Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race
The Place: Charlotte Motor Speedway
The Date: Saturday, May 20
The Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 6 p.m. ET (Monster Energy Open)
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 105 miles (70 laps); Stage 1
(Ends after 20 Laps), Stage 2 (Ends after 40 Laps), Stage 3 (Ends After
60 Laps), Final Stage (Ends After 70 Laps)
NASCAR XFINITY Series
Next Race: Hisense 4K TV 300
The Place: Charlotte Motor Speedway
The Date: Saturday, May 27
The Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 12:30 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 300 miles (200 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on lap 200)
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Next Race: North Carolina Education Lottery 200
The Place: Charlotte Motor Speedway
The Date: Friday, May 19
The Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: FS1, 8 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 201 miles (134 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on lap 40), Stage 2 (Ends on lap 80), Final Stage (Ends on lap 134)
MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
Truex Picks Up Second Win, Extends Playoff Points Lead
Martin Truex Jr. outlasted Coors Light
Pole winner Ryan Blaney to notch his second win of the season in last
Saturday’s Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway.
The No. 78 Furniture Row Racing driver led a race-high 104 laps and amassed five playoff points with the win. He leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with 15 playoff points – via his two victories and series-leading five stage wins – three more than Kansas runner-up Brad Keselowski’s 12.
Truex ranks second in the overall Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points standings, 44 markers below leader Kyle Larson.
The New Jersey native takes the track again in Saturday’s Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race (8 p.m. ET on FS1).
Monster Mash: Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race Ready To Roar At Charlotte
Mid-May is an exciting time of the year
for the NASCAR World. It means it’s time for the Monster Energy NASCAR
All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
This year’s Monster Energy All-Star Race
consists of four stages. The first three stages are 20 laps, while the
final stage is 10 laps. Only green flag laps will be counted in the
final stage.
The final stage consists of 10 drivers:
stage winners on the lead lap at the end of the third stage, and drivers
with the best average finish in the first three stages.
Pit road will be open for the final stage. Starting positions for the final stage will be determined by the exit off pit road.
Each team will receive one set of softer tires for use during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star race. Teams that use these tires for the final stages will start behind the teams that use the primary tires.
The All-Star field consists of 2016 and
2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship race winners, past
all-star winners, past Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champions, the
NASCAR fan vote winner and the three stage winners in the Monster Energy
Open.
Monster Energy Open Set For Saturday
The Monster Energy Open (6 p.m. ET on
FS1) will occur prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race on
Saturday. It includes three stages (20 laps/20 laps/10 laps). The winner
of each stage earns a spot in the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star race.
The Monster Energy Open field will be set by two rounds of traditional
knockout qualifying.
Cream Of The Crop: 10 Active Drivers Have Won The All-Star Race
Ten active Monster Energy NASCAR Cup
Series drivers have won the All-Star Race and taken home the $1 million
that comes with the victory.
Leading the pack is Jimmie Johnson, who
boasts a record four Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race victories. The
other past winners have all won once: Joey Logano (2016), Denny Hamlin
(2015), Jamie McMurray (2014), Kurt Busch (2010), Kasey Kahne (2008),
Kevin Harvick (2007), Matt Kenseth (2003), Ryan Newman (2002) and Dale
Earnhardt Jr. (2000).
Six drivers who have already qualified
for the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race will search for their first
win in the event: Kyle Busch, Chris Buescher, Brad Keselowski, Kyle
Larson, Martin Truex Jr. and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Blaney Dazzles At Another 1.5-Miler
Saturday’s Go Bowling 400 provided déjà vu for Ryan Blaney.
Similar to the previous Monster Energy
NASCAR Cup Series race at a 1.5-mile track at Texas Motor Speedway,
Blaney flashed dominance for a large portion of the contest, but
couldn’t close out the victory. The 23-year-old Wood Brothers Racing
driver led 83 laps from the pole and won Stage 2, but was passed for the
lead by Martin Truex Jr. with 18 go-arounds remaining and eventually
finished fourth.
In the Texas race last month, Blaney led a race-high 148 laps and won the first two stages, but ended up finishing 12th.
Blaney, an alumnus of the NASCAR Next
initiative, sits 11th in the series standings – 184 points behind leader
Kyle Larson. He is tied with Kevin Harvick for second in the series
with three stage wins. Martin Truex Jr. leads the series with five stage
wins.
