CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 24, 2022) – Off the efforts of his Friday night performance, John Force and the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS have secured their second No. 1 of the season, fifth at zMAX Dragway and 165th of Force’s career at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals. Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy dragster moved into the No. 2 spot while Robert Hight sits No. 3 with the Automobile Club of Southern California Camaro and Austin Prock has the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team in 10th. After a 3.854-second pass at 330.47 mph on Friday night that ensured a No. 1 start, John Force and the PEAK Chevy had trouble getting down track both runs on Saturday. They would open the day smoking the tires early around the 300-foot mark to coast to a 5.343-second pass at 134.58 mph. In the final session, the Chevy moved a bit and Force had to shut off for a 4.158 at 226.35 mph. “Well, we got it yesterday and it’s a good thing. I really thought someone else was going to get it today, we weren’t able to repeat it. Daniel Hood and Tim Fabrisi, these PEAK guys, they are doing a real good job. We’re all learning every week,” Force said. “You asked me yesterday about luck and I’m not superstitious, but the cards seem to be leaning my way this weekend. I know the competition out there is tough, these kids out here are good. I have a lot of work to do to keep up with them.” Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac dragster dropped a hole in their first attempt on Saturday to only go 3.801-seconds at 285.83 mph. David Grubnic and Mac Savage took advantage of their final qualifying try laying down a stout 3.685-second pass at a track record 336.91 mph to match with their track ET record of 3.662-seconds that they set in May 2021. The jump in performance puts them in the No. 2 spot to race against Spencer Massey first round. “That was a good run, a 3.68 is awesome for us. We had been trying to get it down there but there always just seemed to be something. It moved around and got close to the wall last night and I had to pull my foot out of it. Then, earlier today, we put a hole out, so it was great to get it down there tonight.” Force said. “We’re happy with that run and doing it side-by-side with Justin Ashely, that was killer for the fans. I’m ready for race day with this Flav-R-Pac team.” Robert Hight and the Auto Club team had another clean pass in the second qualifying run going 3.946-seconds at 328.22 mph and earning one bonus point for being third quickest of the session. To close out qualifying, Hight and the Auto Club team would have a rare stumble and shut off early for a 5.314 at 136.68. “Not a bad qualifying effort. There was more out there but we stayed fairly consistent. Got another point in that first session today and that’s promising for tomorrow,” Hight said. “We’ve got a great car, these Auto Club Chevy guys are working really hard, not making mistakes and putting in the work. One run at a time, just control what we can and get the job done. Going to be battle tomorrow but we’re ready for it.” Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / RMT team had nothing but improvements Saturday. The Joe Barlam and Rahn Tobler led team would jump from 12th into eighth with their 3.736-second run at 334.98 mph, which was the track record before teammate Brittany Force improved it in their final qualifying run. In the final qualifying, Prock handled his dragster to a 3.784 at 326.40 and will settle in at 10th to face Antron Brown in the first round of eliminations. “It was a decent day in Charlotte. This Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team was third quick in session two and had the track speed record for a bit. Session three we were down on horsepower for some reason,” said Prock who earned a bonus point for being third quickest in the second session. “We are diving into it and will have this hotrod tuned up to go rounds tomorrow. Sitting in the bottom half of the field we will have a tough opponent first round in Antron but to win you have to beat them all anyways.” Eliminations at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway, the second of six NHRA Countdown to the Championship races, are slated to begin Sunday at noon. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) and continues with a second qualifying show Sunday at 2 p.m. ET with eliminations coverage at 3 p.m. ET. -30-

AUSTIN PROCK, 27, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist DragsterQualifying:10th; 5.887-seconds; 107.70 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+1 (3rd quickest Q2)BRITTANY FORCE, 36, Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy DragsterQualifying:2nd; 3.712-seconds; 297.29 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+2 (2nd quickest Q3)JOHN FORCE, 73, PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:1st; 3.854-seconds; 330.47 mphBonus Qualifying Points: +3 (quickest Q1)ROBERT HIGHT, 53, Auto Club of Southern California Chevy Camaro SSQualifying:3rd; 3.864-seconds; 331.45 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+2 (3rd quickest Q1, Q2)

