Returning Home to Hickory: Following up a tough weekend of racing at Newport Speedway last weekend, Cory Joyce is heading back to familiar territory for the 4th Annual Banjo Matthews Memorial UARA-STARS race at Hickory Motor Speedway. Though his No. 20 machine was badly damaged in a late-race incident less than a week ago, Joyce and his team will work long hours this week to prepare for 150 laps of racing on Saturday night.
Racing at Hickory in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series full time in 2009, Joyce is no stranger to the historical North Carolina short track. He claimed his first career stock car win there in the fall of that year and has several strong finishes to his record. With confidence in his abilities at the one-third mile oval and a new partnership with Ultimate Turf, Joyce is entering the weekend with power on his side.
"Hickory was the site of my first stock car win, so I always look forward to going back there. It's been good to us in the past and it's nice to race so close to home, especially this week with a short turnaround from the race last weekend. Everyone on the Cory Joyce Racing team has worked extremely hard this week to get the Ultimate Turf Chevy turned around and ready to go for Saturday, so we're all hoping for a good run in return."
Two UARA-STARS practice sessions are scheduled for 12:30-1:30 pm and 2:15-3:30 pm, with qualifying set for 5:00 pm EST. The green flag for the Banjo Matthews Memorial is scheduled for 7:30 pm EST; however, the UARA-STARS competitors will be sharing a packed track schedule with three other racing divisions, so the schedule is subject to change pending other scheduled events. You can follow Cory in real time Friday on CoryJoyce.com via the LandAirSea GPS tracking system or on pay-per-view by visiting www.MotorsportsBroadcasting.com. Get live updates throughout the weekend on Twitter @CoryJoyceRacing, and on Facebook at facebook.com/CoryJoyceRacing.
Ultimate Turf Partners with Cory Joyce Racing: Joining Cory Joyce Racing for the first of many races, Ultimate Turf will make its first appearance on the No. 20 Chevy Impala this weekend at Hickory Motor Speedway. Ultimate Turf provides the world's finest synthetic turf products and the largest selections of synthetic turf in the world.
Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, Ultimate Turf's main manufacturing plant is located in Dalton, Georgia, and distributes products across the United States as well as to the United Kingdom and the Virgin Islands. Looking to help bring product awareness to a larger audience and increase knowledge of Ultimate Turf products, CEO Greg Smith feels the partnership with Cory Joyce will help accomplish these goals.
"We know Cory has what it takes and believe he will represent of vision, values and brand in the most professional way. Ultimate Turf has very strong core values and we see that Cory has similar values in his family and his commitment to racing. We see a tremendous future in him," said Smith. "He is a focused, hard worker and we feel he would represent our Ultimate Turf brand in a very professional way. We're more than excited to see him race the No. 20 Ultimate Turf Chevy this weekend at Hickory and look forward to a long and successful relationship."
Ultimate Turf is the industry leader in synthetic grass technology and is different from other turf manufacturing competitors thanks to its wide range of products and applications. After many years of extensive research and studies comparing the needs, demands and concerns of natural grass and synthetic grass surfaces, Ultimate Turf is now manufacturing the leading synthetic turf products, including Ultimate K9 Turf, Ultimate Play Turf, Ultimate Sport Turf, and Ultimate Golf Turf products. As the Ultimate Turf staple, Ultimate K9 Turf is the industry-leading turf manufactured especially for dogs and other pets. For more information, please visit UltimateTurf.com.
A Look Back at Newport: The UARA-STARS tour made its first of two trips in three weeks to Newport Speedway on Saturday night, June 16, for the Jeff's Auto Sales 150. Short track racing on the high banked oval produced several challenges for Cory Joyce and the No. 20 Kabang Energy Candy/LandAirSea team, including an engine issue during practice and tight racing situations all weekend. A tangle in lapped traffic with just 25 laps remaining cost Joyce a chance at a solid night and left him with a wrecked race car in 17th place.
Event Details:
4th Annual Banjo Matthews Memorial
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Hickory Motor Speedway
.363-Mile Oval
150 laps/ 54.45 miles
Event Time: 7:30 pm EST
Follow Cory in real time.
Media Contact:
Kirby Johnson
Public Relations Manager
Cory Joyce Racing
176 C Knob Hill Rd
Mooresville, NC 28117
608.289.8919
kirby@coryjoyceracing.com
Cory Joyce Fan Page
Cory Joyce Racing Twitter
Photos by Drew Heiwarter
