From JR Motorsports PR –
DRIVER: Ben Rhodes / No. 88 Alpha Energy Solutions Chevrolet
RACE: U.S. Cellular 250 (250 laps / 218.75 miles)
TRACK: Iowa Speedway
DATE: Saturday, Aug. 1, 2015
Quotes | Ben Rhodes
“I am more excited for my return to Iowa than I’ve been for any of my three previous XFINITY starts. Since I have already run there, my confidence level is much higher and I know that we will have an even better Alpha Energy Solutions Camaro than before, thanks to the hard work and collaboration of the entire JR Motorsports team.
“My goals for this weekend are to finish all the laps and to get a top 10. I haven’t met my top-10 goal since my last Iowa start, so it is exciting for me to go back. The key is to be more patient and minimize my mistakes. In the past, I was aggressive in times that I needed to patient and it cost me positions on the track. The good news is that I have been finishing all the laps and using each race in the No. 88 as an opportunity to better myself as a driver.”
Notes | No. 88 Team
THERE’S COMFORT IN RETURN: For the first time in his budding NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) career, Rhodes will be returning to a track where he has experience in the series. The JRM rookie and 2014 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) champ made his NXS debut at Iowa Speedway on May 17, scoring a seventh-place finish and receiving his high-school diploma on the same day. Of all of the tracks on his 10-race schedule, the .875-mile oval is the one where he has the most experience, running in four NKNPSE races at the facility and earning one win, two top-five and four top-10 finishes in those events, prior to his top-10 NXS debut in May.
MEET BEN: Fans will have two chances to meet the JRM rookie this weekend. Rhodes will be at the JR Motorsports merchandise hauler on Friday, July 31 from 1:45-2:15 p.m. CT and he will be participating in the NASCAR XFINITY autograph session on Saturday, Aug. 1 from 2-2:45 p.m. CT.
SAME TRACK, SAME CAR: The No. 88 team will unload with chassis No. 775 this weekend. The chassis has been in circulation since 2013 and has been raced seven times with multiple JRM drivers, but was most recently driven by Rhodes in the May race at Iowa where he finished seventh.
ALPHA ENERGY SOLUTIONS: Rhodes’ primary partner, Alpha Energy Solutions, Inc., based in Louisville, Ky., is a mechanical service provider with multiple specialties. One of the largest self-performing service providers in the Midwest, Alpha provides building management services to commercial and industrial customers.
RHODES’ 2015 SCHEDULE: Rhodes is entering the busiest month of his 10-race schedule in the No. 88 Alpha Energy Solutions Chevrolet. He will pilot the JRM entry at Watkins Glen (Aug. 8), Mid-Ohio (Aug. 15), Road America (Aug. 29), Kentucky (Sept. 26), Dover (Oct. 3) and Homestead (Nov. 21).
For the full event preview, click here for the PDF.