BROWNSTOWN, Ind. (September 24, 2022) – Hudson O’Neal raced to the lead at the start of the 40-lap Night Before the Jackson A-Main and never looked back. The $10,000-to-win race that was postponed from Friday after several hours of light rain at the Brownstown Speedway. Josh Rice tried to track down O’Neal after a caution came out with five laps remaining but came up short as he settled for second. Daulton Wilson finished in third followed by Mike Marlar and Spencer Hughes. Tim McCreadie ran second to O’Neal for the first nine laps of the race until Wilson took over the runner-up position. Wilson held the second spot until Rice, who started sixth, passed him on lap 28.  O’Neal, the winner of the track’s most prestigious race, the Jackson 100, in 2019, climbed from his car to the partisan cheers from the track his family has raced at for over 30 years. “It’s pretty cool to be back in Victory Lane here at Brownstown. I knew coming in we had a pretty good hot rod for today. I knew we had a good shot. I needed to get the lead and get out front because I didn’t know exactly what the track was going to go. It ended up holding some moisture. I know it was top dominant, but it raced pretty good considering we are under the sun. They did a good job with the racetrack. We will go back and get ready for that 20 grand here later tonight.” Rice, who has felt right at home at Brownstown in recent years, came home 1.174 seconds behind the winner at the finish. “I got to him there, he would have had to mess up for me to get by him. He was so darned good. It’s cool to see him run so good here. It was such a thin line up there. He’s got it. I watched him qualify yesterday and told him you’re crazy for running up like he was.” Wilson made a dive-bomb for the lead on O’Neal for the top spot after a restart before falling back to third at the finish. “We got stuck there around the top. I had to mix it up a little and went to the bottom on that one restart. We were either going to win or run third. I hope it was pretty show for the fans. We gambled a little bit on tires, and it worked out.” The winner’s Roger Sellers-owned, Double Down Motorsports, Rocket Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Lazydays RV, O’Neal’s Salvage and Recycling, Lucas Oil Products, Smoky Mountain Speedway, WR1 Sim Chassis, VP Race Fuels, Integra Racing Shocks, Dynamic Drivelines, and New Era Excavation. Completing the top ten were Tim McCreadie, Brandon Sheppard, Earl Pearson Jr., Garrett Alberson, and Tyler Erb. The action at Brownstown Speedway on Saturday night will continue with the regularly schedule 43rd Annual Jackson 100. Another complete show of Dirt Draft Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains is on tap. Saturday’s 43rd Annual Jackson 100 will be highlighted by a 100-lap, $20,000-to-win finale for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Night Before the JacksonSaturday, September 24th, 2022Brownstown Speedway – Brownstown, IN Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Hudson O’Neal / 13.006 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Ricky Thornton, Jr. / 13.385 seconds Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 71-Hudson O’Neal[1]; 2. 39-Tim McCreadie[3]; 3. 157-Mike Marlar[2]; 4. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[4]; 5. 22-Skyller Lewis[6]; 6. 93-Zak Blackwood[7]; 7. 11J-Jarod Fleetwood[5]; 8. 14-Quentin White[9]; 9. H22-Brandon Hardgrove[8] Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 11-Spencer Hughes[1]; 2. 9-Devin Moran[3]; 3. 12-Jason Jameson[2]; 4. C9-Steve Casebolt[6]; 5. 1T-Tyler Erb[5]; 6. 17J-Greg Johnson[8]; 7. 71R-Rod Conley[7]; 8. 43R-Robert Tincher[9]; 9. 1G-Devin Gilpin[4] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 2. 11R-Josh Rice[3]; 3. 1-Brandon Sheppard[2]; 4. 7-Ross Robinson[6]; 5. 99-Camaron Marlar[4]; 6. 76-Shelby Miles[7]; 7. 24-Jared Bailey[5]; 8. 25-Mike Benedum[8]; 9. T22-Tegan Evans[9] Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 18D-Daulton Wilson[1]; 2. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[2]; 3. 32-Chad Stapleton[5]; 4. 58-Garrett Alberson[6]; 5. 18L-Trevor Landrum[7]; 6. 15-James Rice[4]; 7. 7R-Kent Robinson[3]; 8. 38-Derek Fisher[8] Fast Shafts B-Main #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 17J-Greg Johnson[4]; 2. 22-Skyller Lewis[1]; 3. 71R-Rod Conley[6]; 4. 1G-Devin Gilpin[10]; 5. 43R-Robert Tincher[8]; 6. 11J-Jarod Fleetwood[5]; 7. (DNS) 1T-Tyler Erb; 8. (DNS) 93-Zak Blackwood; 9. (DNS) 14-Quentin White; 10. (DNS) H22-Brandon Hardgrove UNOH B-Main #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 99-Camaron Marlar[1]; 2. 18L-Trevor Landrum[2]; 3. 15-James Rice[4]; 4. 7R-Kent Robinson[6]; 5. 76-Shelby Miles[3]; 6. 24-Jared Bailey[5]; 7. 38-Derek Fisher[8]; 8. T22-Tegan Evans[9]; 9. (DNS) 25-Mike Benedum Night Before the Jackson Feature Finish (40 Laps):

