thtdon
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Posts posted by thtdon
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Start pos. Driver Car # Team 1 Kyle Larson 5 Hendrick Motorsports 2 Chase Elliott 9 Hendrick Motorsports 3 Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing 4 Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing 5 Joey Logano 22 Team Penske 6 Brad Keselowski 2 Team Penske 7 Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing 8 Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske 9 Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing 10 Kurt Busch 1 Chip Ganassi Racing 11 William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports 12 Christopher Bell 20 Joe Gibbs Racing 13 Alex Bowman 48 Hendrick Motorsports 14 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing 15 Chris Buescher 17 Roush Fenway Racing 16 Ross Chastain 42 Chip Ganassi Racing 17 Bubba Wallace 23 23XI Racing 18 Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing 19 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports 20 Daniel Suarez 99 TrackHouse Racing 21 Matt DiBenedetto 21 Wood Brothers Racing 22 Chase Briscoe 14 Stewart-Haas Racing 23 Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing 24 Cole Custer 41 Stewart-Haas Racing 25 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing 26 Ryan Preece 37 JTG Daugherty Racing 27 Ryan Newman 6 Roush Fenway Racing 28 Erik Jones 43 Richard Petty Motorsports 29 Corey LaJoie 7 Spire Motorsports 30 BJ McLeod 78 Live Fast Motorsports 31 Cody Ware 51 Petty Ware Racing 32 Anthony Alfredo 38 Front Row Motorsports 33 Josh Bilicki 52 Rick Ware Racing 34 Joey Gase 53 Rick Ware Racing 35 Justin Haley 77 Spire Motorsports 36 Quin Houff 00 StarCom Racing 37 Garrett Smithley 15 Rick Ware Racing 38 Timmy Hill 66 Motorsports Business Management This data was obtained from NASCAR.com
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This data was obtained from NASCAR.com
LEADERBOARD
Team
Crew Chief
Hollywood Casino 400
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Oct 24
3:00 PM/EST
Race
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This data was obtained from NASCAR.com
34
Cody Ware
51 |
Petty Ware Racing
Mike Hillman Sr.
36
Garrett Smithley
15 |
Rick Ware Racing
Ken Evans
38
David Starr
66 |
Motorsports Business Management
Johnny Roten
39
Timmy Hill
13 |
Motorsports Business Management
Michael Contarino
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This data was obtained from NASCAR.com
32
Cody Ware
51 |
Petty Ware Racing
Mike Hillman Sr.
34
Garrett Smithley
53 |
Rick Ware Racing
Ken Evans
35
Scott Heckert
78 |
Live Fast Motorsports
Frank Kerr
36
Joey Hand
52 |
Rick Ware Racing
Billy Plourde
39
Timmy Hill
66 |
Motorsports Business Management
Johnny Roten
Bank of America ROVAL 400
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Oct 10
2:00 PM/EST
Race
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This data was obtained from NASCAR.com
LEADERBOARD
Team
Crew Chief
31
Cody Ware
51 |
Petty Ware Racing
Mike Hillman Sr.
37
Garrett Smithley
15 |
Rick Ware Racing
Ken Evans
39
James Davison
66 |
Motorsports Business Management
Johnny Roten
40
Landon Cassill
96 |
Gaunt Brothers Racing
Jacob Canter
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I do a lot of lockouts. I always have. And I am very good at it. I estimate that I open 99% of the lockouts that I attempt. I do as many lockouts as tows. And I rarely have any issues doing so. I can't remember the last time that I was accused of damaging a car while unlocking it. I get a lot of tips. I get enough tips to keep me caffeinated every day.
One night a couple of weeks ago, I got a call to open a Porsche. Historically, a Porsche can be a very difficult car to open. When I attempt to open any car, whether it is a Porsche or a Pinto, I cover the surfaces that I come in contact with duct tape. The only trouble with that is in the summer, the adhesive on the duct tape really sticks, and I have to rub the surface clean. So I taped up around the door post. I put the air wedge in place. And I inserted the long rod. (Something to bear in mind about the long rod is, you should replace it when the finish begins to chip off. The rod is powder coated, and not painted. A chip in the coating can scratch the paint on the car. And more than once, I have cut myself on a chip. So I am very careful, and I make sure that I replace a rod that has the coating chipping off.)
