Joe Graf Jr. Looks to Avenge Narrow Talladega Loss with Daytona Victory

When he made his restrictor plate track debut last year, Mahwah, New Jerey’s Joe Graf, Jr. had little experience and low expectations. After all, racing at Talladega Superspeedway is something even the most experienced of drivers can find to be a challenge too tough to conquer.

Graf defied those expectations when he finished second by the narrowest of margins to race winner Zane Smith. The margin was so narrow it was a statistical dead heat, the margin of victory on the computerized scoring monitors showing 0.000 seconds. Only a video replay and the photo finish camera were able to determine Graf finished second by a matter of millimeters.

Graf returns to a restrictor plate track for the first time since that thrilling Talladega finish in the Lucas Oil 200 driven by General Tire at Daytona International Speedway. Graf did not compete at Daytona last year, and recently made his first laps at Daytona during the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards two-day open test in January.

Graf and his Chad Bryant Racing team focused mainly on single car runs throughout the two days, which is why he was only 28th in the combined results with a fast lap at 178.713 miles per hour.

Despite not setting a blindingly fast lap in the test, Graf is enthusiastic about another crack at restrictor plate racing.

“I enjoy restrictor plate racing a lot,” he said. “The biggest challenge for me as a driver in my last and only restrictor plate race at Talladega was finding drafting partners being only a one car team and rookie driver.

“This year, that looks like it will be different and I’m really looking forward to having a Chad Bryant Racing teammate at Daytona this year and being able to work with him and together to stay near the front of the field.”

Graf expects to be just as competitive at Daytona as he was at Talladega last spring.

“I’m really looking forward to working with the whole team at Daytona this year. We have all put in a lot of work and preparation to go there and be competitive, especially what we learned from the test earlier this month. I’m looking forward to going there and running up front and be in contention for the win.”

Graf hasn’t let the narrowest of defeats side track him, especially as he prepares for his first run on the historic high banks of Daytona International Speedway.

“I don’t think about the race very much anymore to be honest, I try to focus on the next one – that’s Daytona,” he said. “Winning at Daytona would be so amazing to me, the history there and growing up (and) going to Florida every year for Speedweeks.

Graf will take to the track for the first official track activity of the season on Thursday, February 7 with a two-hour practice session from 4 to 6 pm ET. Another round of practice is set on Friday, February 8 from 9:30 to 10:30 am ET with General Tire Pole Qualifying set for 3:30 pm ET that afternoon. The Lucas Oil 200 driven by General Tire will go green shortly after 4:30 pm ET on Saturday, February 9 and will be shown live on FS1. ARCA for Me members can access free live timing & scoring, live chat, and live track updates throughout all on-track sessions. New users may register at ARCARacing.com/login.