Race Statistics Entrants: 35Lap Leaders: Hudson O’Neal (Laps 1-40)Wrisco Feature Winner: Hudson O’NealArizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: n/aMargin of Victory: 1.174 secondsStop-Tech Cautions: Jarod Fleetwood (Lap 3); Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Lap 5); Chad Stapleton (Lap 9); Debris (Lap 10); Skyller Lewis (Lap 24); Ross Robinson (Lap 35)Series Provisionals: Tyler ErbFast Time Provisional: Devin Gilpin; Jarod FleetwoodSeries Emergency Provisionals: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Hudson O’Neal, Josh Rice, Daulton WilsonPenske Shocks Top 5: Hudson O’Neal, Josh Rice, Daulton Wilson, Mike Marlar, Spencer HughesOptima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Tyler Erb (Advanced 13 Positions)Hot Rod Processing Most Laps Led: Hudson O’Neal (40 Laps)Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Brandon SheppardMidwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Tim McCreadieO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: Daulton WilsonDirty Girl Racewear Fastest Lap of the Race: Hudson O’Neal (Lap 2 – 13.741 seconds)DirtonDirt.com Tough Break of the Race: Devin MoranOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Trevor Crittenden (Hudson O’Neal)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Cornett Race EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Rocket ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Friday- Spencer Hughes (12.722 seconds) Time of Race: 28 minutes 14 seconds Lucas Oil Championship Point Standings:

Results are unofficial until Close of Business on the Tuesday following Race Day

CONCORD, NC (September 24, 2022) — Justin Ashley drove the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy to the No. 1 qualifier position at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals today at zMax Dragway. It was Ashley’s second career No. 1 qualifier and second consecutive No. 1 at zMax Dragway, after his No. 1 effort at the Circle K Four-Wide Nationals earlier this season. His No. 1 run came during a quick third and final session that saw four drivers run around provisional No. 1 qualifier Doug Kalitta before Ashley’s 3.668 second run at 335.65 mph secured the top spot. 

“I usually try and stay within myself but that session I was peeking at the SunocoVision trying to see what the teams in front of us ran,” said Ashley in the zMax Dragway media center. “I could tell they ran in the 3.60s and those are some good teams. I knew Mike Green and Tommy DeLago would try and go up there to do the same. I figured Mike and Tommy were going to try and run a little quicker. You can try as much as you want but going out there and doing it successfully really speaks volumes about our team.”

Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy, photo by Ron Lewis

The 2020 Rookie of the Year’s success at zMax Dragway has extended to his first career start in 2019 when he raced to a semifinal finish in his professional debut.

“Far and away this is the most beautiful facility on tour,” said Ashley, who raced to a runner-up finish last weekend at the first Countdown event. “I think as soon as you pull in you realize how gorgeous this place is and how clean it is. We have had a lot of success during qualifying here at the first two races in Charlotte this season. We are going to enjoy this one tonight and then put it behind us to focus on the race tomorrow.”

Ashley made the third quickest run Friday to earn one qualifying bonus point and his team picked up another three points with the quickest run of the third session. The ability to grab the little points has the four-time Top Fuel national event winner excited for his championship aspirations.

Phillips Connect Executive Vice President Jim Epler and No. 1 qualifier Justin Ashley, photo by Ron Lewis

“Consistency is critical especially during the Countdown,” said Ashley, who has raced to at least the semifinals in six of the previous seven national events. “If you want to win races you obviously have to go A to B, but you also want to be able to collect those bonus points. All those points add up quickly. We are going down the track every run trying to stay within ourselves. We are not trying to shock the world. It is important to be consistent and to qualify well to put yourself in the best position to win the race on Sunday. The way the Top Fuel field is now no matter where you qualify it is going to be a difficult first round.”

Ashley will face No. 16 qualifier Alex Laughlin who has a 3-1 career head-to-head record against in the first round. Earlier this season Ashley defeated the versatile driver in the first round at the Sonoma Nationals. As the current points leader Ashley knows that there are no easy rounds during the final five races of the Countdown.

“Every race is a dogfight no matter who you are racing,” said Ashley. “I think the other teams would tell you that they are worrying about themselves. We are worried about ourselves. We have made the statement that we are here to play. We have great sponsors with Phillips Connect. We are out here having fun and trying to build something special. To see how far this program has come is a testament to this team and our marketing partners. To Dustin Davis, Mike and Tommy as whole everyone has done a great job putting us in this position.”

Final eliminations will begin tomorrow at zMax Dragway at noon ET with the race being broadcast on FS1 from 3:00-6:00 p.m. ET.

