4/24/2015
Dylan Lupton
Richmond Preview
Welcome To The Big Leagues Round 2: After monstrous success in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West (KNPSW), Dylan Lupton will make his second NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS)
start Friday night at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. Lupton will drive the No. 25 Zaxby’s Chevrolet Camaro for Concord, North Carolina-based Athenian Motorsports.
XFINITY Debut: Lupton made his NASCAR XFINITY Series debut at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway last month in the Axalta Faster. Tougher. Brighter. 200. With prior experience at the 1.0-mile track in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Series, Lupton arrived at the track highly optimistic. Lupton had a solid showing, qualifying 23rd and finishing a respectable and competitive 19th.
Richmond Is Familiar Turf: While Lupton has never competed at “America’s Short Track” in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, he was invited to participate in the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown, an invitation only celebrity Late Model charity race at RIR in 2012. Proceeds from the Showdown go to support the Denny Hamlin Foundation (DHF).
Look What I’ve Done: For the past two seasons (2013 and 2014), Lupton has competed in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Series driving for Sunrise Ford Racing. In the two years driving the No. 9 Ford Fusion, Lupton notched two wins, 13 top-fives and 26 top-10s in 29 races. After finishing fifth in points in 2013, Lupton battled Greg Pursley for the championship last year, but fell short and finished second.
From Driver To Teacher: Lupton, a member of the current NASCAR Next program participated in a STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) presentation at Auto Club (Calif.) Speedway last month, where the Californian taught local students about aerodynamics and its effects on racecars. Lupton is a frequent ambassador to the STEM program and will continue his role at several more appearances this season.
Closing In On Checkered Flag: While juggling a profession behind the wheel, Lupton is also in his junior year of college at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) where he is pursuing a business degree. Lupton has maintained a grade point average (GPA) of 3.11 throughout his tenure.
#PayItForward With Lupton: In an effort to bring NASCAR fans closer to the inside, Lupton is determined this summer to use social media to his advantage to offer Lupton Racing swag, which will include FREE race tickets to upcoming NASCAR XFINITY Series races, as well as official Athenian Motorsports gear. Lupton will also offer chances to earn garage passes to select races as part of his initiative to give back through his creative version of #PayItForward.
XFINITY Schedule Set: In addition to Richmond, the two-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series West winner is also scheduled to appear in the No. 25 Zaxby’s Chevrolet Camaro in at least five other races, including: Chicagoland Speedway (June), Iowa Speedway, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Road America (Wisc.) and Kentucky Speedway (September).
Additional sponsorship could add at least eight more races to his platter in his freshman season of XFINITY competition bringing the total to 15 events this season.
It’s Not Just Fast Food, Its Zaxby’s: Zaxby’s will plaster its colors on the No. 25 Chevrolet Camaro this weekend at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. Zaxby’s is the primary sponsor for Lupton’s Athenian Motorsports teammate John Wes Townley.
An alternative to fast food, Zaxby’s offers its guests prepared-at-order Chicken Fingerz, Traditional or Boneless Wings, sandwiches, Zalads and Zappetizers, along with a variety of nine sauces ranging from Wimpy and Tongue Torch to Nuclear and Insane. Childhood friends Zach McLeroy and Tony Townley hatched the Athens, Ga.-based chain in 1990 to provide a fun, relaxing atmosphere that would keep guests coming back for more. The company ranked number seven in the 2012 Top 10 Excellent Large Fast-Food Chains With 500 or More U.S. Units Quick-Track study published by Sandelman & Associates.
The chain also ranked number five in the nation for total sales and number one in the chicken segment in the 2012 Top 150 Fast-Casual Chain Restaurant Report published by Technomic. In honor of the thousands of children the restaurant chain serves every year, Zaxby’s is a proud supporter of Make-A-Wish. The company operates more than 595 locations in 13 states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
Chassis Intel: Veteran crew chief Mike Ford has elected to bring Athenian Motorsports chassis number 002 to the 0.75-mile short track this weekend. This Chevrolet Camaro is appearing in its third race with Athenian Motorsports. This race chassis last competed in the NASCAR XFINITY Series event this spring at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway with Lupton. The team will utilize chassis number 001, a brand new car as its backup.
Athenian Motorsports, Richmond (Va.) International Raceway Pre-Race Quotes:
Dylan Lupton, driver of the No. 25 Zaxby’s Chevrolet Camaro:
On NASCAR XFINITY Series Debut At Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway: “Phoenix went pretty good. Of course, you always like to qualify and finish better than you actually did, but for us, the first race was successful. We learned a lot about each other and that will help us for future races.”
On Building Relationship With Athenian Motorsports: “The guys at Athenian Motorsports work very hard. We don’t have all the bells and whistles that some of the major powerhouse teams do, but Tony (Townley, car owner) gives us the tools to get the job done. John Wes (Townley) has been doing a good job these last couple of races and the cars have been super-fast. I’m excited to get behind the wheel on Friday night.”
On Outlook For Richmond (Va.) International Raceway: “Richmond is a very dynamic track. I love the place. It’s a plan where finesse is important, but speed and handling are just as crucial. It’s a one-day show Friday, so we need to take advantage of practice and get our No. 25 Zaxby’s Chevrolet Camaro dialed. In qualifying, I’d like to qualify in the top-15, so we have a shot at a good finish in the race.”
On Goals At Richmond (Va.) International Raceway: “With a top-20 finish in our debut together at Phoenix, our team is raising the bar and focused on a top-15 performance on Friday night. Of course, we’d’ like to bring Athenian Motorsports a top-10 finish at Richmond, but if we can’t, we just want to have a competitive race and build on our communication for the next one.”
PRIOR RESULTS:
Dylan Lupton, Richmond International Raceway Prior NXS Performance Record:
Dylan Lupton will make second NASCAR XFINITY Series start this weekend at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, no prior starts.
The Richmond 250 (250 laps / 187.5 miles) is the eighth of 34 events on the 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule. The first practice session of the weekend begins on Friday, April 24 from 8:15 a.m. to 10:25 a.m. Qualifying is set for later in the day, scheduled to lift off at 3:45 p.m. The 40-car starting field will take the green flag shortly after 7:00 p.m. with live coverage on FOX Sports 1, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90. All times are local.
Submitted By: Dylan Lupton
