to win a race. Our team has done a good job of closing out races with good finishes most of the year, so hopefully we can do that again on Friday night.”
McAnally Hilgemann Racing PR