Sheldon Creed Grabs Seventh-Place Finish at Texas, Racks Up 11th Top-10 Finish of 2022 Season

7th

13th

14th

“It’s certainly good to finish and to get another top 10. Everyone on the Whelen team worked hard all day and the pit crew was solid. I was close to being in that one pileup but we made it through. I actually thought I was going to be right in the middle of it but, thankfully I wasn’t. I was wrecking-lose there to start the race and we had to work on it quite a bit throughout the day. Every time I’d get a good restart, something would happen and my line would stop and that would hurt our track position. At the end, I thought we had it driving a lot better. We’ll keep working to find more speed.” -Sheldon Creed

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet Team Finish Runner-Up in First Playoff Race at Texas

2nd

9th

4th

“Man, one spot short. I gave it everything I had out there in my No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet. I was hoping a caution would come out at the end so we could restack and get out front but we stayed green. I’m frustrated because we almost had it but it also feels pretty good to start the Playoffs with a second-place finish. My pit crew was on it all day today, our stops were so fast and I think I may have given up some time entering my box so that’s something I’m going to work on. I felt good all day long, clean air made all the difference for us so when we were up front, we were running some of our fastest laps. My guys brought me a really good car and I’m disappointed we didn’t get the win. I gave it my all. We’re 30 points above the cutline but when you go to Talladega, none of that matters because it can change in an instant. But, my team and all of RCR have been really strong on the superspeedways this season so I expect us to do the same next weekend. We’ll run in the front and hopefully we come out on top with the trophy.”-Austin Hill

GR Supras Take Top-10 Starting Spots for Second Countdown Race

CHARLOTTE (September 24, 2022) – Justin Ashley claimed his second number one qualifier position of the season in Saturday’s qualifying effort at Charlotte’s zMax Dragway. Ashley also earned the top spot at zMax earlier this season. His 3.668 second pass at over 335 mph set a new track speed record and he will face Alex Laughlin in round one on Sunday.

In Funny Car, Ron Capps held the fourth position following Saturday’s qualifying rounds and stood on his Friday night time of 3.866. Capps will face Blake Alexander in round on Sunday. Fellow GR Supra drivers J.R. Todd (sixth) and Alexis DeJoria (ninth) also claimed top-10 qualifying positions with Todd picking up spots in the final qualifying round on Saturday with a pass at 3.873 seconds. Todd and DeJoria will face each other in round one on Sunday.

Toyota Post-Qualifying Recap

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series

zMax Dragway

Race 18 of 22

TOYOTA TOP FUEL QUALIFYING POSITIONS

Name	Car	Qualifying Position	First Round Opponent
Justin Ashley	Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	1st (3.668)	A. Laughlin
Doug Kalitta	Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	5th (3.689)	S. Langdon
Antron Brown	Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	7th (3.705)	A. Prock
Steve Torrence	Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	8th (3.715)	B. Torrence
Billy Torrence	Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	9th (3.720)	S. Torrence
Shawn Langdon	DHL Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	12th (3.746)	D. Kalitta

(*non-Toyota driver)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING POSITIONS

Name	Car	Qualifying Position	First Round Opponent
John Force*	Peak Chevy Camaro FC*	1st (3.854)	Bye
Ron Capps	NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	4th (3.866)	B. Alexander
J.R. Todd	DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	6th (3.873)	A. DeJoria
Alexis DeJoria	Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	9th (3.903)	J. Todd

(*non-Toyota driver)

TOYOTA QUOTES

JUSTIN ASHLEY, Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Davis Motorsports

TF Qualifying Result: 1st

What is it about you and zMax Dragway that you can pull number one qualifying runs?

“Yeah, there’s something about zMax, but there’s something about this Phillips Connect team too. Mike Green and Tommy DeLago are doing a fantastic job. It’s funny, I was talking to Mike Salinas and Clay Millican and we all agreed that we’re just along for the ride. When it’s running like that, it’s such a blast and our team has been working so hard. We’ve got a long job to do tomorrow. We want to be out here for a long day but it’s going to be difficult. The competition out here is not easy. We have to continue to put our best foot forward for Toyota, Philliips, Vita-C Energy, Lucas Oil and all our sponsors.”

J.R. TODD, DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Kalitta Motorsports

FC Qualifying Result: 6th

The team had a strong pickup in the final qualifying session tonight. How do you feel about the speed in your Supra and your chances in tomorrow’s eliminations?

“It was good. It was what we were striving for last night. Just ran really slow, slower than what we wanted to. We had to kind of play catchup throughout the day, but this is really where we need to be. We’re a couple adjustments away from probably running quicker than that. This is a good confidence booster heading into race day. I feel good about tomorrow and running like that means we can run with the top guys out here. Like I said, it’s a good confidence booster going into race day.”

September 24, 2022

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging Ford are set to start Sunday’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway from 20^th place.

Burton, driving the No. 21 Mustang that this weekend will honor the late Nancy Wood as a Cancer Hero, took that spot with a lap at 187.169 miles per hour during qualifying on Saturday afternoon. It earned him his second top-20 start in the past three races.

In the practice session earlier in the day, Burton was 12^th fastest with a best lap at 185.931 mph, which he posted on the second of the 16 laps he ran in the session.

Sunday’s 334-lap, 500-mile race is scheduled to start just after 2:30 p.m. (3:30 Eastern) with TV coverage on USA Network. Stage breaks are planned for Laps 105 and 201.

