JUSTIN BOSTON
Boston Looks to Make a Good First Impression at Daytona
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Feb. 16, 2015) – Justin Boston will make his debut in the No. 54 BitPay Toyota Tundra this weekend for Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) in the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. As the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series kicks off the 2015 season, the 25-year-old Boston is hoping to kick off his rookie campaign with a strong performance at Daytona.
The KBM Tundras have made nine starts at the 2.5-mile superspeedway resulting in one win, three top-five finishes and 37 laps led. The team’s first and only win came last year when team owner/driver Kyle Busch made an amazing pass on the outside lane coming down the frontstretch and nudged fellow Toyota competitor Timothy Peters by .016-seconds at the stripe to pick up the victory.
Although this will be his first start at Daytona in a truck, Boston is no stranger to the World Center of Racing. He competed in the ARCA Racing Series at Daytona in 2013 and 2014. Despite not getting the finishes he wanted, he did gain valuable experience which will help him on track this weekend.
Also new for Daytona, BitPay will be the primary sponsor on Boston’s Tundra. BitPay is the world’s leading bitcoin payment processor, which enables businesses to accept bitcoin payments. Bitcoin is a digital currency that has recently been making headlines. It is the fastest and most secure payment method in the world. Businesses such as Microsoft, Newegg, WordPress and Tiger Direct are some of the 50,000 businesses accepting bitcoin payments through BitPay’s platform. The financial technology company has chosen to enter NASCAR with KBM and Boston.
Throughout the race, fans will be encouraged to use special hashtag #JBossBitcoin to engage both NASCAR fans, as well as the Bitcoin community.
Justin Boston, Driver of the No. 54 NCWTS BitPay Tundra:
What are your expectations for Daytona?
“It’s hard to say I expect ‘X’ out of a place like Daytona, but to run up front the entire race and be in position to contend for the win is what I am really looking for. We are bringing a new KBM Tundra to the race, so I know we will be really good speed-wise. It’s just going to be a matter of putting myself in position to have a good finish and contend for a win.”
How will your past ARCA experience help you in the NCWTS race?
“I think any laps on a track before you go there in a truck are beneficial, and Daytona is no different. I learned a lot the past two seasons with how the ARCA cars handled in the draft on those types of race tracks, and I think it will definitely help me when we take to the track for the first time.”
Talk about working with Shannon (Rursch, crew chief) and everyone at KBM so far:
“I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited to head to the race track. Working with Shannon and all of my guys on the 54 team has been awesome, and KBM as a whole is a top-notch organization to be plugged in with.”
Shannon Rursch, Crew Chief of the No. 54 NCWTS BitPay Toyota Tundra:
With Justin being a rookie at Daytona, what will your strategy be?
“Strategies at Daytona change every minute. I’ll have four or five strategies in my head throughout the race, but the superspeedway races are kind of by the seat of your pants. It will be important to make sure Justin is comfortable in the truck, nothing is dragging and the handling is as good as we can make it. We need to keep him out of trouble throughout the race and then the end is usually a free-for-all, but hopefully he’ll be running with the contenders at the end.”
Justin Boston’s No. 54 BitPay Tundra:
KBM-26: The No. 54 BitPay team will roll out KBM-26 for Friday’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway. This is a new Tundra the team built in the off-season.
