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A new era has started for SS GreenLight Racing. The NASCAR Xfinity Series team has formed an alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing and will switch to Ford Performance after previously working with Chevrolet.
SS GreenLight Racing announced the news on Friday, January 7, with a press release. The team confirmed that it will use Roush Yates Engines while SHR will provide technical support for all 33 races on the Xfinity Series schedule. Along with announcing the alliance with SHR, SS GreenLight Racing also confirmed that Joe Graf Jr. will return for his third full-time season with the team.
“I am excited to be joining the Ford Performance group this season,” said Bobby Dotter, owner of SS GreenLight Racing, in a statement. “I know they have a proven winning product, and I am looking forward to working with them and the other Ford teams.
“I have had a great working relationship with Stewart-Haas Racing for a number of years on other various racing projects, so it’s great to see this relationship come full circle of this magnitude. Having that prior relationship with SHR, I have seen what Ford does for its team and having an alliance with them should speed up our learning curve and result in better on-track performances next season.”
The alliance with SS GreenLight Racing is the latest for SHR. The organization also announced a technical alliance with Xfinity Series team RSS Racing, as well as another with Rick Ware Racing.
2 SHR Drivers Will Join SS GreenLight Racing for Select Races
While Graf will return to the team on a full-time basis, two other drivers will join the fold for select races. Third-year driver Cole Custer and reigning Rookie of the Year Chase Briscoe will both make starts for SS GreenLight Racing.
Custer, the 2020 Rookie of the Year, will make “a minimum of four starts” for the organization as part of the technical alliance. Briscoe only has one race on his Xfinity Series schedule. The team did not provide details for when either driver will climb into the Ford stock car.
“The addition of Cole and Chase driving a limited schedule for SS GreenLight Racing will also be an added benefit to help evaluate the team’s transition,” said Stewart-Haas Racing executive Joe Custer. “The team’s technical support with SHR should allow SS GreenLight Racing the opportunity to showcase a performance peak in the series on a consistent basis.”
Graf Originally Joined SS GreenLight Racing in 2020
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GettyJoe Graf Jr. will return to SS GreenLight Racing in 2022.
A former member of Richard Childress Racing’s driver development program, Graf made his Xfinity Series debut in 2019 with three races in the No. 21 entry. He then joined SS GreenLight Racing in 2020 and ran a full schedule in the No. 08.
Graf returned to SS GreenLight Racing in 2021 and made 29 total starts with one top-10 finish at Talladega Superspeedway. He ran 26 races in the No. 07 Chevrolet and three in the No. 17 that SS GreenLight Racing operated with Rick Ware Racing.
Graf was one of the drivers that did not qualify for the Memorial Day Weekend race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He also missed the first-ever Xfinity Series race at Circuit of the Americas due to a left knee strain that limited him during practice sessions. Ross Chastain replaced him in the No. 07 Chevrolet.
Graf will now return to SS GreenLight Racing for his third full-time season, and he will have the support of a powerhouse organization. He will also continue to work with Joe Williams, the crew chief who joined him midway through the 2021 season and guided him to the 10th-place finish at Talladega.
“I am so stoked for the new opportunities in 2022,” Graf said in a statement. “Our new relationship with Stewart-Haas Racing and Ford will allow us to continue to grow and improve as a team and hopefully give us the opportunity to showcase our ability in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at our highest level yet.
“This new relationship with Stewart-Haas Racing is more than about a technical alliance, it’s about being a part of a new family and a team that has enjoyed monstrous success in the Xfinity Series for the past several seasons.
“Joe Williams will return as my crew chief next season, and I know we both feel like this new opportunity not only has the potential to bring SS GreenLight Racing to new heights but hopefully elevate this team to a highly competitive perennial organization.”
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