2020-02-11

NASCAR And U.S. Census Bureau Announce Official PartnershipTo Encourage Nation-Wide Participation in 2020 Census

NASCAR And U.S. Census Bureau Announce Official Partnership

To Encourage Nation-Wide Participation in 2020 Census

New Agreement Includes Race Entitlement Rights for NASCAR Xfinity Series Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 12, 2020) – NASCAR® and the U.S. Census Bureau announced today, during DAYTONA 500 Media Day, an Official Partnership designed to spread awareness and encourage participation in the once-a-decade national census. The 2020 Census counts every person living in the U.S., across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories. Beginning in mid-March, most homes will receive an invitation to respond to a short questionnaire – online, by phone, or by mail.

                                                                    

As part of the strategic partnership, the Census Bureau will become the race entitlement partner of the NASCAR Xfinity Series™ race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The race is scheduled to run on Saturday, March 21 and will be broadcast nationally on FS1.

 

"The 2020 Census is here, and we are excited to partner with NASCAR to help spread the word about the importance of the census to shaping the future of communities across the country," said Dr. Steven Dillingham, Director of the Census Bureau. "To ensure a complete and accurate count, we need everyone. NASCAR provides us with an excellent platform to educate the public and encourage them to respond this spring."

 

The 2020 Census, which is mandated by the U.S. Constitution, is conducted by the Census Bureau, the federal government's largest statistical agency. The statistics can be used to inform more than hundreds of billions of dollars to states and communities for services like fire stations, schools, and clinics every year for the next 10 years. It also determines how many seats in Congress each state receives. 

 

"We are honored to partner with the Census Bureau to educate our fans about the importance and benefits of participating in the U.S. Census," said Jill Gregory, NASCAR executive vice president and chief marketing and content officer. "NASCAR is a highly effective marketing platform that reaches millions of fans residing in communities across the country. We look forward to informing our fans how they will be invited to respond to the 2020 Census online, in addition to by phone or by mail, for the first time in history."

 

In addition to its race entitlement sponsorship at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the Census Bureau will have at-track activation at Phoenix Raceway, Auto Club Speedway and Richmond Raceway. Additionally, an educational campaign will run across NASCAR's Digital platforms and air across NASCAR programming on MRN.

 

"Partnering with the U.S. Census Bureau for our NASCAR Xfinity Series race gives Homestead-Miami Speedway another tremendous opportunity for our 25th anniversary," said Homestead-Miami Speedway President Al Garcia. "We're honored to serve as a host track for such an important initiative that affects our entire country. We also look forward to our fans experiencing all the amenities our facility has to offer, as well the exciting racing, which will feature Dale Earnhardt Jr."

 

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season kicks off with the 62nd annual DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, February 16 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. 

 

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation's major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR consists of three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series™), three regional series, one local grassroots series, three international series and the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, Americrown Service and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat ('NASCAR').

 

Contact:

Chris Tropeano

NASCAR Communications


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Trip Down Memory Lane

BRANDON JONES

Trip Down Memory Lane

 

HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (Feb. 12, 2020) – As the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series kicks off this weekend at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Brandon Jones will be taking a trip back in time for Saturday's Xfinity Series season-opening NASCAR Racing Experience 300 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

 

Jones, driver of the No. 19 Interstate Batteries Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), will have a familiar scheme and partner on board to honor newly minted NASCAR Hall of Famer and team owner Joe Gibbs and former JGR and Interstate Batteries driver Bobby Labonte. Jones will have the honor of sporting the Interstate Batteries scheme Labonte ran during the 1995 season while scoring his first win for the team in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedwaythat season, besting his brother Terry Labonte for the win that day.

 

Jones and his Interstate Batteries team are poised to keep up the Xfinity Series momentum they gained late in the 2019 season. Entering his third season driving for JGR, Jones is coming off a career year with six top-five finishes and, more importantly, his first career Xfinity Series win at Kansas last October.

 

Jones will throw it back to May 1995 when Labonte scored his first ever NASCAR Cup Series win. Labonte had been close to victory before, finishing second earlier in the 1995 season at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham and at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

 

But in the longest of all NASCAR races, and just like Jeff Gordon had done one year earlier, Labonte was able to capture his first Cup Series victory in one of the biggest races of the season.

 

"That was a 'leading-up to' win," Labonte said. "We had finished second to Jeff Gordon at Atlanta and Rockingham, so we were leading up to being a contender. We got to Charlotte and we qualified well and ran well. I remember following Kenny Schrader with about 50 laps to go and I was on him and catching him and catching him and I thought, 'I don't know, it's going to be tough to pass him here, but we'll give it our best shot.'"