NASCAR CUP SERIES TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY AUTOTRADER ECHO PARK AUTOMOTIVE 500 TEAM CHEVY POST-QUALIFYING REPORT SEPTEMBER 24, 2022

WILLIAM BYRON LEADS CHEVROLET TO SIX TOP-10 STARTING SPOTS AT TEXAS

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL STARTING LINEUP:  POS.   DRIVER3rd     William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL14th      Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Lenovo/ThinkEdge Camaro ZL16th      Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL17th      Austin Dillon, No. 3 True Velocity Camaro ZL19th      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL110th    Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Aquas Frescas Camaro ZL112th    Ross Chastain, No. 1 Renu Camaro ZL117th    Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL121st    Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger/NOS Camaro ZL126th    Noah Gragson, No. 16 Freedom by Ed Morse Camaro ZL127th    Erik Jones, No. 43 FOCUSfactor Camaro ZL129th    Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Shelton Energy Solutions Camaro ZL131st    Justin Haley, No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL132nd   Ty Dillon, No. 42 Black Rifle Coffee Company Camaro ZL135th    Landon Cassill, No. 77 WearMe Camaro ZL1 TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL STARTING LINEUP:  POS.  DRIVER1st      Brad Keselowski (Ford)2nd     Joey Logano (Ford)3rd     William Byron (Chevrolet)4th     Tyler Reddick (Chevrolet)5th      Michael McDowell (Ford)

·       Following one final lap to determine the starting lineup for tomorrow’s AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500; William Byron and the No. 24 RaptorTough.comCamaro ZL1 will lead the bowtie brigade to the green, qualifying in the third position with a lap of 28.601 seconds at 188.805 mph. ·    This marks Byron’s 13th top-10 start of the 2022 NCS season.

Post-Practice/Qualifying Notes:  ·       Chevrolet drivers took the top-three spots on the speed chart following the NASCAR Cup Series practice, led by the 2020 Texas Motor Speedway winner Austin Dillon, clocking in the fastest lap of 28.778 seconds, at 187.643 mph, in his No. 3 True Velocity Camaro ZL1. Dillon’s Richard Childress Racing teammate, Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Lenovo/ThinkEdge Camaro ZL1 was second; and Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 was third-fastest.  ·       Six Camaro ZL1’s placed in the top-five of the first round in their respective qualifying groups, securing a top-10 starting spots for the first race of the NCS Playoffs Round of 12 at Texas Motor Speedway.  ·       Tyler Reddick topped the leaderboard in Round One of Group A of qualifying. Joining Reddick in the top-five to advance to the final round of qualifying included Kyle Larson, who was second-fastest in his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1.  ·       In Round One of Group B qualifying, Chevrolet drivers went 1-2-3-4 in their qualifying runs, led by William Byron and the No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1 team in the top spot. Also advancing to the final round of qualifying included Austin Dillon (2nd), Chase Elliott (3rd) and Daniel Suarez (4th).  ·       USA Network will broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 25. Live coverage can also be found on the NBCSports Gold App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

NASCAR CUP SERIES

TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

AUTOTRADER ECHOPARK AUTOMOTIVE 500

TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT

SEPTEMBER 24, 2022

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Texas Motor Speedway. Press Conference Transcript:

IS IT FAIR TO LOOK AT TEXAS AS A MUST WIN RACE GIVEN WHAT WE HAVE THE REST OF THIS ROUND?

“I don’t think so. I think plenty of people are going to point their way in. It is an uncomfortable round with Talladega being such an unknown and kind of a wild card. A lot of things can happen at the ROVAL and at this place, a lot of things can happen too. So definitely a tough grouping of race tracks as far as being able to control your own destiny or to work on your race car after you unload. I kind of feel like you have what you have here. So, its going to be interesting to see how it plays out, but I think we are in a really good place as a race team and can have a good round here.”

YOU TALKED ABOUT TALLADEGA AND THE ROVAL, BUT HOW DO YOU APPROACH HERE TO MAKE IT THROUGH THOSE TWO?

“I feel like statistically the ROVAL is good for me. That doesn’t make it any easier, but we have had good days there. I feel like we have had good days at Talladega, and we were really strong at Daytona a couple of weeks ago, so that’s good. 

And I feel like at the Texas fall race, as a team, we have always performed really well. So, I think we are in a good spot. I don’t hate this round, it’s just not comfortable. Whereas going to places like Kansas; I feel like we are really good, always run well there and I feel like I was super confident. I feel like this place is not that race track for us, but it’s not a bad race track for us either.”

YOU SAID YOU AREN’T COMFORTABLE IN THIS ROUND, BUT WOULD A WIN OBVIOUSLY CHANGE THAT?

“A win is always going to change that, right? Lock you into the next round. I feel like we are capable of winning at all three of these race tracks. I feel like we are capable of winning at any race track we go to the rest of the year if we perform how we need to. So, yeah, I think a win right now would be great. That is everybody’s goal this weekend and we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t. So, we will do our best to make that happen.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE ONE OF THE PLAYOFF DRIVERS WILL FINALLY GET A WIN IN THE PLAYOFFS?

