Parker Chase Returns to Sam Hunt Racing for Portland International Raceway

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (May 18, 2022) – Sam Hunt Racing (SHR) announced today that Parker Chase, a 21-year-old New Braunfels, TX native, will return to the driver’s seat of the No. 26 Toyota GR Supra in the Pacific Office Automation 147 at Portland International Raceway (PIR) on Saturday, June 4. The Tower Family Foundation will be on board of the No. 26 Toyota GR Supra for the 75-lap event.

Chase is looking forward to adding another NXS race to his resume with Sam Hunt Racing at a track he has experience at. In March of this season, Chase made his NXS debut at his home track at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) where he started 23rd and finished 19th, resulting in a top-20 finish in his series debut.

In 2021, Chase competed in two road-course events with Kyle Busch Motorsports in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course and COTA where he qualified eighth. He also completed in five oval events in the ARCA Menards Series for Venturini Motorsports in 2021. Chase has a background and successful pedigree in professional road racing in the United States. He’s a winner in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, Pirelli World Challenge, and SRO GT4 America. Chase is a current part-time competitor in the NASCAR ARCA Menards Series for Venturini Motorsports and full-time racer in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with Bryan Herta Autosport.

“I’m really excited to expand my program with Sam Hunt Racing in the #26 Toyota GR Supra.,” said Parker Chase. “We have been working hard to put together something for this race as it is a new venue for the Xfinity series and one that I have experience at.  I’ve won at Portland in GT World Challenge America in the GT3 class and really like the layout.  It will be exciting in the Xfinity cars, that is for sure. We will have the Tower Family Foundation on board for the event and Tower industry companies Legacy Towers, Talley, and Ontivity providing support.  I think the livery looks amazing and we are going to do our best to build on a solid run at Circuit of the Americas.”

SHR began its journey in the NXS in late 2019 by making its first start in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The team shocked the industry with its speed after qualifying 15th in its first attempt. The 2020 NXS season was a part-time effort for the team as it began to expand and grow. In 2021, SHR hosted eight drivers of various skill-level in its first full-time season, racking up one Top-5, two Top-10, and nine top-15 finishes. So far in 2022, SHR has racked up six top-15 finishes including two top-five results.

“Portland is a race the entire garage is equally excited and nervous about,” said Sam Hunt. “Any time we go to a completely new venue, the excitement is always matched with the unknown. Having Parker in the seat, someone who has raced Portland in other series, should be great for us getting up to speed. He learned a ton at COTA, got used to how these cars drive, and showed he can be a contender at the front portion of the field. Eliminating small mistakes and keeping the car clean will be a key aspect to having a successful weekend. I’ve got no doubts that he will continue to get stronger and stronger every time he runs our car. It’s definitely been fun working with him so far in 2022.”

Parker Chase brings the Tower Family Foundation to the No. 26 team as its primary partner for the Pacific Office Automation 147 at PIR. The Tower Family Foundation is a resource to families of injured, permanently disabled, or deceased tower workers due to work-related accidents. 

The Pacific Office Automation 147 at PIR will begin on Saturday, June 4 at 4:30PM ET | 1:30PM PST. The NXS race will be broadcasted on FOX Sports 1, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90.

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ABOUT TOWER FAMILY FOUNDATION

The Tower Industry Family Support Charitable Foundation has been established to help provide financial assistance to family members of a severely injured, permanently disabled, or deceased tower worker injured or killed in an accident stemming from working at heights on communication structures or other on the job-related activities that tower workers are involved in on a daily basis. The intent of the donation is to provide a funding “bridge” to the affected families to help pay for immediate needs and help defray other related costs that families experience in a post-accident or fatality situation.

ABOUT ONTIVITY

With 20 branch offices in 13 states, Ontivity’s member companies are the leading turnkey services producers in the wireless infrastructure space. Services provided include technology upgrades, structural engineering, macro tower builds, small cell, in-building, DAS and 5G installations, tower modifications, generator services, project management, civil services, microwave networks and more. The company is headquartered in New Braunfels, Texas. To learn more about Ontivity and its member companies, please visit https://ontivity.com. 

ABOUT TOYOTA

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.  

Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 43 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants.  By 2025, Toyota’s 14^th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.  With the more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, more than a quarter of the company’s 2021 North American sales were electrified.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.