Dylan Lupton NASCAR XFINITY Series Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 Preview

Dylan Lupton NASCAR XFINITY Series Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 Preview

Topics: Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200, Dylan Lupton

Dylan Lupton NASCAR XFINITY Series Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 Preview

Chris Knight
Knight Motorsports Management
August 13, 2015

Dylan Lupton, No. 25 Zaxby’s Chevrolet Camaro, Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 Fast Facts

NASCAR XFINITY Series Race No. 21, Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio

Race Information: Event: Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200, Saturday, August 15 at 3:30 p.m. Local Time Track: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Qualifying: Saturday, August 15 at 11:15 a.m. Local Time Track Length: 2.25-mile road course

Back Again: For the second time in three races, Dylan Lupton will return to the helm of the No. 25 Athenian Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro. Lupton, however, will make his XFINITY Series road course debut at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Saturday afternoon.

Last Race Recap; Iowa Speedway: Returning to one of his favorite NASCAR tracks, Lupton returned to Iowa Speedway earlier this month to compete in the U.S. Celluar 250. A botched qualifying effort put Lupton midpack, but the XFINITY Series rookie quickly roared through the field and found himself hunting for a top-15 finish before being spun out by a competitor late in the race.

Refusing to give up, Lupton and the Athenian Motorsports recovered from two laps lost to rebound and take the checkered flag 17th, marking a career-best finish for Lupton in XFINITY Series competition in five races. Previously, Lupton scored a 19th place run in his debut at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway in March.

Getting Reved Up: To prepare himself for Saturday’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lupton participated in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Bully Hill Vineyards 125 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International last Friday afternoon.

In an entry fielded by Jefferson-Pitts Racing, Lupton qualified eighth, but quickly forced his hand and found himself in contention for a strong finish in his K&N Pro Series East debut. Fighting off pressure from behind, Lupton hung out and finished fourth in his WGI debut giving him major momentum for the first of two NXS road course races this season.

Pretty Stout At Turning Left And Right: Lupton has prior road course racing experience in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway and Miller Motorsports Park respectively. In four starts overall between the two road courses, Lupton has achieved three top-fives and four top-10 finishes, including a personal best of second last September after starting third at Miller Motorsports Park.

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.

Chassis Intel: Veteran crew chief Mike Ford has elected to bring Athenian Motorsports chassis number 001 to the 2.25-mile road course this weekend. The team will utilize chassis number 002 as its backup. Chassis 002 last competed in the NASCAR XFINITY Series event this spring at Richmond (Va.) International Speedway with Lupton at the helm.

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.

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, Iowa Speedway and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, 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 two other races, including: 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, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Pre-Race Quotes: Dylan Lupton, driver of the No. 25 Zaxby’s Chevrolet Camaro:

On His Most Recent NASCAR XFINITY Series Race At Iowa Speedway: “I can’t even begin to describe how excited we were about the progress we made at Iowa Speedway.

“We hit some rough patches throughout the weekend, but the team refused to lose and when we thought we might have a disastrous finish, we let our bad luck near the end of the race be our motivation to succeed. We were able to recover from the spin, get back on the lead lap and finish 17th. I easily felt we could have had a better finish, we just ran out of laps. I’m incredibly proud of the team for their efforts and look forward to improving on it Saturday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.”

On NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Debut At Watkins Glen: “We weren’t really sure what to expect when we went to Watkins Glen last weekend. It was an incredibly stout and talented field, but I felt like we left our mark.

“I hadn’t been to a road course for about a year and with Mid-Ohio coming up, I thought running this race would be perfect to get me back into the swing of things for next week. Jeff Jefferson and Jerry Pitts gave me a great race car and we should that we were very competitive staying in the top-five for majority of the race. The place we struggled was Turn 5, after the bus stop, we were just really tight and couldn't get a good drive off of the corner. That corner was truly our achilles heel all day long, without it we would probably have been in victory lane. I am very thankful for the opportunity.”

On Outlook For Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course: “I’m glad to be going back road course racing this weekend. It’s something I truly enjoy doing. I’ve been doing everything I can from watching videos, talking to my Athenian Motorsports team and talking to other XFINITY Series drivers on what to expect at Mid-Ohio this weekend. I have a great feeling about the weekend and I hope we’re able to deliver.”

On Goals At Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course: “I think we have an honest chance at earning our first top-10 finish together. I know Mike (Ford, crew chief) is going to bring me a good car this weekend and I’m looking forward to showcasing my road course capabilities in the Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200.

“It’s not going to be easy. Everything has to go right and I mean everything to find yourself in the hunt for a good finish on a road course. You have to take care of your equipment, the brakes, the transmission, everything. Then, you have to avoid any chaos on the track. And lastly, there’s a chance of rain on Saturday, so if we go racing in the rain, then that opens up a whole new door. We just have stay focused and let the race unfold for us.”

On His Impressive Road Course NASCAR K&N Record: “We’ve been lucky, but we’ve also been good. I truly enjoy the fundamentals of road course racing. I work hard to be a good race car driver at any type of track, but road course racing for whatever reason has really become my niche. I know I’ll continue to learn this weekend and hope we’re able to have a good finish in the process.”

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.”

PRIOR RESULTS:

Dylan Lupton, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Prior Performance Record:

Lupton has no prior starts at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Saturday’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 will mark his NASCAR XFINITY Series at the mid-Ohio-based road course.

The Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 (75 laps / 169.35 miles) is the 21st of 34 events on the 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule. The first practice session of the weekend begins on Friday, August 14 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:25 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, August 15 scheduled to lift off at 11:15 a.m. The 40-car starting field will take the green flag shortly after 3:30 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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