USA Pickleball hits the NASCAR track with Ryan Truex driving the ShopUSAPickleball.com car at Martinsville Speedway
On Friday, April 8th USA Pickleball will take the game off the pickleball courts and onto the NASCAR track as Ryan Truex of Joe Gibbs Racing will drive the ShopUSAPickleball.com car in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race, Call 811 Before You Dig 250 powered by Call 811.com at Martinsville Speedway at 7:30pm ET.
“As the fastest growing sport in America, naturally, we were thrilled when MTJ Merchandising presented to us the ShopUSAPickleball.com car they had created for Ryan Truex of Joe Gibbs Racing to run in the Xfinity Series at Martinsville Speedway,” said Justin Maloof, COO of USA Pickleball. “This unique opportunity provides us with yet another way to gain exposure for the sport and continue to introduce the game to more audiences as NASCAR enthusiasts tune in on Friday night on FoxSports 1.”
Pickleball and NASCAR enthusiasts will be able to visit ShopUSAPickleball.com to rally behind Ryan Truex and purchase a “Loud and Proud” Limited Edition Tee that features the USA Pickleball car.
“We’re excited to put ShopUSAPickleball.com as the primary sponsor on the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra for the Martinsville Xfinity Series race this Friday night,” said Todd Moore, President of MTJ Merchandising. “As USA Pickleball’s merchandising partner, our goal is to build awareness of the fastest growing sport in the United States, pickleball. We’re proud to extend the opportunity to USA Pickleball to have the recognition as the primary sponsor on Ryan’s race car this weekend.”
Visit NASCAR.com for full details about the April 8th race schedule and follow @USAPickleball on social media for race highlights.
No. 18 ShopUSAPickleball.com Toyota GR Supra News and Notes:
- Back Again: Ryan Truex returns to the track this weekend in the No. 18 ShopUSAPickleball.com Toyota GR Supra. Truex is making his second of four scheduled starts in the No. 18 this weekend. In his last outing in the No. 18 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway back in March, Truex started seventh and finished 30th following a lap 190 accident.
- Welcome USA Pickleball: USA Pickleball joins Truex and the No. 18 team this weekend in Martinsville. USA Pickleball promotes the growth of pickleball by maintaining the rules, setting player ratings, advancing the sport through its national network of 1,800 ambassadors, and sanctioning tournaments. Since 2013, USA Pickleball membership has grown 1,250% in its membership to nearly 57,000. More information can be found at usapickleball.org. Follow USA Pickleball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
- Clean Slate: Truex will be making his first-career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Martinsville Speedway on Friday night. However, the 30-year-old knows his way around the “paperclip”. In seven-career NASCAR Truck Series starts at Martinsville, Truex has one top-10 finish to his credit while completing 1,430 laps.
- JGR at Martinsville: In 13 combined Xfinity Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, JGR has earned one win, six top-five finishes and 11 top-10s. The team has led 241 laps, with an average start of 9.7 and an average finish of 7.9.
- Race Info: The Call 811 Before You Dig 250 at Martinsville Speedway is scheduled for Friday, April 8, 2022, at 7:30 p.m. ET. Watch and listen live on FoxSports 1, Sirius XM Channel 90 and MRN Radio.
From the Cockpit:
Ryan Truex: “I’m looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of the No. 18 Toyota GR Supra on Friday night at Martinsville. Jason (Ratcliff) and the team at Joe Gibbs Racing continue to bring fast Toyota GR Supra’s to the track each weekend and I feel really confident that will continue at Martinsville. It’s really cool to have USA Pickleball and ShopUSAPickleball.com on our Toyota this weekend. As America’s fastest-growing sport, they are making their venture into NASCAR, and hopefully, we can go out and put on a good show for them and grab that first win of the season.”
About USA Pickleball
The USA Pickleball Association, a non-profit 501(c)(3) was established in 2005 to further the advancement of the sport on a national level. As the official governing body of pickleball in the United States, USA Pickleball promotes the growth of pickleball by maintaining the rules, setting player ratings, advancing the sport through its national network of 1,800 ambassadors, and sanctioning tournaments. Since 2013, USA Pickleball membership has grown 1,250% in its membership to nearly 57,000. More information can be found at usapickleball.org. Follow USA Pickleball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.