“Hard to say. I feel like track position is so key here. I feel like the playoff cars are probably going to qualify pretty well and will definitely have an emphasis on qualifying. It’s a really long race so yeah, I think we are plenty capable of winning. In my opinion, I feel like a playoff guy will win this race, but I think this is a place that we have seen non-playoff guys win here in the past. I think Kyle Busch was eliminated and won here a few years ago. So, we will have to wait and see how it plays out, but hopefully it’s us in victory lane.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE PLAYOFF DRIVERS WILL TRY AND BALANCE STAGE POINTS GIVEN THE DISASTER THAT COULD BE AT TALLADEGA?  

“Honestly, stage points are the most important thing going right now. I feel like stage points got us through last week when we lost power steering and got caught in that crash. So, I feel like we are all going to be all in on stage points which could create some interesting situations. 

In my opinion in going to Talladega – anytime I have gone there and focused on not crashing, I have crashed. I still tend to crash going for it, but I tend to crash later then. I haven’t figured out how to not crash and hopefully we can get that dialed in. I think you just have to race and be aggressive all day. There has never been a benefit to me to ride because you lose what your car is doing, you lose confidence, and those around you don’t know how your car is going to be. If you are up front racing all day, that is the place you need to be.”

DID YOU KNOW JUSTIN MARKS WELL THAT YEAR YOU GUYS RAN THE GANASSI CAR TOGETHER AND THEN AGAINST HIM LATER?

“A little bit.. not a ton. I had lunch with him and Josh Wise before he started his Cup team a long time ago. Kind of when it was just an idea because he was talking about it. It’s cool to see all the success because he is a really good dude.”

IS THERE ANY SURPRISE TO SEE THAT HE OWNS TWO CARS IN THE PLAYOFFS THIS YEAR?

“No.. I feel like anything he does, he does successfully. I think that is cool because he is super driven and super smart. The little bit that I have been around him, it doesn’t surprise me about the success that they have had. Obviously, it’s happened very quickly, but I think we are at a time in the sport where things like that can happen with a brand-new race car. He has good race car drivers and good people working on them and it’s cool to see their success.” 

IS THERE A CHAMPIONSHIP FAVORITE RIGHT NOW OR ARE YOU SURPRISED ABOUT HOW MUCH EVERYONE IS STILL IN IT AT THIS POINT?

“I don’t feel like there is a favorite right now. There are a couple of guys that have been really consistent through the playoffs, but other than that I don’t think there is. Anyone can make it happen still and hopefully it’s us at the end of the year, but it’s cool. I think this car has created a lot of parity right now. Different teams have different strengths right now, which is pretty cool to see. I feel like our stuff is really fast; really fast on the short run. And some other teams – when it comes to long run stuff like we saw at Kansas – they are really good. So, it’s cool to see the differences and see what you are playing against. I think its really good and there is not a clear favorite.”

BEFORE YOU CAME IN HERE, KYLE LARSON SAID HE WOULD TEAR UP THIS PLACE AND TURN IT INTO A THREE-QUARTER MILE BRISTOL. IF YOU WERE GIVEN THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM OF TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

“I think if you leave it up to the drivers, then you would have what Kyle (Larson) said.. a short track of some sort. If you leave it up to the fans, I have heard that some people want another Atlanta. I don’t think any of the drivers really want another Atlanta, but we are not here for us. We are here for the fans. 