I tried unsuccessfully to open this Porsche. I probably worked at it longer than usual, as generally I can unlock a car in under 10 seconds. I reluctantly told the customer that I was giving up. And I suggested that he call a locksmith. I told him that a locksmith could cut a key from the VIN. And that key will open the door. But it won't start the car. When I removed the duct tape, the customer noticed that there was a slight scratch on the corner of the glossy plastic filler piece that sits between the front door and the back door. Even though I covered it with duct tape, the rod wore through the tape on the sharp corner, and left a scratch. I fully expected that I would end up replacing that glossy filler piece. But I did not expect a $1300 bill for it. The pictures that were provided by the damage claim person were fuzzy and unclear. I know exactly what I did. But the fuzzy pictures suggest that the door is all scratched, way more than I did. I got a notification from the motor club that the customer had claimed damage. The damage claims person emailed the claim to me. But he did not call first. The email box that the claim was sent to gets over 100 pieces of junk messages a day. So I did not notice the message from the motor club. I came across it a few days ago, while looking for another message. The matter is not settled yet. Although it is pointless to contest it because I always lose. All I can do is refuse to try to unlock a Porsche again. And I refuse to service that guy again. He was an asshole to me from the minute that I arrived. I think that he was mostly mad at himself for locking the keys his car. But he took his anger out on me. He will not get another bite of the apple from me.
For the chump change that they pay us for our services, it is not worth the risk to try to service anything where there is a real possibility of damage. Earlier today, I received what I thought was a routine call to tow a 2021 Mercedes to the dealership. But after I read through the whole call, I discovered that the wheels were stolen from the car, and that it was sitting on the ground. I informed the car owner that she will have to secure a set of wheels and 20 lug nuts before I will respond. She agreed with me, and we canceled the call. I called in the cancellation to the motor club. But the dispatcher I talked to was sitting in her kitchen in India, I think. I don't know whether she understood me or not.
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This date was obtained from NASCAR.com
30
Garrett Smithley
53 |
Rick Ware Racing
Billy Plourde
35
Cody Ware
51 |
Petty Ware Racing
Mike Hillman Sr.
38
JJ Yeley
66 |
Motorsports Business Management
Johnny Roten
4
5
6
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This data was obtained from NASCAR.com
lineup
LEADERBOARD
Team
Crew Chief
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This data was obtained from NASCAR.com
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1
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This data was obtained from NASCAR.com
31
Cody Ware
51 |
Petty Ware Racing
Mike Hillman Sr.
34
Garrett Smithley
53 |
Rick Ware Racing
Ken Evans
38
Kaz Grala
16 |
Kaulig Racing
Matt Swiderski
40
David Starr
66 |
Motorsports Business Management
Johnny Roten
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This data was obtained from NASCAR.com
1 Kyle Larson 5 Hendrick Motorsports 2 Chase Elliott 9 Hendrick Motorsports 3 Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske 4 Matt DiBenedetto 21 Wood Brothers Racing 5 Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing 6 Kurt Busch 1 Chip Ganassi Racing 7 Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing 8 Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing 9 Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing 10 Alex Bowman 48 Hendrick Motorsports 11 Chris Buescher 17 Roush Fenway Racing 12 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing 13 Erik Jones 43 Richard Petty Motorsports 14 Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing 15 Bubba Wallace 23 23XI Racing 16 Ryan Newman 6 Roush Fenway Racing 17 Justin Haley 77 Spire Motorsports 18 William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports 19 Joey Logano 22 Team Penske 20 Brad Keselowski 2 Team Penske 21 Chase Briscoe 14 Stewart-Haas Racing 22 Ross Chastain 42 Chip Ganassi Racing 23 Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing 24 Corey LaJoie 7 Spire Motorsports 25 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports 26 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing 27 Cole Custer 41 Stewart-Haas Racing 28 Christopher Bell 20 Joe Gibbs Racing 29 Josh Bilicki 52 Rick Ware Racing 30 Daniel Suarez 99 Trackhouse Racing 31 Quin Houff 00 StarCom Racing 32 Ryan Preece 37 JTG Daugherty Racing 33 Garrett Smithley 53 Rick Ware Racing 34 James Davison 15 Rick Ware Racing 35 Anthony Alfredo 38 Front Row Motorsports 36 BJ McLeod 78 Live Fast Motorsports 37 Cody Ware 51 Petty Ware Racing -
I got a call from a woman yesterday, similar to other calls that I have received previously, looking for a receipt to get money refunded. In this case, last Saturday, a woman called AAA for service. And she waited 5 hours, and received no service. That sounds odd to me because the building where AAA keeps their trucks is just down the street from where she was stranded. So she called Toyota Roadside Assistance. However, her Toyota Prius was past the warranty, and she had no coverage. So she paid the motor club with her credit card over the phone for them to send a tow. So I got the call, arrived within the promised ETA, loaded the car onto the flatbed and I delivered the car to the Toyota dealership in Haverhill. She was a little unhappy because I told her that she would have to secure her own ride. But the call was completed within the promised ETA. Cased closed.