KBM-026 Performance Profile
|
Date |
Site |
Driver |
Start |
Finish |
Laps |
Laps Led |
Status |
|
2/20/15 |
Daytona |
Boston |
|
|
|
|
|
Notes of Interest:
Justin Boston @ Daytona
|
Date |
Series |
Start |
Finish |
Laps |
Laps Led |
Status |
|
2/15/14 |
ARCA |
31 |
40 |
12/80 |
0 |
Accident |
|
2/16/13 |
ARCA |
13 |
31 |
41/80 |
0 |
Accident |
Justin Boston 2014:
- Collected two ARCA Racing Series victories (Toledo Speedway and Madison Speedway) and three pole awards
- Registered seven top-five and 13 top-10 finishes en route to a fifth-place finish in the ARCA Racing championship point standings
- Posted top-12 finishes in both of his NASCAR XFINITY Series starts for Joe Gibbs Racing, including a ninth-place finish at Kentucky Speedway in September
- Made NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway in August
Justin Boston 2013:
- Earned eight top-five and 16 top-10 finishes en route to a third-place finish in the ARCA Racing championship point standings
Justin Boston 2009:
- Garnered four top-10 finishes and 21 laps led in six USAR Pro Cup Series starts
Before getting behind the wheel of a stock car, Boston cut his racing teeth in motocross at the age of five. He won his first race at the age of six in the 50cc class at Timonium State Fairgrounds indoor short track and went on to register over 300 podiums while competing in the 50cc/65cc/80cc and 85cc divisions. The talented youngster won the Maryland State Championship in the 50cc division at Budds Creek Motocross Park in 1998 and competed in the Loretta Lynn Amateur Motocross Championships for three consecutive years (1998-2000), where he raced against current American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) stars Mike Alessi, Zach Osborne and Cole Seely.
Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 54 Tundra:
- Has earned five wins, three poles, 963 laps led, 14 top-five and 26 top-10 finishes across 44 starts the last two seasons
- Finished fourth in the Owner’s Championship standings in 2014 and 10th in 2013
KBM NCWTS Program
- Has collected three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Owner’s Championships, 39 Truck Series victories and 18 poles across 201 starts since originating in 2010
- 39 career Truck Series victories as an organization ranks third all-time behind Roush (50) and Kevin Harvick Inc. (43)
- 14 victories as an organization during the 2014 season broke the Truck Series record of 12 set by Ultra Motorsports in 2001
- Has won 17 of the last 26 races, dating back to Darrell Wallace Jr.’s win at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in October of 2013
- Six different drivers have won a race for KBM, led by owner-driver Kyle Busch with 26. Darrell Wallace Jr. collected five victories, Erik Jones has posted four wins, Denny Hamlin produced two victories and Kasey Kahne and Brian Scott both collected one triumph
- Has collected victories at 17 of the 21 tracks on the 2015 schedule, excluding Atlanta Motor Speedway, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Michigan International Speedway and Pocono Raceway
KBM NCWTS @ Daytona International Speedway
KBM drivers have collected one win, three top-five and three top-10 finishes across nine starts at Daytona resulting in an Average Finish of 15.9. Owner-driver Kyle Busch picked up the team’s first victory at the 2.5-mile Tri-oval in dramatic fashion in last year’s season opener, finishing .016 seconds ahead of fellow Toyota competitor Timothy Peters. The best starting position a KBM driver has earned is sixth, which has happened three times, most recently by Busch for the 2013 event.
The Rursch Report:
Shannon Rursch will call the shots for Justin Boston’s rookie campaign in the Truck Series in 2015. The Iowa native may be new to KBM, but is no stranger to sitting atop the pit box. Rursch comes to KBM from Turner Scott Motorsports (TSM), where he most recently served as crew chief for the No. 31 team in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. In addition to leading the XFINITY Series team in 2014, he collected three top-10 finishes in four starts as crew chief for TSM in select Truck Series events last season. Rursch is a 2004 graduate of the NASCAR Technical Institute (NTI) and upon his promotion in July became the first alumnus of the school to be named a crew chief in one of NASCAR’s top three divisions. The 10-year veteran of the sport got his start as a mechanic at Sadler Racing in 2004 and then served as a car chief at Evernham Motorsports, Phoenix Racing and Robby Gordon Motorsports before moving to the same position at TSM in 2010.
About BitPay
BitPay is the global leader in bitcoin payment processing with offices throughout North America, Europe, and South America. The company has raised over $32 million from top investors including Index Ventures, Founders Fund, and Sir Richard Branson.
-KBM-
