Dylan Lupton Iowa Speedway U.S. Cellular 250 Fast Facts

Dylan Lupton Iowa Speedway U.S. Cellular 250 Fast Facts

Topics: Dylan Lupton, U.S. Cellular 250

Dylan Lupton Iowa Speedway U.S. Cellular 250 Fast Facts

Chris Knight
Knight Motorsports Management
July 30, 2015

Dylan Lupton, No. 25 Zaxby’s Chevrolet Camaro, U.S. Cellular 250 Fast Facts

NASCAR XFINITY Series Race No. 19, U.S. Cellular 250 Iowa Speedway, Newton, Iowa

Race Information: Event: U.S. Cellular 250, Saturday, August 1 at 7:00 p.m. Local Time Track: Iowa Speedway Qualifying: Saturday, August 1 at 3:45 p.m. Local Time Track Length: 0.875-mile paved oval.

Welcome Back To The Hawkeye State: Slated for his fifth career NASCAR XFINITY Series start this weekend, Dylan Lupton returns to Iowa Speedway, site of Saturday night’s U.S. Cellular 250 driving the No. 25 Zaxby’s Chevrolet Camaro for Athenian Motorsports.

Lupton returns to the Rusty Wallace designed race track for the first time since last August.

Last Race Recap; New Hampshire Motor Speedway: Making an unexpected start for Athenian Motorsports earlier this month at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Lupton pitch-hinted for teammate John Wes Townley at “The Magic Mile.”

Utilizing practice to get comfortable with the flat 1.0-mile track, Lupton adapted quickly, but battled the handling of his No. 25 Zaxby’s Chevrolet Camaro throughout the weekend.

After qualifying 26th, Lupton made his presence known in the Lakes Region 200 when pit strategy saw Lupton lead his first laps in XFINITY Series competition. Later in the race, a late race caution just after pit stops would trap Lupton and his team two laps down.

With a relentless attitude, Lupton persevered and finished 24th, his best finish since a 19th place run in his XFINITY Series debut at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway in March.

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.

Subsequently, Lupton made two other starts this year at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway in April and his intermediate debut at Chicagoland Speedway in July.

I’ve Been Here Before: While Lupton will be making his NASCAR XFINITY Series debut at Iowa Speedway Saturday, he does have prior starts at the short track in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. In four starts, he has achieved one top-five and four top-10s, including a seventh place outing last August in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East / West combination event.

Lupton averages a fifth-place starting spot, while hoisting an average finish of sixth in his four prior Iowa Speedway starts.

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.

Announcement Coming Soon: Lupton will soon announce that his busy August schedule will get even busier. Next week, 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 in August 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.

Chassis Intel: Veteran crew chief Mike Ford has elected to bring Athenian Motorsports chassis number 009 to the 0.875-mile paved oval track this weekend. This chassis last competed in the NASCAR XFINITY Series event this summer at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with Lupton at the helm. The team will utilize chassis number 008 as its backup.

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.

XFINITY Schedule Set: In addition to Phoenix, Richmond, Chicagoland, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Iowa 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 three other races, including: 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, Iowa Speedway Pre-Race Quotes: Dylan Lupton, driver of the No. 25 Zaxby’s Chevrolet Camaro:

On His Most Recent NASCAR XFINITY Series Race At New Hampshire Motor Speedway: “I can’t begin to thank everyone at Athenian Motorsports for the opportunity to drive at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. We struggled to get our No. 25 Zaxby’s Chevrolet to handle the way we needed to, but it wasn’t from a lack of effort from Mike (Ford, crew chief) and the Athenian Motorsports team.

“We still took a lot of positives from the race, including leading my first laps in XFINITY Series competition. The team is determined to make the second half of the year the stronger the first and I’m looking forward to being a part of the equation.”

On Iowa Speedway This Weekend: “I’m looking forward to being back in some familiar territory this weekend at Iowa Speedway. The race provides a great opportunity for our Athenian Motorsports team to shine. The team has a really strong short track program, plus statistically, Iowa Speedway has been one of my better tracks. I’m hoping that success will carry over to our No. 25 Zaxby’s Chevrolet. I want nothing more than to give these Athenian Motorsports something to cheer about come Saturday night.”

On Outlook For Iowa Speedway: “We’re focused. Focused now more than ever. I’ve done a lot of mental preparation to get myself ready for Saturday night, plus I’ve been working out a lot to make sure I’m in the best physical shape. This time of the year, Iowa is particularly hot. I remember from last year especially.”

On Goals At Iowa Speedway: “The last time we went to a track where I had prior experience we were able to leave the track with a top-20 finish. Since then, I’ve had some seat time in the NASCAR XFINITY Series and I’ve learned a lot about the car, our team and my peers. All those components together should be a benefit to us on Saturday night.

“I want another top-20 finish. I’ll be greedy and said I’d ecstatic with a top-15 finish. I think we’re plenty capable of running inside the top-15, we just need everything to go our way in order to make it a reality.”

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: “We’re excited to make the announcement early next week. It’s a cool deal and kinda of like a throwback in a sense. It’s important for me to get as much seat time as possible and our announcement achieves that. I can’t wait for August to officially get here.”

PRIOR RESULTS:

Dylan Lupton, Iowa Speedway K&N Pro Series West Prior Performance Record:

Race	Site	Cars	St	Fin	#	Sponsor / Owner	Car	Laps	Status	Led
2013-04	Iowa	42	7	8	9	Vadio / Lupton Excavating / Sunrise Ford (Bob Bruncati)	Ford	159/159	running	0
2013-08	Iowa	40	6	6	9	Vadio / Lupton Excavating / Sunrise Ford (Bob Bruncati)	Ford	149/150	running	0
2014-04	Iowa	37	5	5	9	Sunrise Ford / Lucas Oil / Eibach (Bob Bruncati)	Ford	150/150	running	0
2014-09	Iowa	43	4	7	9	Sunrise Ford / Go Pro / Lucas Oil (Bob Bruncati)	Ford	149/150	running	0

The U.S. Cellular 250 (250 laps / 218.75 miles) is the 19 of 34 events on the 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule. The first practice session of the weekend begins on Friday, August 31 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:50 p.m. A final practice session has been etched in closer to race conditions later in the day from 6:00 p.m. –- 7:20 p.m. Qualifying is set for race day, Saturday, August 1 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 NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), the Motor 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.

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