It will be interesting to see if anything does happen. There are a lot of rumors flying around. The race track that we have now has not produced what we want. So, there are a lot of smart people working on it and thinking about how to make it better. Got to do something.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY AUTOTRADER ECHO PARK AUTOMOTIVE 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT SEPTEMBER 24, 2022   KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Texas Motor Speedway. Press Conference Transcript:  COMING INTO TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOW YOU GO ABOUT ATTACKING THIS TRACK AND LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT WEEKEND AT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY AND THE ROVAL? IT’S A REALLY DIVERSE SECOND ROUND OF THE PLAYOFFS. “I think we probably all look at Texas (Motor Speedway) as a good opportunity to hopefully get a win, get locked-in and not have to worry about the next two races. Texas, I feel like it’s a very strategy-driven type of race track. It’s really difficult to pass, so you’ll see some different varying pit strategies going on, whether it be staying out, fuel only, two tires, four tires. So just trying to have a good enough car to play that the right way and keep your track position. Having good pit stops and good restarts I think is important. It seems like all of that has been more important this year with just how difficult it’s been to pass. Hopefully our car is good. I felt good in the All-Star Race. Just blew a right-front tire pretty early on, so I didn’t really get a fair judge of how we were then to how we’ll be now. It’s much warmer conditions this week too, so I think that will change things a little bit. But yeah, hopefully it goes well.” WITH THE C-BELL MICRO MANIA, YOU WERE OUT THERE ON THE TRACK THE OTHER NIGHT GIVING KYLE BUSCH SOME POINTERS ON HOW TO DRIVE. YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS AND HOW IT BUILDS FOR THE YOUNGER DRIVERS, OBVIOUSLY OWEN (LARSON), BREXTON (BUSCH) AND OTHERS OUT THERE?“It’s a cool event that they put on our there. There were a lot of cars. The race track is really nice, too. They did a great job with it; the grandstands, the dirt, the banking, the shape of the track is all good. There’s like 140 micros racing just in the main division. There’s a lot of great talent out there.. young talent. Guys that have also been racing micros their whole lives too. A lot of experience out there. It’s cool to see Kyle Busch run out there. He’s doing a really good job of it. I feel like he’s got a little bit of tinkeritus and works on his car too much. I told him just focus on driving instead of working on it, but he’s doing a good job. I think he missed the lock-in spot by one, so he should be on the pole of the B-main I would think tonight.  I had fun last night racing myself and we should have a good shot of winning tonight.” YOU HAD YOUR BATTLE WITH CHRISTOPHER BELL OVER THE YEARS, BUT THIS YEAR IS THE FIRST YEAR THAT HE’S REALLY BEEN A THREAT HERE IN THE CUP SERIES, ESPECIALLY THE LAST FEW MONTHS. WHAT IS HE DOING DIFFERENT?“I don’t know. I’ve always known his talent and abilities. I’ve been surprised that it’s taken him as long as it has to be consistently in the top three to five because, like I said, I’ve raced with him longer than anybody else has in the field and I know the potential that he’s had. It’s neat to see him run up front; another dirt guy contending for a championship. It’ll be fun going to battle with, not only him, but everybody. I always enjoy seeing dirt guys win, especially from my neck of the woods in dirt racing.” THERE’S BEEN SOME RUMBLINGS OF A TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY REPAVE UPCOMING. IF IT WERE TO BE REPAVED, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE? “I would like to see them change it from a 1.5-mile track to something shorter. I don’t know if that means bringing the backstretch in or whatever. If I could build a track, it would probably be a three-quarter mile Bristol, basically; pavement, progressive banking, all of that. But I don’t know if that’s even possible here.  I’m not sure what they have in mind, but anything would be better than what they did.” THREE RACES IN NOW AND THREE NON-PLAYOFF DRIVERS HAVE WON THOSE RACES. THE STANDINGS ARE STILL SO TIGHT. HAVE WE ESTABLISHED A CHAMPIONSHIP FAVORITE YET AFTER THE FIRST ROUND? WHERE DO YOU SEE THINGS SHAKING OUT? “I don’t think that there’s a championship favorite. Chase (Elliott) getting through the first round, it wasn’t a great first round for his standards, his team’s and what they had for points going in. So I feel like for him, making it through the round and resetting; as long as he can get through this round, I think he’s probably still the favorite. I think (Christopher) Bell has shown so far in the playoffs that he’s really strong. But I don’t think you can pick a favorite until you get through this round because whoever the favorite is right now could easily not make it into the next round just because how wild this round is. I think three weeks from now, you’ll be able to pick a better favorite. But right now, there’s so many unknowns, as far as craziness that’s going to happen.” DO YOU THINK ANY OF THE PLAYOFF DRIVERS WILL NOT EVEN WANT TO RACE HARD AT TALLADEGA UNTIL THE FINAL STAGE, GIVEN ALL OF THE WRECKS WE’VE SEEN AT THE SUPERSPEEDWAYS? “I don’t think so.. just because there’s so many stage points on the line, so I just don’t foresee that. Yes, there might be a couple that do that, but I feel like you typically don’t see that anyways.  I don’t know, we’ll see. I don’t think so. I think there’s so many stage points on the line and if you can get those stage points, then even if you do wreck, you’ll have a decent points day out of it. I foresee everybody racing pretty hard.” IN TERMS OF TALKING ABOUT THE PLAYOFF POINTS, YOU GUYS GOT VERY FEW PLAYOFF POINTS WITH ALL OF THE NON-PLAYOFF WINNERS TAKING ALL THOSE POINTS AWAY. HOW MUCH OF A CONCERN IS IT THAT SO MANY POINTS WERE LEFT OFF THE TABLE AND HOW DOES THAT CHANGE THINGS GOING INTO THIS ROUND? “I don’t know.. I mean I’d rather see them win than somebody else win, honestly. If I can’t win, I’d rather see a non-playoff driver win. So I don’t know, I haven’t really looked at it and thought about it much. But I know for us and our team, we didn’t get hardly any stage points at all in the first round, so I feel like that needs to change. We have to do a better job throughout the first two stages to get some points to benefit us through each race and help us transfer into the next round. Stage points are super important and we’re going to try hard to do a better job in the first two stages to get some points.” ARE YOU STILL GOING TO MEET WITH JOHNNY RUTHERFORD THIS WEEKEND OR DID THAT ALREADY HAPPEN? “I haven’t yet. He called me yesterday while I was getting ready to race over there, so I’ve got to call him back. Thank you for reminding me (laughs).  But yes, I want to. He wanted me to take a picture with him and sign the picture that we had taken together at the Chili Bowl a long time ago. So, yes thank you for the reminder. Definitely going to hit him up here.” WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER FROM THE FIRST TIME YOU MET HIM?“I don’t remember what year it was.. I had to be pretty young. I’m sure my mom set it up. I think they were all sitting around Keith Kunz’s trailer. Like she always is, she probably set the photo up. I’m glad that she did. When he called me, I didn’t have his number at first. This was a few weeks ago. He left me a voicemail and the first thing I did was I copied the voicemail and sent it to my dad and Jon Edwards. It was super cool that Johnny Rutherford had gotten my number and wanted my autograph. So, that was pretty neat and I look forward to meeting up with him here this weekend and getting another photo op.”

