RSS Racing | Joe Graf Jr. Atlanta Motor Speedway NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Preview

No. 38 RSS Racing Team:

Driver: Joe Graf Jr. 

 

Primary Partner(s): JACOB Companies

 

Manufacturer: Ford Mustang

 

Crew Chief: Steve Addington

 

Spotter: Joe Campbell

 

Engine: Roush-Yates Engines

 

Driver Championship Point Standings: 16th

 

Team Championship Point Standings: 19th

 

Starting Position: 27th (Qualifying canceled due to inclement weather).

Notes of Interest:

 

New Home: After spending the last three seasons with SS GreenLight Racing with Jeff Lefcourt (2020 – 2022), Joe Graf Jr. moved to RSS Racing during the offseason where he’ll spend the majority of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season competing for the Sugar Hill, Ga.-based team.

 

In addition to RSS Racing, Graf will also compete in a limited NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule driving the No. 19 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing.

 

Fast Start: With a career-best seventh-place finish earned at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway with RSS Racing and two respectable top-15 finishes with Joe Gibbs Racing at Auto Club (Calif.) Speedway and Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway respectively, Graf enters Saturday afternoon’s Raptor King of Tough 200 at Atlanta 16th in the championship point standings.

 

RSS Racing’s No. 38 team has also had a solid start to 2023 – which has the team 19th in the owner championship standings guaranteeing Graf into Saturday afternoon’s starting field.

 

Welcome Aboard: Joe Graf Jr. and RSS Racing welcome JACOB Companies, a multifaceted construction firm as the primary marketing partner of the No. 38 Ford Mustang for the fifth NASCAR Xfinity Series race of the 2023 season.

 

The Raptor King of Tough 200 will mark the company’s first event as a primary partner in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Joe Graf Jr. and RSS Racing, respectively.

 

Sponsor Intel: JACOB is a nationally certified, WBENC, woman-owned, multifaceted construction firm with a focus on construction, design and building services, structural concrete and technology. Jacob specializes in Hotels, Stadiums & Athletic Facilities, Parking Garages, Hospital & Healthcare facilities, Assisted Living facilities, Automotive Dealerships and High-Rise Structures.

 

As a full-service organization, we provide our clients with a wide range of design and technical support services for architecture, engineering, technology, land planning and development. The key to our success is in understanding that we are an extension of the owner.

 

We act in the owners’ best interest from the inception of the project in order to ensure its success.

 

Thanks For Your Support: With just nine percent of the 2023 Xfinity Series season complete, Joe Graf Jr. and RSS Racing would like to thank their associate marketing partners: AVOID, Bass Reaper Bait Company,  Bucked Up Energy Drink, CoverSeal, EAT SLEEP RACE Apparel, fgrACCEL, G-Coin,  GTECHNIQ, Lefcourt Brothers Racing, Model Electronics and ShopRite for their continued support. 

 

Catch Him On The Dial: Before Joe Graf Jr. straps into his No. 38 JACOB Companies Ford Mustang on Saturday afternoon, the RSS Racing driver will be featured on “The Frontstretch” on SiriusXM Satellite Radio Channel 90 with host Pat Patterson on Saturday morning, March 18, 2023, at approximately 10:00 a.m. ET.

 

Graf will also spotlight a new commercial featuring CoverSeal in several spots throughout the weekend, including the full four-hour program on Sunday, March 19, 2023. 

 

Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Atlanta Motor Speedway Stats: Joe Graf Jr. will make his sixth NASCAR Xfinity Series start at the 1.5-mile speedway on Saturday afternoon.

 

In his previous five starts, Graf has delivered a track-best of 23rd earned in the March 19, 2022, running of the Nalley Cars 250 after starting 23rd.

 

Overall, he has an average finish of 26.6 at Atlanta.

 

He has also completed 820 of 825 laps for a 99.4 percent lap completion.

 

Joe Graf Jr. Xfinity Series Career Speedway Stats: At tracks classified as a speedway, Graf has competed in 49 NASCAR Xfinity Series races. He holds an average starting position of 25.7 and an average result of 25.9.

 

Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway | United Rentals 200 Race Recap: In his most recent NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway, Graf and the RSS Racing team showcased the No. 38 GTECHNIQ Ford Mustang in the fourth Xfinity Series race of the season.

 

After qualifying a respectable 24th – Graf battled the handling of his race car throughout the event leaving the Georgia-based team with a frustrating but lead lap 31st 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 Steve Addington is Joe Graf Jr.’s crew chief.

 

He will crew chief his 268th NASCAR Xfinity Series race as crew chief on Saturday afternoon and his 11th race in the Peach State.

 

In his previous 267 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, he has collected 11 wins, 10 poles, 68 top-five and 118 top-10 finishes.

 

Hello From The Other Side: Graf Jr. has two teammates at RSS Racing.

 

Veteran Ryan Sieg will drive the No. 39 CMRroofing.com Ford Mustang, while younger brother Kyle Sieg will drive the No. 28 RSS Racing Ford Mustang. 

 

Ryan Sieg is set to make his 306th career Xfinity Series start overall and 13th at Atlanta. His best Xfinity Atlanta track finish occurred twice but most recently in the 2022 Nalley Cars 250, where he finished 10th after starting ninth for his family-owned RSS Racing team.

 

Kyle Sieg is set to make his 23rd career Xfinity Series start overall and third at Atlanta. His best Xfinity Atlanta track finish occurred in the 2022 Alsco Uniforms 250, where he finished 16th after starting 29th for his family-owned RSS Racing team. 

 

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), Instagram (@joegrafjr) and YouTube.

 

For more on RSS Racing, please like them on Facebook (RSS283839) and follow them on Instagram (@rss283839) and Twitter (@RSS283839). 

Joe Graf Jr. Quoteboard: 

 

On Atlanta Motor Speedway: “First, I am very excited and thankful to welcome JACOB Companies to the RSS Racing team this weekend at Atlanta. JACOB Companies has invested a lot of money in NASCAR throughout the years and I’m excited to be partnered with a very loyal partner who is committed to my racing career.

 

“Atlanta has been an OK track for me. We were running in the top-10 last March and were taken out on a restart. That stunk because were fast. We salvaged the day with an OK finish but I definitely want more this week, especially considering how bad we ran last weekend at Phoenix.

 

“Everyone worked hard at Phoenix, but we missed the setup. Hopefully, Atlanta is kinder to us and we can contend for a top-15 or better on Saturday afternoon.”

 

On 2023 Season Outlook: “This is a year of opportunity for me. I’ll be competing for two different teams which brings some pressure for me but only because I want to go out there and do my very best in every race run for both Joe Gibbs Racing and RSS Racing.

 

“I just need to stay focused, communicate with my team and utilize the knowledge that I’ve gained over the past three years to have my best Xfinity Series season yet.”

 

Race Information:

 

The Raptor of King of Tough 250 (163 laps | 251.02 miles) is the fifth of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2023 schedule. The 38-car field will take the green flag on Sat., Mar. 18 shortly after 5:00 p.m. with live coverage on FOX Sports 1, the Performance Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90 (Satellite Radio).  

 

RSS Racing PR