So on Monday, the woman complained to AAA about the lack of service. They instructed her to get a receipt from the other motor club and submit it to them, and they would pay her. She was adamant that I was going to refund her money. That was not going to happen. Since no money changed hands between that woman and me, no refunds will be given, and no tow receipts will be given either. Besides, does the motor club really want me to know that they charged her at least double the money for the service that they paid me? I think not. Now if they gave the call to me and informed me that it would be a cash call, and the woman paid me directly, I would have issued a tow receipt to her.
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Cup qualifying will take place Sunday morning @ 9:00am on CNBC.
This data was obtained from NASCAR.com
LEADERBOARD
Team
Crew Chief
Verizon 200 at the Brickyard
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Aug 15
1:00 PM/EST
Race
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This data was obtained from NASCAR.com
LEADERBOARD
Team
Crew Chief
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Recently I had a call for a jump start. I got to the car, greeted the customer, and asked him what the car was doing. He got in, turned the key, and it started right up. So he decided that he would just drive the car. Fine with me. But then he demanded that I refund $90.00 to him. That is what the motor club charged him for a jump start that was 1 mile from my shop. I couldn't make the guy understand that I am not the one that he paid the $90.00 to. I told him that he would have to call who he called in the first place for his refund. He got right up in my face. And he blocked me from leaving with his car. I saw a police cruiser passing by, and I got his attention to stop. The customer practically knocked me down, so he could get to the cop first. Of course, he was screaming at the cop, which wasn't helping his case. Then I told the cop my side. In the end, the cop sent the guy on his merry way. All I got was a GOA out of it. Wasn't worth my time. But just so you know, the motor club charged this guy $90.00 for a jump start. Not me. The car was a mile away from my shop. And I got there within 30 minutes, which was 30 minutes sooner than my ETA. I think that he was insured by State Farm. You wonder why people get pissed. The motor club was the bad guy.
I remember a while back, the motor club called to complain to me that the customer was complaining that I charged him $4.00 a mile for over-mileage. I have been charging that for years. And AAA charges their members $4.00 a mile for over-mileage also. Anyway, today it is rare that we get any over-mileage because the motor club charges the customer for the over-mileage with the customer's credit card. And we get cheated out of the higher rate. Do you know what the motor club charges their customers for the over-mileage rate? $4.00 per loaded mile. Okay for them. But not for us.
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Last December I got suspended by Agero because they raised the insurance limits and they didn't tell me until I already renewed the insurance and I already paid the down payment. I had to come up with more money down before the insurance company would implement the raised coverage. And that took some time, especially considering the fact that I wasn't even working for them anymore. I got a raise from them, the first raise since 1997. The raise helped a little. But I told them that I needed a little more volume to make this fly. I'm doing the same number of calls as before. I believe that the insurance policy renews at the beginning of December. If they haven't made some adjustments to fix this, I will not renew the higher insurance limits. I will put it back where it was. And I will drop them. I am in a city, and because of the territory I am in, I pay a lot higher rate than if I was out in the sticks. As far as towing exotic cars, I refuse to tow them because they won't pay more. I have been through all of this before. To them, a car is a car is a car. Until you damage one. A few years back, they tried to get me to tow a Ford GT. That car is worth more than my house. They wanted to pay me the same rate, as if I was towing a Ford Focus. PASS.
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This data was obtained from NASCAR.com.
LEADERBOARD
Team
Crew Chief
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Just so you know, I would never leave anybody standing on the side of the road, as I pull away with their car. But I do what I can to encourage them to secure their own ride. I had a couple that broke down on the side of Rt. 495 a couple of months back. I called them right after I got the call, to inform them that they needed to secure their own ride. When I got there, the guy told me that he couldn't get anybody to come out. But the two of them were smiling and snickering at each other the whole time. I have no doubt that the guy never even tried to get a ride. He figured that in the end, I would just have to suck it up and let them ride with me. And he was right.
Somebody forwarded an article to me that someone out there wants a law passed that would require all tow trucks to have back seats. Good luck with that.
