Joe Graf Jr. Charlotte Motor Speedway Alsco 300 Race Preview

SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt | NASCAR Xfinity Series

Charlotte Motor Speedway | Alsco 300

Fast Facts

No. 07 SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt Team:

Driver: Joe Graf Jr. (@JoeGrafJr)

Primary Partner(s): Bucked Up Rocket Pop Energy Drink

Manufacturer: Ford Mustang

Crew Chief: Joe Williams                        

Spotter: TJ Bell

2022 Driver Points Position: 24th | 2022 Owner Points Position: 21st

Engine: Roush Yates Engines (RYE)

Notes of Interest:

Full of Energy: Bucked Up Energy Drink and its sister products will continue their role as the primary partner of Graf’s No. 07 Ford Mustang this weekend.

Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway is the 10th race of 2022 but is the 41st race overall in a multi-year, multi-race deal with the former ARCA Menards Series winner.

For the first this year, the team will promote Bucked Up’s Rocket Pop flavor.

Rocket Pop is time travel. It takes you back to your childhood. Memorial Day weekend, Fourth of July parades, fireworks, and best of all…Red, White and Blue popsicles under a shady tree.

Rocket Pop is America.

It’s the flavor of freedom. Of religion. Of speech. Of thought. Of tastes. Don’t let anyone tread on you. Drink what you want to drink. Love who you want to love.

Just do you. So go ahead. Pop open a cold Rocket Pop and enjoy the flavor of freedom.

About Bucked Up Energy: Bucked Up started in 2013 when twin brothers Ryan and Jeff Gardner started marketing a product called Deer Antler Spray. After selling thousands of bottles to GNCs nationwide, the company morphed into what is now Bucked Up, a full-fledged vitamins and supplements manufacturer.

The company has gone from its humble beginnings to becoming the No. 1 best-selling pre-workout brand that’s available in over 10,000 stores worldwide.

Plenty Of Other Bucked Up Energy Drinks Options Available Too: Don’t forget that Bucked Up Energy now offers more than 10 quenching options, but several of their popular flavors including Rocket Pop, Gym ‘N’ Juice, Mango Tango and Pink Lemonade now include low-stim options.

Low-stim has the same innovative ingredients that make their OG formula so powerful for focus, mood, motivation and energy. Bucked Up made just one small change and they have been surprised by the resulting epicness.

Boasting a modest of 100mg of caffeine, Bucked Up Low-Stim delivers the same energy, focus, mood, motivation – while reducing the common side effects that come from too-much caffeine, jitters, sleeplessness and anxiety.

Thanks For Your Support: With more than 36 percent of the 2022 Xfinity Series season complete, Joe Graf Jr. and SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt would like to thank their associate marketing partners AVOID, Bass Reaper Bait Company, CoverSeal, EAT SLEEP RACE Apparel, fgrACCEL, G-Coin, Gtechniq, HazHeart, Model Electronics and ShopRite for their continued support.   

Settling In: Charlotte Motor Speedway marks the 13th race that the SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt (SSGLRwJL) team embraces their manufacturer switch from Chevrolet to Ford while incorporating its technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing.

SHR will supply the organization with race cars while Roush Yates Engines will provide the legendary Ford horsepower. In addition to providing race cars to SSGLRwJL, SHR will also provide technical support for the entire 33-race season.

Additionally, Graf will have NASCAR Cup Series and Stewart-Haas Racing drivers Cole Custer and Chase Briscoe as teammates for select events throughout the 2022 season.

Don’t Forget The New Partner Too: SS GreenLight Racing has added Jeff Lefcourt as a new co-owner of the Mooresville, N.C.-based team, as well as director of business development for the organization.

Lefcourt, a native of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. joins SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt (SSGLRwJL) with a long history of racing endeavors including owning Bethel (N.Y.) Motor Speedway in upstate New York, a current-NASCAR sanctioned race track.

The noted philanthropist, entrepreneur and real estate developer has deep ties to grassroots racing and was instrumental in helping secure the Stewart-Haas Racing alliance with SSGLRwJL in 2022.

Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Charlotte Motor Speedway Stats: Joe Graf Jr. will make his second career start at the track nestled in Concord, North Carolina on Saturday afternoon.