Blaney’s pole was the first of his career
and the first for Wood Brothers Racing since Ricky Rudd claimed the
first starting spot at Talladega on April 25, 2004.
Larson Maintains Points Lead Following Another Top-10 Finish
Kyle Larson produced his seventh top-10 finish of the season at Kansas with a sixth-place showing.
After 11 races, Larson continues to lead
the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points standings. He is followed by
Martin Truex Jr. (44 points behind Larson), Brad Keselowski (-67),
Chase Elliott (-114) and Jamie McMurray (-121). Kevin Harvick (-128),
Kyle Busch (-150), Jimmie Johnson (-152), Joey Logano (-155) and Clint
Bowyer (-158) round out the top 10.
Larson boasts one win, five top fives,
seven top 10s and a series-leading 6.9 average finish in 11 starts this
season. He’s led 366 laps.
Suarez Ties Career-Best Finish
Daniel Suarez tied his career-best finish
with a seventh-place showing last weekend at Kansas. The No. 19 Joe
Gibbs Racing driver also finished seventh at Phoenix and Auto Club
earlier this year.
Suarez has jumped out to the lead in the
Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings. He holds a 12-point advantage over
second-place Ty Dillon and a 15-point edge on his Joe Gibbs Racing
teammate Erik Jones.
The No. 19 Toyota driver has climbed to 19th in the points standings, 33 points behind Trevor Bayne on the playoff cutoff line.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, etc.
Monster Energy To Host Bellator MMA Fights At Charlotte Motor Speedway Before All-Star Race
The Monster Energy Bellator MMA Fight
Series heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 20 prior to
the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race. All bouts are set to
take place between 3:30 and 5 p.m. ET at the Monster Energy Display in
the Charlotte Motor Speedway Fan Zone.
On Friday, May 19, former UFC champion
Tito Ortiz and former PRIDE and STRIKEFORCE titleholder Dan Henderson
will be available to sign autographs at the Monster Energy display in
the Charlotte Motor Speedway Fan Zone between 3-4 p.m. ET.
Platinum Record Artist MGK To Perform At Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race
Platinum recording artist MGK (aka
Machine Gun Kelly) will perform at Charlotte Motor Speedway following
the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race. The concert is free
to anyone with a ticket to the race. Fans can walk down from the stands
and watch the concert from the infield. MGK is best known for his single
"Wild Boy" and his "Bad Things" collaboration with Camila Cabello. MGK
will take the stage at approximately 11 p.m. His performance will be
followed by a set from DJ MADDS, who will perform until 2 a.m.
Johnson, McMurray, Kenseth Complete Assault On Mt. Mitchell Bike Ride
On Monday, May 15, Jimmie Johnson, Jamie
McMurray and Matt Kenseth completed the "Assault on Mt. Mitchell" bike
ride. The Assault on Mt. Mitchell is a 102.7-mile self-paced ride, not
race, from Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium in downtown Spartanburg,
South Carolina, along the Blue Ridge Parkway, to the summit at Mt.
Mitchell State Park in North Carolina—a total vertical ascent of more
than 10,000 feet.
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
Former Series Champs Taking On The Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race
Based on the parameters of eligibility
for the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race, seven of the 16
drivers (43.8%) entered this weekend are former NASCAR XFINITY Series
champions – Chris Buescher (2015 series champion), Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
(2011-12), Brad Keselowski (2010), Kyle Busch (2009), Kevin Harvick
(2001, 2006), Martin Truex Jr. (2004-05) and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
(1998-99).
Three former series champions have won
the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series – Carl Edwards (2011 All-Star win),
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2000) and Kevin Harvick (2007).
A Statistical Dive Peering Into Q1 Of The 2017 Season
With nine races completed this season,
let’s look at how the action we have seen on-track in 2017 compares to
years past in the NASCAR XFINITY Series:
Average Margin of Victory Per Race
– The 2017 season (nine races) currently holds the series record for
the closest MOV per race through the first nine races in series history
with a 0.411 second – previous record was 0.569 second in 2011 and 1998.
Eight of the first nine races of the season have finished with an MOV
under a second. Electronic scoring was introduced to the NXS in 1996.
Average Number of Leaders Per Race – The 2017 season (nine races) has an average number of leaders per race of 6.56 - the most since the 2013 season (9.44).
