No. 19 Rocky’s Ace Hardware Toyota GR Supra News and Notes:
· GRAF JR. AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: Joe Graf Jr. heads to Loudon, New Hampshire for the Ambetter Health 200 this weekend where he will get behind the wheel of the No.19 Rocky’s Ace Hardware Toyota GR Supra for the fourth time this year. In Graf Jr.’s last start at the one-mile oval, he wheeled his way from a 26th place starting position to a 12th place finish, which was his second-best finish of the 2022 season. Now returning to the track in Joe Gibbs Racing equipment, Graf Jr. is an under-the-radar name to look out for when the green flag drops on Saturday.
· GETTING UP TO SPEED: Joe Graf Jr. has spent the majority of the season piloting the No. 38 entry for RSS Racing. Between his time in the No. 38 and the No.19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota GR Supra, Graf Jr. has worked his way to 21st in the NXS driver standings, highlighted by a 7th place finish in Daytona and 4 laps led this past week in Atlanta.
· PREVIOUSLY AT JGR: Graf Jr. is in his first year at JGR, where he has made three starts for the organization earlier this season. His most recent start with the team came at Richmond where unfortunate circumstances relegated him to a 37th place finish. In his other two starts, Graf Jr. came home in 11th place finish at Auto Club Speedway and 15th place the following week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
· WELCOMING ROCKY’S ACE HARDWARE: This weekend marks Rocky’s Ace Hardware’s debut as a primary partner on a Joe Gibbs Racing entry. Rocky’s is one of the largest Ace Hardware Dealers in the country with 48 locations throughout 9 states.
· ON THE PITBOX: Crew Chief Jason Ratcliff will oversee the No. 19 team and its driver rotation in 2023. Ratcliff is in year 18 under the JGR banner. He won the 2009 NXS Championship in tandem with Kyle Busch after an eight-win season. The championship-winning crew chief has 55 NXS wins across five different drivers, including current JGR NCS driver, Christopher Bell. He also has 15 NCS wins as crew chief between two former JGR drivers – Matt Kenseth and Joey Logano.
· NO. 19 IN 2023: The JGR No. 19 will have a rotating schedule of drivers throughout the 2023 season. Drivers that have driven as of New Hampshire are Myatt Snider, Ty Gibbs, Connor Mosack, Ryan Truex, and Graf Jr. The group of drivers have carried the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra to 8th in the Owners Points standings, highlighted by a win at Dover earlier this year.
· JGR AT NEW HAMPSHIRE: JGR has achieved immense success at New Hampshire over the years. In 55 combined NXS starts, JGR has collected 11 wins, 31 top-fives, 39 top-tens, and 1,737 laps led.
· FOLLOW ALONG: Follow along for updates and a behind-the-scenes look at Graf Jr’s 2023 season.
Twitter: @joegrafjr I Facebook: Joe Graf Jr. I Instagram: @joegrafjr I Website: Joegrafracing.com
· RACE INFO: Coverage of this weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, July 15th at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network, PRN Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
From the Driver’s Seat:
Joe Graf Jr., Driver of the No. 19 Rocky’s Ace Hardware Toyota GR Supra
What are your expectations going into this weekend after a strong run here last year?
“I’m hoping to go out there, run strong, and compete for all 200 laps. I’m excited about my opportunity to get behind the wheel of the 19 and I know Jason (Ratcliff) has worked hard to get this car ready. Especially with Loudon being one of my favorite tracks, I’m looking forward to going out there and putting together a quality performance on Saturday.
Graf Jr.’s Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish | ||||||||
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28.0 | 18.0 |
Graf Jr.’s Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Stats:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish | ||||||||
| 110 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 26.0 | 25.7 |
JGR PR
