SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt | NASCAR Xfinity Series
Richmond (Va.) Raceway | ToyotaCare 250
Fast Facts
No. 07 SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt Team:
Driver: Joe Graf Jr. (@JoeGrafJr)
Primary Partner(s): Bucked Up Mango Tango Energy Drink
Manufacturer: Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Joe Williams
Spotter: TJ Bell
2022 Driver Points Position: 29th | 2022 Owner Points Position: 18th
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. Richmond (Va.) Raceway is the fifth race of 2022 but is the 36th race overall in a multi-year, multi-race deal with the former ARCA Menards Series winner.
This weekend, Bucked Up will promote its Mango Tango Energy Drink.
Mango Tango tastes like a well-placed double entendre — two meanings, up to interpretation. Perhaps, it’s a melodic, upbeat fiesta of juicy goodness pulling sultry-sweet dance moves on your tongue. Or we could be using Tango as code, letting you decide the most fitting “T” descriptive word: tantalizing, tangy, tempting, titillating, tempean, or transcendental.
We leave it up to your trustworthy taste buds.
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 Bucked Up Energy Options Available: Bucked Up Energy now offers more than 10 quenching options, but two of their popular flavors, Pink Lemonade and Mango Tango 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.
Settling In: Richmond marks the seventh 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 Richmond Raceway Starts: Joe Graf Jr. will make his fifth career start at Richmond Raceway in Saturday afternoon’s race.
In his previous four efforts, Graf has delivered a career-best 14th place effort driving for Richard Childress Racing. Additionally, Graf has managed finishes of 19th, 27th and 31st respectively driving for SSGLRwJL.
Last September as part of a double header weekend, Graf finished 19th and 27th respectively.
Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Short Track Nuggets: At tracks classified as short tracks with a track length of under 1.0-mile, Graf has 11 previous NASCAR Xfinity Series starts.
He holds an average starting position of 25.9 and an improved average result of 21.9 and has been running at the conclusion of 10 of the 11 races.
Circuit of the Americas (COTA) | Pit Boss 250 Race Recap: In the most recent NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, Graf showcased considerable improvement in his road racing craft.
After successfully qualifying into the field based on his qualifying speed, Graf’s surge towards the top-20 was stalled at the end of Stage 1 when he lost two cylinders. For the remainder of the race, Graf would pilot his No. 08 G-Coin Ford Mustang on six of eight cylinders and salvaged a 34th place finish in his Circuit of the Americas debut.
School Back In Session: While juggling a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule with SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt, college life has resumed for Joe Graf Jr.
With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Graf Jr. has resorted to online classes at the University of New York, where he is pursuing a degree in business, media and sports management.
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 72nd NASCAR Xfinity Series race as crew chief on Saturday and his fourth at the 0.875-mile short track.
In his previous 71 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, he has collected one win (Auto Club Speedway | February 2022), six top-five and 17 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 TicketSmarter Ford Mustang on Saturday for his second start of the 2022 season.
Starr is set to make his 236th career NASCAR Xfinity Series start and 11th at Richmond Raceway. His best Xfinity track finish occurred in the 2017 ToyotaCare 250, where he finished 17th after starting 22nd for BJ McLeod Motorsports.
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 Richmond Raceway: “I am excited about going back to Richmond Raceway this weekend and another opportunity to score a solid top-15 finish for everyone on this SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt team.
“Richmond is definitely a momentum race track, but I am confident in the setup that Joe (Williams) and the No. 07 Bucked Up Mango Tango Energy Drink team is bringing to the track this weekend and it will allow us no matter where we start to earn one our best finishes of the season thus far.”
On Circuit of the Americas: “I am proud of the efforts of everyone on our team. We knew we had to make the race based on our qualifying speed and we checked that off our list.
“I felt confident that once the race got rolling that I would be able to settle into a groove that would keep me on the track and progressing forward. Unfortunately, we lost two cylinders early in the race and just had to fight it out for the best finish possible.”
On 2022 Season: “I think we have showcased the speed in our SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt Ford Mustangs this season, but unfortunately we haven’t had the finishes to really back that up.
“We hope to change that pattern on Saturday afternoon. I’m proud of everyone on this team and we will continue to fight and produce the finishes I know we are more than capable of.”
Race Information:
The ToyotaCare 250 (250 laps | 187.5 miles) is the seventh of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2022 schedule. Practice begins on Sat., April 2 from 8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Qualifying follows shortly after 9:00 a.m. The 38-car field will take the green flag later in the afternoon shortly after 1:30 p.m. with live coverage on FOX Sports 1, the Motor 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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