Dylan Lupton NASCAR XFINITY Series New Hampshire Lakes Region 200 Preview

Dylan Lupton NASCAR XFINITY Series New Hampshire Lakes Region 200 Preview

Topics: Dylan Lupton, Lakes Region 200

Dylan Lupton NASCAR XFINITY Series New Hampshire Lakes Region 200 Preview

Chris Knight
Knight Motorsports Management
July 16, 2015

Dylan Lupton, No. 25 Zaxby’s Chevrolet Camaro, Lakes Region 200 Fast Facts

NASCAR XFINITY Series Race No. 17, Lakes Region 200 New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, New Hampshire

Race Information: Event: Lakes Region 200, Saturday, July 18 at 4:00 p.m. Local Time Track: New Hampshire Motor Speedway Qualifying: Saturday, July 18 at 11:15 a.m. Local Time Track Length: 1.058-mile paved oval.

Answering The Call For Fourth XFINITY Series Start: Originally not slated for his part-time NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule, Athenian Motorsports informed NASCAR Next driver Dylan Lupton on Monday that he would wheel the No. 25 Zaxby’s Chevrolet Camaro in Saturday afternoon’s Lakes Region 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Chicagoland Speedway Recap: In his third NASCAR XFINITY Series start of the season, Lupton made his intermediate track debut at Chicagoland Speedway in the AttiCat 300. After getting up to speed in the first practice session, the 21-year old quickly found his groove in the final practice session bolting his No. 25 Zaxby’s Chevrolet Camaro into the top-10.

While Lupton qualified 22nd, he was in contention for another top-20 finish when an incident 55 laps from the finish resulted in a disappointing 34th place finish in the postponed AttiCat 300.

Richmond Roundup: In April, Lupton made his second NASCAR XFINITY Series start at the 0.875-mile paved oval. After adapting to “America’s Premier Short Track” in practice, Lupton qualified 22nd and finished 28th completing 246 of the 250 laps. While the finish wasn’t what the rookie driver had hoped for, the goal to see the checkered flag was achieved.

XFINITY Debut: Lupton made his NASCAR XFINITY Series debut at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway in March for 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.

Chassis Intel: Veteran crew chief Mike Ford has elected to bring Athenian Motorsports chassis number 09 to the 1.058-mile paved oval track this weekend. This Chevrolet Camaro is appearing in its second race with Athenian Motorsports this season. This race chassis last competed in the NASCAR XFINITY Series event this spring at Iowa Speedway with John Wes Townley. The team will utilize chassis number 08 as its backup.

Announcement Coming Soon: Lupton will soon announce that his busy August schedule will get even busier. In the coming weeks, the Californian will announce an opportunity that will aid him towards his XFINITY Series road course debut at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Mid-August. Furthermore, Lupton also plans to unveil his new driver coach soon.

#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.

The next contest will take place next week, stay tuned to Lupton’s social media avenues for further information.

Summer Vacation: While juggling a profession behind the wheel, Lupton recently completed 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. He’ll return for his senior year in the fall.

Keeping The Skills Sharp: While not behind the wheel of the No. 25 Zaxby’s Chevrolet Camaro, Lupton has competed in several Late Model events back at home in California. In addition to racing, Lupton has spent time with his family, while also aggressively working on his 2016 racing season which he hopes includes a full-time NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule.

Member Of Elite Class: In May, Lupton was announced as one of 12 drivers in the NASCAR Next program. The 2015-2016 class marks the second year that Lupton has been a part of the program. NASCAR Next, an evolution of the Next9 initiative that began in 2011, is an all-embracing industry initiative to help spotlight the sport’s rising stars – and boost fan recognition around talent that will grow into NASCAR Sprint Cup Series mainstays.

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.

XFINITY Schedule Set: In addition to Phoenix, Richmond, Chicagoland and New Hampshire Motor Speedway, 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 four other races, including: Iowa Speedway (August), Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Road America (Wisc.) and Kentucky Speedway (September).