Average Number of Lead Changes Per Race – The 2017 season (nine races) has an average number of lead changes per race of 14.22 – the most since 2013 (19.00).
Percentage of Cars Finishing on The Lead Lap – The 2017 season (nine races) has a Lead Lap Finishes Percentage of 48.89% - the highest percentage since 2006 (50.65%).
Number of Winners – In 2017 there
have been seven different winners through the first nine races – which
is tied with 2014 (seven) for the most since 2006 (eight winners).
Number of Coors Light Pole Winners
– In 2017, there have been seven different Coors Light pole winners
through the first nine races – the most since 2014 (nine pole winners).
The NASCAR XFINITY Series returns to
action Saturday, May 27 at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Hisense 4K
TV 300 at 1 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Joe Gibbs
Racing’s Denny Hamlin won the event last season.
Sunoco Rookie Of The Year Spotlight: 2017 Class
Here is a quick update on how each of the 2017 Sunoco rookies in the NASCAR XFINITY Series garage are faring thus far:
William Byron – No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro
– is a 19-year old, from Charlotte, North Carolina who currently leads
the NASCAR XFINITY Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings by six
points over second-place. This season, Byron is working with veteran
crew chief David Elenz. Byron has made nine starts this season posting
two top fives and five top 10s. His average finish on the season is a
13.8 – best among the rookies this season. His season-to-date driver
rating (87.3) is ranked third-best in the series.
Daniel Hemric – No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro
– is a 26-year-old that hails from Kannapolis, North Carolina that is
currently second in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year
standings six points behind first following Talladega. Hemric has been
on the rebound since the season-opener but has since started to find his
groove while working with crew chief Danny Stockman Jr. Hemric has made
nine starts this season, posting two top fives and four top 10s. His
average finish in 2017 is a 16.6. Plus, Hemric has the sixth-best
season-to-date driver rating (80.2) in the series.
Matt Tifft – No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry
– is a 20-year-old from Hinckley, Ohio that is currently third in the
NASCAR XFINITY Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings, 19 points
behind second-place. Tifft is working with crew chief Matt Beckman this
season. Through the first nine races, Tifft has posted two top 10s and
an average finish of 14.6. Tifft’s season-to-date driver rating of 81.9
is ranked fifth-best in the series in 2017.
Cole Custer – No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang
– is a 19-year-old from Ladera Ranch, California that is currently
fourth in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings,
two points behind third-place Matt Tifft following Talladega. Working
with crew chief Jeff Meendering, Custer has made nine starts this season
posting one top five and two top 10s. His average finish this season is
a 21.1. Custer’s season-to-date driver rating (79.4) is eighth-best in
the series this season.
Spencer Gallagher – No. 24 GMS Racing Chevrolet Camaro
– is a 27-year-old from Las Vegas, Nevada that is currently fifth in
the NASCAR XFINITY Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings following
Talladega. Gallagher is 12 points back from Custer in fourth. Working
with crew chief Joey Cohen, Gallagher has posted one top 10 and an
average finish of 22.8 through the first nine races of the season.
Gallagher also has the 17th-best season-to-date driver rating (58.1)
this season.
Ben Kennedy – No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet (nine races) / No. 96 GMS Racing Chevrolet Camaro (12 races)
– is the great grandson of Bill France Sr. and the grandson of Bill
France Jr. that will be splitting his seat time between two
organizations this season (GMS Racing and Richard Childress Racing).
Kennedy, a 25-year-old from Daytona Beach, Florida, made his first of
nine starts this season for Richard Childress Racing at Talladega a few
weeks back. Working with crew chief Justin Alexander, the duo managed a
fourth-place finish in their season debut together. Kennedy will be
jumping in the No. 96 for GMS Racing next week at Charlotte. Kennedy
just joined the Sunoco Rookie of the Year program at Talladega, he is
currently sixth in the rookie standings.
XFINITY Drivers Jones, Chastain And Brown Are Going Truckin’ In Charlotte
Three NASCAR XFINITY Series championship
contending drivers, Brandon Jones, Ross Chastain and Brandon Brown will
be suiting up this weekend and attempting to compete in the NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200 this
Friday, May 19 at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Richard Childress Racing’s Brandon Jones,
currently 15th in the series driver standings will be attempting to
make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season debut this weekend at
Charlotte Motor Speedway for truck owner Matthew Miller in the No. 99
MDM Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado with crew chief Shane Huffman. Jones
has made 30 NCWTS career starts, posting five top fives and 11 top
10s.