In his previous start, Graf delivered a track-best of 19th after starting 28th in the spring of 2020.

Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Career Intermediate Nuggets: At tracks 1.0-mile or greater in size, Graf has competed in 39 NASCAR Xfinity Series races. He holds an average starting position of 26.4 and an average result of 25.7.

Texas Motor Speedway | SRS Distribution 250 Race Recap: In the most recent NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, Graf and the SSGLRwJL team showcased the No. 07 G-Coin Ford Mustang for the first of two trips to the track nestled in No Limits, Texas.

After qualifying his car on time, Graf started the race in the 27th position and utilized the 167-lap race to methodically move his race car inside the top-20, where he maintained the presence throughout the majority of the race.

In the closing laps, he found himself in a horrendous battle with several competitors which slotted him to a respectable 23rd place finish at the checkered flag.

Sneaker Mania: Along with the adrenaline of the Motorsports competition, Joe Graf Jr. also has a vogue for hype sneakers. In his current collection, he owns and wears at least 90 limited edition sneakers – and his collection continues to grow every month.

The current estimated value of his collection tops $100,000.

From the Pit Box: Industry veteran Joe Williams is Joe Graf Jr.’s crew chief.

He will crew chief his 78th NASCAR Xfinity Series race as crew chief on Saturday afternoon and his fifth at the 1.5-mile oval in the Tar Heel State.

In his previous 77 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, he has collected one win (Auto Club Speedway | February 2022), six top-five and 18 top-10 finishes.

Hello From The Other Side: Graf Jr. has a teammate at SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt. Veteran David Starr will drive the No. 08 Special Report with Brett Baier | TicketSmarter Ford Mustang on Saturday afternoon for his eighth start of the 2022 season.

Starr is set to make his 242nd career NASCAR Xfinity Series start and 12th at Charlotte. His best Xfinity track finish occurred in the 2018 Alsco 300, where he finished 20th after starting 35th for Jimmy Means Racing.

The Texan also finished 20th in the Drive for the Cure 300 in October 2014 driving for TriStar Motorsports after starting 33rd.

Follow on Social Media: For more on Joe Graf Jr. visit JoeGrafRacing.com, like him on Facebook (Joe Graf Jr.), follow him on TikTok (@JoeGrafJr), Twitter (@JoeGrafJr) and Instagram (@joegrafjr).

For more on SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt, please like them on Facebook (SS GreenLight Racing) and follow them on Instagram (@ssgreenlightracing) and Twitter (@SSGLR0708).

Joe Graf Jr. Pre-Race Quotes:

On Charlotte Motor Speedway: “Charlotte Motor Speedway is probably one of the most unique mile and a half tracks we visit during the course of the NASCAR Xfinity Series season, but I enjoy the layout.

“You really have to get up on the wheel and drive the car hard, especially out of Turns 3 and 4 heading onto the frontstretch. It’s also important to have a good balanced car that handles well in traffic and over the many bumps that the track features.

“I had a pretty good showing at Charlotte in 2020 and I’d like to duplicate that or better it on Saturday afternoon.”

On 2022 Season: “We’ve had some ups and downs in 2022, but the last two races in particular, I really think we’ve made some headway with our SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt team.

“It may not seem like a lot on the track, but to us, we’re seeing the gradual improvements as we continue to adapt to our new technical alliance and I work harder on my craft with more aggressive setups.

“We had a good performance in Texas – even though we didn’t get the finish that we were completely satisfied with. Hopefully, Charlotte will be another race where we can showcase we’re pointed in the right direction.”

Race Information:

The Alsco 300 (200 laps | 300 miles) is the 13th of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2022 schedule. Practice begins on Friday, May 27 from 3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Qualifying follows shortly after at 4:30 p.m. The 38-car field will take the green flag on Saturday afternoon, May 28 shortly after 1:00 p.m. with live coverage on FOX Sports 1, the Performance Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. All times are local (ET).

About SS Green Light Racing with Jeff Lefcourt:

As one of the most tenured teams in all of NASCAR, SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt led by team owner and former driver Bobby Dotter and new partner Jeff Lefcourt has been a mainstay entry in the sport fielding entries in either the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series or Xfinity Series competition since 2001.

SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt will continue with a two-car program in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2022.

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