Additional sponsorship could add additional races to his platter in his freshman season of XFINITY competition.

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.

Athenian Motorsports, New Hampshire Motor Speedway Pre-Race Quotes: Dylan Lupton, driver of the No. 25 Zaxby’s Chevrolet Camaro:

On His Most Recent NASCAR XFINITY Series Race At Chicagoland Speedway: “We had a really fast car at Chicagoland Speedway. We showed that in practice. While we didn’t qualify as well as we wanted to, we were moving forward in the race and make some pretty good process before we ended up the day in the garage. I learned a lot and I’m appreciative to the team for all of their efforts.”

On Getting The Call To Drive At New Hampshire Motor Speedway: “I was planning to go back to California after spending the weekend with the team at Kentucky Speedway. When they called me on Monday, I was really humbled. It showed me that they are devoted to my racing career and giving me another opportunity to gain experience and hopefully a good finish. I don’t plan to let them down.”

On Outlook For New Hampshire Motor Speedway: “You know, I don’t know much about the track. I’m hoping when I get on the track it has some similar characteristics to Phoenix International Raceway, a track where I have hundreds of laps. Honestly though, I don’t know what to expect. There’s a lot of action on the track so when I’m not on the track, I plan to do a lot of talking and watching.”

On Goals At New Hampshire Motor Speedway: “I owe it to the team to make up for Chicagoland, so I’m hopeful that we can put ourselves in contention for a top-15 finish. Of course, the goal overall is just to finish races and gain experience. But with the Hendrick Motorsports motors we’ve been receiving, not to mention the setup and hard work that Mike (Ford, crew chief) and the guys have done, we need to leave the track with the car intact and a solid finish under our belts so they can look forward to Indianapolis next weekend.”

On Being A Returning Member Of NASCAR Next Program: “I’m very honored to be a returning member of the NASCAR Next program. The NASCAR Next program has taught me a lot as I continue my journey to the top of the sport. I’ve embraced every opportunity that the program has offered and it’s really been influential in my quest to learn the ins and outs of the sport.”

On Upcoming Announcement: “It’s a cool deal. It’s important for me to get as much seat time as possible and our announcement achieves that. I’m looking forward to it being officially announced here in the next few weeks.”

PRIOR RESULTS:

Dylan Lupton, New Hampshire Motor Speedway Prior NXS Performance Record:

Dylan Lupton will make fourth NASCAR XFINITY Series start this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, no prior starts.

The Lakes Region 200 (200 laps / 211.6 miles) is the 17 of 34 events on the 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule. The first practice session of the weekend begins on Friday, July 17 from 1:00 p.m. to 1:55 p.m. A final practice session has been etched in closer to race conditions later in the day from 3:00 p.m. – 4:25 p.m. Qualifying is set for race day, Saturday, July 18 scheduled to lift off at 11:15 a.m. The 40-car starting field will take the green flag shortly after 4:00 p.m. with live coverage on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), the Performance Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90. All times are local.

Fast Links:

Driver: Dylan Lupton on Twitter @LuptonDylan or visit LuptonRacing.com or on Facebook.

Team: Follow Athenian Motorsports on Twitter @AthenianMotors.

Marketing Partner: Zaxby’s: Zaxbys.com.

Sanction: NASCAR XFINITY Series: NASCAR.com.

About Zaxby’s Racing:

Zaxby’s has been a fixture in NASCAR since 2007 with driver John Wes Townley. In July 2014, Zaxby’s joined forces with Athenian Motorsports. AMS will operate out of a new, state-of-the-art, 43,000 square foot facility in Concord, N.C. in 2015. The team will carry the Zaxby’s colors as it fields full-time entries in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

About Zaxby’s:

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.

PHOTO CREDIT: Dylan Lupton, driver of the No. 25 Zaxby’s Chevrolet Camaro in the NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) for Athenian Motorsports. (Photo Credit: Grace Wyant Krenrich for Lupton Racing).

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