Florida native Ross Chastain will be
attempting to compete this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway for truck
owner Jeff Bolen with crew chief Paul Clapprood in the No. 66 Bolen
Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado. Chastain has made four starts this
season for Bolen posting two top 10s and an average finish of 16.2.
Brandon Brown will be attempting to make
his second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 2017 start this weekend at
Charlotte Motor Speedway. His first truck start of the season was at
Martinsville for Martins Motorsports but this time around he will be
driving the family owned (owner Jerry Brown, Brandon’s father) in the
No. 86 Brandonbilt Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado.
North Carolina Natives In The NASCAR XFINITY Series
Though the NASCAR XFINITY Series will not
be competing in the great state of North Carolina until next weekend,
here is a look at some of the top performers from the state with such a
deep racing heritage.
A total of 113 drivers with their home
state recorded as North Carolina have competed in at least one NASCAR
XFINITY Series race in their careers. Morgan Shepherd, from Ferguson,
North Carolina, leads all North Carolina drivers in NXS starts with 405;
followed by Tommy Houston (379 starts) with the second-most and Dale
Jarrett (289) with the third-most both are from Hickory, North Carolina.
A total of 23 of the 113 drivers from
North Carolina have won in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, led by Jack Ingram
(Asheville) with 27 wins. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Kannapolis) and Tommy
Houston (Hickory) are tied for the second-most NXS wins by a North
Carolina native with 24 each.
NASCAR XFINITY Series Etc.:
Driver Standings Update: JR
Motorsports driver Elliott Sadler holds the standings lead by 29-points
over his teammate Justin Allgaier following Talladega. William Byron
(-78 points from the leader), Darrell Wallace Jr. (-95), Daniel Hemric
(-101), Michael Annett (-106), Matt Tifft (-114), Ryan Reed (-124),
Blake Koch (-128), Brennan Poole (-137), Dakoda Armstrong (-156) and
Cole Custer (-165) make up the rest of the top 12. Sadler is looking
for his first series title. …
Owner Standings Update:
Team Penske’s No. 22 Ford Mustang team has opened a sizeable lead over
second-place Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 Toyota Camry team following
Talladega. JR Motorsport’s No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro team (-76), Chip
Ganassi Racing’s No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro team (-81) and JR Motorsport’s
No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro team round out the top five in the owner
standings.
Manufacturer Standings Update:
Chevrolet currently holds the standings lead (325 points) by eight
points over second-place Ford (317 points) followed by Toyota (300
points) and Dodge (50 points). Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota each have
three wins.
NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series News & Notes – Charlotte Motor Speedway
Kyle Busch Nets NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Win At Kansas
Kyle Busch Motorsports owner Kyle Busch
won the Toyota Tundra 250 at Kansas Speedway for his 47th career NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series victory.
The win also served as Busch’s second career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win at Kansas, with the first coming in 2014.
Busch will run his next NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series race this week at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the
North Carolina Education Lottery 200.
In 10 career NASCAR Camping World Truck
Series starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Busch has been the Queen City
King – winning six races and scoring eight top fives and nine top 10s.
Rhode Warrior
ThorSport Racing driver Ben Rhodes had
stout performance in the Toyota Tundra 250 at Kansas Speedway, leading
25 laps in the race engine issues derailed his chances at victory.
Three laps after a restart on Lap 139 of
167, Rhodes won a sustained side-by-side battle against Kyle Busch and
pulled ahead. Rhodes stretched the advantage to as much as 1.4 seconds
when the engine issues ended his night.
Rhodes was frustrated after the loss,
saying "we ran with the best tonight," a chagrined Rhodes said after the
race. "Our Safelite Tundra had speed all night long. We did everything
right, but Ben Rhodes has a curse on his back or something, because
something always goes wrong."
Rhodes is 20-years-old and in 31 NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series starts, has four top fives, nine top 10s and
has led 100 laps.
In one career NASCAR Camping World Truck
Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Rhodes has a top-20 finish,
placing 17th in last year’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200.
Nemechek Scores Season-Best Finish At Kansas
NEMCO Motorsports driver John Hunter
Nemechek scored his best finish of the season when he placed third in
the Toyota Tundra 250 at Kansas Speedway.