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I watched that video. I guess that there was a badge indicating AWD when the van was born. Like you said, it must have been removed when it was wrapped. Another thing that I learned from the video is there was an AWD Transit van in 2020 too, although I've never seen one.
So take this post as fair warning. The damage claims staff is sitting at their desks, with their 8 fingers and 2 thumbs on the keyboard, ready and willing to fill out the forms, if a client claims damage. Every time you get a call to tow a Transit, just drop down to one knee, stick your head under the truck, and take a fast look to see if the truck is all-wheel-drive. Your insurance agent will thank you.
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My neighbor is a glass installer. He works for the Safe-Light glass company. He has a company van that he drives home every night. The van is about a three year old Ford Transit van, with about 75K on it. They gave him a new Ford Transit van last Friday. He drove his old van home, emptied out his tools and belongings, and then swapped out the old van for the new van. I was talking to him in his driveway, while he worked on the new van., He told me that his new van is ALL-WHEEL-DRIVE, which will be good for him in the winter because we live on a hill. Nowhere on the van is there any badging that indicates that the van is all-wheel-drive. So that's another question that we are going to ask, so we don't inadvertently cook a transmission. My neighbor told me that all-wheel-drive in a Transit is new for 2021. It's news to me. So beware.
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I've been wanting to ask you guys about this issue for a while. I am wondering if any of you have had the same experience.
I'll give you an example. I have gotten several calls at the same address in Andover, MA. The address is a house on Dairy Lane. So when I got there, I pulled into the driveway. A man came out and asked if he could help me. He said that he never called for service. Dairy Lane is off of Greenwood Road in Andover, MA. And right there off of Greenwood Road there is a bridge that passes over I-495. It turns out that the car that I was looking for was on the highway. This car had a flat tire. And I haven't changed a flat tire on the highway in six or seven years. A flat tire on I-93, I-495, or the Rt 213 connector is a tow only. So when I call the motor club to complain about their "mistake", the dispatcher always says "oh, just change the tire right there on the highway. You're right there anyway". I always decline, and I show up with a flatbed and tow the car. I won't let them win by lying to me. But lately, it has also been happening for non-flat tires, and at other locations close to 93, 495, and 213. Sunday I had an out of gas call at the end of a dead end street, which is within sight of Rt. 213. The car was on 213. It's not like I can walk up to the car. I have to backtrack and drive all the way around. And it happened today on I-495 in Methuen for a tow call. They used Russell Farm Road in Methuen as the location. Luckily I called the customer to advise him of needing his own ride. That's when I learned of the wrong location. So I wasn't inconvenienced.
I think that Agero's mapping software is garbage. And the only way that they can dispatch a call on the highway, is to find the closest local surface street to the location on the highway, and use that. It never used to be like that. But it has been like that for over a year now. Evidently they changed mapping software. Originally I thought that they were lying to me about the locations, in an effort to trick me into changing tires on the highway. But I have had the same experience for tow calls as well.
The highway department recently renumbered all of the exits on state highways by using the mile markers. Supposedly, Massachusetts was the second last state to do that. I believe that New Hampshire is now the only holdout, God knows why. It makes perfect sense to use the mile markers. But the exits have been numbered consecutively for all the years that I have been driving. So it is going to take a while to get used to the new system. But that's not Agero's fault.
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thtdon present and accounted for! Happy 4th of July!
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This data was obtained from NASCAR.com
LEADERBOARD
Team
Crew Chief
31
Cody Ware
51 |
Petty Ware Racing
Mike Hillman Sr.
