Dylan Lupton NASCAR XFINITY Series Iowa Speedway Practice Report

Dylan Lupton NASCAR XFINITY Series Iowa Speedway Practice Report

Topics: Dylan Lupton, U.S. Cellular 250

Dylan Lupton NASCAR XFINITY Series Iowa Speedway Practice Report

Chris Knight
Knight Motorsports Management
July 31, 2015

NASCAR XFINITY Series, 7th Annual U.S. Cellular 250 presented by New Holland
Event No. 19, Iowa Speedway, Newton, Iowa
First And Final Practice Notes And Quotes
Friday, July 31, 2015

NASCAR Next driver Dylan Lupton’s prior experience at Iowa Speedway in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West division paid dividends Friday at Iowa Speedway.

Making his fifth career NASCAR XFINITY Series start of the season in Saturday night’s U.S. Cellular 250 presented by New Holland at Iowa Speedway, the Wilton, California native utilized two practice sessions to dial in his No. 25 Zaxby’s / @LuptonDylan Chevrolet Camaro.

In the first practice session of the day in the heat of the day, Lupton posted the 25th fastest lap, pacing 52 laps around the 0.875-mile paved oval. Lupton battled a loose condition throughout the whole practice. Not only did the loose feeling affect the two-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series West winner on entry, but it also hindered the upcoming driver getting through the corner.

Crew chief Mike Ford quickly went to work making adjustments for the final practice session slated for closer to actual race conditions. In happy hour, Lupton was much more comfortable with his Hendrick Motorsports powered race car and it showed. Quickly posting a fast time inside the top-15, Lupton ended the session 19th overall, turning a whopping 69 laps around the Rusty Wallace-designed race track.

While the Athenian Motorsports team elected not to make a mock-qualifying run Friday, the team is confident in the direction of their program in Lupton’s Iowa Speedway XFINITY Series debut.

Lupton, a graduate of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West will make his fourth XFINITY Series start driving the No. 25 Zaxby’s Chevrolet Camaro for Athenian Motorsports.

The UNCC-Charlotte student made his most recent start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in mid-July. In March, the California made his XFINITY debut at Phoenix (Ariz.) International, finishing 19th after starting 23rd.

The 21-year-old who is also a UNCC-Charlotte student program has four NASCAR K&N Pro Series West starts at Iowa Speedway, finishing all inside the top-10. On Saturday night, Lupton will make his fourth short track start in the 19th race of the 2015 season.

DYLAN LUPTON, NO. 25 ZAXBY’S CHEVROLET CAMARO

Team: Athenian Motorsports

First Practice Time: 24.758 seconds at 127.232 miles per hour.

First Practice Position: 25th

Fastest Lap: 31st

Number of Laps Completed: 52

Final Practice Time: 24.317 seconds or 129.539 miles per hour.

Final Practice Position: 19th

Fastest Lap: 45th

Number of Laps Completed: 69

Qualifying Draw: 23 / 40

“We made great strides with our No. 25 Zaxby’s / @LuptonDylan Chevrolet Camaro. We struggled to get the car up to speed like we wanted to in the first practice, but Mike (Ford, crew chief) and the Athenian Motorsports guys did a great job getting the car fine-tuned in-between practices.

“When we went out for final practice, it almost felt like a different car. The car was really hooked up to the track and the problems we battled during the first practice session deteriorated quickly. We opted not to make a mock qualifying run during the last practice and I think that will play into our hands during race day.

“We’ll qualify during the day and then race at night. It’s important that we keep our car adapting to the track conditions and stay ahead of that as best as we can. We haven’t had a top-20 finish since Phoenix in March and I honestly feel that the car we have for the race is plenty capable of a top-15, maybe even a top-10 under the right circumstances.

“We’re going to be incredibly busy during the month of August, so to start off that busy stretch with a good finish in Iowa is exactly what we’re determined to do. None of this would have been possible without Tony (Townley), John Wes (Townley), Mike (Ford, crew chief) and the entire Athenian team and I want to thank them again for that.”

The U.S. Cellular 250 (250 laps / 218.75 miles) is the 19 of 34 events on the 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule. 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.

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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