The finish was Nemechek’s second top-five in four NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races this season.
Nemechek (-88) is currently 11th in the
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points standings and is a NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series Playoffs bubble driver.
In one career NASCAR Camping World Truck
Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Nemechek has a top-15 finish,
notching a 12th-place finish in last season’s North Carolina Education
Lottery 200.
Charlotte Motor Speedway Quick Facts:
With the NASCAR Camping World Truck
Series back in action this weekend for the North Carolina Education
Lottery 200 on Friday, May 19 (8:30 p.m. ET on FS1), below are some
series quick facts at Charlotte Motor Speedway:
Races: 14
Pole Winners: 8
Youngest Pole Winner: Ty Dillon (05/18/2012 - 20 years, 2 months, 21 days)
Oldest Pole Winner: Mike Skinner (05/18/2007 - 49 years, 10 months, 20 days)
Race Winners: 7
Youngest Winner: Kyle Busch (05/20/2005 - 20 years, 0 months, 18 days)
Oldest Winner: Ron Hornaday Jr (05/15/2009 - 50 years, 10 months, 25 days)
Races Won from Pole (or 1st Starting Position): 3
Last Race Won from Pole (or 1st Starting Position): Kasey Kahne (05/15/2015)
Race Record: Matt Crafton 141.855mph (05/21/2016)
Qualifying Record: Kyle Busch 183.773mph (05/16/2014)
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Drivers From North Carolina
There are 102 total drivers that have
listed North Carolina as their home state who have registered at least
one start in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Dennis Setzer, an 18-time NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series race winner, from Newton, N.C., has the most NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series starts from North Carolina with 314.
Timothy Peters (Providence, NC) leads all
active drivers from North Carolina in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
starts with 233.
There are currently six NASCAR national
series drivers who have registered at least 20 NASCAR Camping World
Truck Series starts and list North Carolina as their home state:
Driver Starts Hometown
Timothy Peters 233 Providence, NC
Austin Dillon 69 Welcome, NC
John Hunter Nemechek 56 Mooresville, NC
Ty Dillon 54 Welcome, NC
Daniel Hemric 49 Kannapolis, NC
William Byron 24 Charlotte, NC
Crafton Hopes To Conquer Charlotte… Again
ThorSport Racing driver Matt Crafton is
looking to go back-to-back at Charlotte Motor Speedway in this week’s
North Carolina Education Lottery 200.
Crafton has won at Charlotte Motor Speedway twice (2016, 2008) in 14 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts there.
Crafton owns multiple track records at Charlotte Motor Speedway including:
Races: 14
Top 10s: 11
Lead Lap Finishes: 13
Laps Completed: 1,866
Crafton also owns an interesting track
record at Charlotte. With a minimum of five starts, Crafton has never
registered a DNF at Charlotte Motor Speedway in his 14 career NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series starts there.
First Timers At Charlotte
There are 11 NASCAR Camping World Truck
Series drivers making their track debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway in
Friday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200.
There are seven Sunoco Rookie of the Year
contenders: Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric, Grant Enfinger, Stewart
Friesen, Noah Gragson, Justin Haley and Kaz Grala.
There are four other NASCAR Camping World
Truck Series drivers making their track debut this week including
Spencer Boyd, Austin Hill, Brett Moffitt, Todd Peck.
Kyle Busch Motorsports owner Kyle Busch
(05/20/2005), two-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Matt
Crafton (05/16/2008) and Justin Lofton (05/18/2012) all won their first
career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Charlotte Motor
Speedway.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Etc.:
Moving & Shaking: After
finishing fifth at Kansas, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Sunoco
Rookie Chase Briscoe moved up three spots in the series points
standings. Briscoe jumped from seventh all the way to fourth in the
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points standings.
The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender
has yet to finish outside the top-25 and has three top fives (Kansas,
Daytona-spring) in four NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races this
season.
Battle In Owner Standings Heats Up:
GMS Racing and Kyle Busch Motorsports are in a tight battle in the
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series owner standings after four races this
season.
GMS Racing (No. 21 Chevrolet) currently
leads Kyle Busch Motorsports (No. 4 Toyota) by two points. Kyle Busch
Motorsports’ No. 51 Toyota entry is currently third, while ThorSport
Racing (No. 88 Toyota) and Brad Keselowski Racing (No. 29 Ford) round
out the top five.
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