33
Bayley Currey
15 |
Rick Ware Racing
Pat Tryson
37
Garrett Smithley
53 |
Rick Ware Racing
Billy Plourde
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1
Chris Buescher
17
Roush Fenway Racing
2 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports 3 Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing 4 Christopher Bell 20 Joe Gibbs Racing 5 Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing 7 Bubba Wallace 23 23XI Racing 8 Daniel Suarez 99 Trackhouse Racing 9 Chase Elliott 9 Hendrick Motorsports 10 Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing 11 Brad Keselowski 2 Team Penske 12 Kyle Larson* 5 Hendrick Motorsports 13 Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing 14 Joey Logano 22 Team Penske 15 Kurt Busch 1 Chip Ganassi Racing 16 Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske 17 Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing 18 William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports 19 Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing 20 Alex Bowman 48 Hendrick Motorsports 21 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing 22 Erik Jones 43 Richard Petty Motorsports 23 Ryan Preece* 37 JTG Daugherty Racing 24 Chase Briscoe 14 Stewart-Haas Racing 25 Cody Ware 51 Petty Ware Racing 26 Anthony Alfredo* 38 Front Row Motorsports 27 Justin Haley 77 Spire Motorsports 28 James Davison 15 Rick Ware Racing 29 Garrett Smithley 53 Rick Ware Racing 30 BJ McLeod 78 Live Fast Motorsports 31 Quin Houff 00 StarCom Racing 32 Matt DiBenedetto 21 Wood Brothers Racing 33 Ross Chastain* 42 Chip Ganassi Racing 34 Josh Bilicki 52 Rick Ware Racing 35 Timmy Hill 66 Motorsports Business Management 36 Corey LaJoie* 7 Spire Motorsports 37 Ryan Newman* 6 Roush Fenway Racing 38 Cole Custer* 41 Stewart-Haas Racing This data was obtained from NASCAR.com
Starting Lineup- SUNDAY, 11/07/2021- Race 36 of 36- NASCAR CUP SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP- @ 3:00pm- on the NBC Network- @ Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, AZ.
in The Finish Line
Posted
This data was obtained from NASCAR.com
1
Kyle Larson
5 |
Hendrick Motorsports
Cliff Daniels
2
Chase Elliott
9 |
Hendrick Motorsports
Alan Gustafson
3
William Byron
24 |
Hendrick Motorsports
Rudy Fugle
4
Ryan Blaney
12 |
Team Penske
Todd Gordon
5
Kurt Busch
1 |
Chip Ganassi Racing
Matt McCall
6
Denny Hamlin
11 |
Joe Gibbs Racing
Christopher Gabehart
7
Cole Custer
41 |
Stewart-Haas Racing
Mike Shiplett
8
Christopher Bell
20 |
Joe Gibbs Racing
Adam Stevens
9
Kevin Harvick
4 |
Stewart-Haas Racing
Rodney Childers
10
Joey Logano
22 |
Team Penske
Paul Wolfe
11
Brad Keselowski
2 |
Team Penske
Jeremy Bullins
12
Martin Truex Jr
19 |
Joe Gibbs Racing
James Small
13
Kyle Busch
18 |
Joe Gibbs Racing
Ben Beshore
14
Alex Bowman
48 |
Hendrick Motorsports
Greg Ives
15
Matt DiBenedetto
21 |
Wood Brothers Racing
Jonathan Hassler
16
Ross Chastain
42 |
Chip Ganassi Racing
Philip Surgen
17
Daniel Suarez
99 |
TrackHouse Racing
Travis Mack
18
Aric Almirola
10 |
Stewart-Haas Racing
Mike Bugarewicz
19
Ryan Newman
6 |
Roush Fenway Racing
Lucas Lambert
20
Tyler Reddick
8 |
Richard Childress Racing
Andrew Dickeson
21
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
47 |
JTG Daugherty Racing
Brian Pattie
22
Chase Briscoe
14 |
Stewart-Haas Racing
John Klausmeier
23
Austin Dillon
3 |
Richard Childress Racing
Justin Alexander
24
Corey Lajoie
7 |
Spire Motorsports
Ryan Sparks
25
Bubba Wallace
23 |
23XI Racing
Bootie Barker
26
Chris Buescher
17 |
Roush Fenway Racing
Scott Graves
27
Erik Jones
43 |
Richard Petty Motorsports
Jerry Baxter
28
Michael McDowell
34 |
Front Row Motorsports
Drew Blickensderfer
29
Justin Haley
77 |
Spire Motorsports
Kevin Bellicourt
30
Anthony Alfredo
38 |
Front Row Motorsports
Seth Barbour
31
Ryan Preece
37 |
JTG Daugherty Racing
Trent Owens
32
BJ McLeod
78 |
Live Fast Motorsports
Frank Kerr
33
Cody Ware
51 |
Petty Ware Racing
Mike Hillman Sr.
34
Joey Gase
53 |
Rick Ware Racing
Billy Plourde
35
Quin Houff
00 |
StarCom Racing
George Church
36
David Starr
13 |
Motorsports Business Management
Johnny Roten
37
Josh Bilicki
52 |
Rick Ware Racing
Jason Houghtaling
38
Garrett Smithley
15 |
Rick Ware Racing
Ken Evans
39
Timmy Hill
66 |
Motorsports Business Management
Michael Contarino