 

"He broke a motor with about 40 laps left and I remember thinking, 'Oh my gosh, what am I going to do?' Because I had been running second in race after race after race and now I'm leading."

 

His crew chief, Jimmy Makar, who is now the senior vice president of racing operations at JGR, knew exactly what to do. Get to the end of the 400-lap, 600-mile marathon race. 

 

"You always know that anything can happen and it's not over until it's over," Makar said. "But, when Schrader blew up, you realized that you're inheriting the lead and other than Schrader, there was no one that was as strong as us at that point in the race. So, I knew that unless something happened to us, and anything can happen and you just never know, but you just knew we had a shot at winning it. And it was an 'oh-my-gosh' moment that was 'Hey, we could win this thing.'"

 

"It was a real knot-in-the stomach moment when we took the lead and knew it was our race to lose. You just started counting laps."

 

And the thought of beating his brother was not lost on Labonte in the closing laps.

 

"It was really cool because Terry ended up finishing second," Labonte said. "We ended up pulling away from Terry and we had a big lead. It was just one of those things – you never forget your first win. I've always said that. It was just such a big event. Everyone was just on cloud nine and was happy to see it happen. We'd finished second a couple of times before that and had come so close. We knew a win was around the corner. We just didn't know it was going to be in a big race like that."

 

The victory came in Labonte's 11th race with Joe Gibbs Racing and Interstate Batteries after he took over for Dale Jarrett at the end of the 1994 season. And the win was huge in validating JGR's decision to hire Labonte when Jarrett left for Robert Yates Racing.

 

"I think it validated everything we did," Makar said. "It was a huge confidence builder. We knew Bobby was a good racecar driver and had the potential to win, but a lot of guys have potential and never win. So for him to close the deal was a huge confidence boost for everybody. You just didn't worry because you went in to races from that point on, knowing you had a chance to win. That was a big deal to all of us that year."

 

For Labonte, it was a chance to give back to Norm Miller, chairman of Interstate Batteries, who had welcomed him with open arms.

 

"Norm was the type of guy – it was never like 'Hey, we had Dale Jarrett, now we have you, you better step up to the plate." Labonte said. "There was none of that. To be honest with you, what I remember was that it was instantly like family. You just had a feel of that with Norm and everybody at Interstate. I was excited to have that kind of feeling." 

 

So as Jones heads back to Daytona to start his fifth full season of Xfinity Series competition, he'll try and channel the Gibbs and Labonte Hall of Fame magic and get them to victory lane some 25 years later.

BRANDON JONES, Driver of the No. 19 Interstate Batteries NASCAR XFINITY Series Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing: 

How does it feel to have your name added to the list of drivers who have driven the Interstate Batteries brand?

 

"We are proud of Coach (Joe Gibbs) for his recent induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Our 19 team is excited to be able to drive the same Interstate Batteries scheme that brought home Coach and Bobby Labonte's first win together in 1995.  It's a real honor.  One of the things you learn quickly at JGR is how important Interstate Batteries is to Coach and all of us at JGR.  I think everyone knows the name Norm Miller and how special he is. Our goal is to put this Interstate Batteries paint scheme back in victory lane for Coach, Norm and everyone who's had a hand in getting JGR to where it is today."

Meet the No. 19 Interstate Batteries/Joe Gibbs Racing Team

Car No.: 19 – Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry  

Road Crew Members:
 

Driver: Brandon Jones

 

Crew Chief: Jeff Meendering

 

Car Chief: Eddie D'Hondt Jr.

 

Spotter: Stevie Reeves

 

Engine Builder: Mark Cronquist

 

Engineers: Chris Minogue

 

Shock Specialist: Scott Meyers

 

Mechanics: Joey Elliott, Matt Petrea

 

Tire Specialist: Lee Herendeen

 

Engine Tuner: Drue Parsons

 

Truck Driver: David Hicks

Pit Crew Members:

 

Front Tire Changer: Mike Hicks

 

Rear Tire Changer: Jeff Cordero

 

Tire Carrier: Joe Crossen

 

Jackman: T.J. Ford

 

Gas Man: Matt Tyrell

 

Brandon Jones Career Highlights at Daytona International Speedway:

● This is Jones' third full season at Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) coming off a 2019 campaign in which he scored his first career Xfinity Series victory in Kansas last October.

● Jones made his first career start at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 20, 2016. He started seventh and finished seventh.

● Jones earned his first Daytona pole for the February 2017 Xfinity Series season opener.

● In eight career starts at Daytona, Jones has earned one top-five finish and three top-10s. His average start is 12.2 and average finish is 17.4.

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Posted by Marc Patrick Roy at 11.2.20 0 comments

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