Tanner English cuts Dennis Erb Jr.’s points lead to 92 with fourth-place finish

RINGGOLD, GA – September 23, 2022 – Jimmy Owens has hit a stride with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series in September. 

Three weeks after earning his first Series triumph of 2022, the Newport, TN driver backed it up with a wire-to-wire victory Friday night at the Stateline Showdown at Boyd’s Speedway.  

Owens picked up where he left off earlier this month, sprinting away from Dale McDowell in Turn 2 of the Feature’s opening lap. However, while “The O-Show” pulled away, a new challenger emerged behind him—Max Blair. 

The Centerville, PA driver slowly reeled Owens in as he caught lap traffic, finally bringing himself within a car length before Lap 20.

Blair chased Owens through traffic for more than 15 laps, but a caution for Tyler Millwood on Lap 35 allowed Owens to have a clean track ahead of him. 

From there, Owens drove away to score the $10,000 prize and becoming the third driver to grab back-to-back wins this season. 

He praised his team for their performance over the past few months and stated how happy he was to put the winning formula together.

“We had a lot of good cars behind us chasing us all night long, and we were able to hold them off,” Owens said. 

“We’ve been good the last few months; we just haven’t had the chance to let it show,” Owens said. “It just so happens we get to let it show in front of our home crowd and stuff here in Tennessee,” Owens said. 

Blair, the Rookie of the race, crossed the line second—his eighth podium finish of 2022. 

He said he thought he might’ve had another shot at Owens if not for the caution with six laps left. 

“If that yellow don’t come out, I think we could’ve at least made it interesting,” Blair said. “I think I could maneuver pretty good in lap traffic. But I was afraid once he got in clean air, it was kind of game over, and that was about what it was.

“To run second to Jimmy Owens and to beat Dale McDowell at Boyd’s, I’ll take that all day long.”

McDowell finished third after battling with Blair for second on the final restart. Like Blair, the “Mac Daddy” said he would’ve preferred the race to stay green.

“It was pretty decent early, but I wasn’t as good as I needed to be,” McDowell said. “I had to search around there. We made a little bit of a change that kind of went maybe the wrong way. 

“Late, I actually found me a line there where I could gain some speed, so I was kind of wanting to stay in lap traffic because I could move around. It’s a lot easier to run second and third than it is to lead.”

Tanner English crossed the line fourth, gaining points on Dennis Erb Jr. in the race for the championship. 

The Benton, KY driver kept his recent string of consistent runs alive with his 13th straight top-10 finish in points-paying events. 

“The car was pretty good, and I just hung in there,” English said. “I thought I was going to finish about fifth or sixth, but I kind of capitalized on that restart a little bit and thought we might’ve had third, but the cards didn’t play out like they needed to.”

English trails Series points leader Dennis Erb Jr. by 92 points with nine races remaining in the 2022 season. 

Chris Madden from Gray Court, SC, rounded out the top five.

UP NEXT: The Most Powerful Late Models on The Planet return to Boyd’s Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 24, for night two of the Stateline Showdown. Drivers will battle in a 50-lap finale paying $20,000-to-win. For Tickets: CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online on with the DIRTVision App.

CASE Construction Equipment Feature (40 Laps): 1. 20-Jimmy Owens[1]; 2. 111V-Max Blair[5]; 3. 17M-Dale McDowell[2]; 4. 81E-Tanner English[4]; 5. 44-Chris Madden[9]; 6. 83-Jensen Ford[7]; 7. 40B-Kyle Bronson[11]; 8. 18X-Michael Page[13]; 9. 1-Josh Richards[3]; 10. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[17]; 11. F1-Payton Freeman[8]; 12. 23-Cory Hedgecock[16]; 13. 99B-Boom Briggs[12]; 14. 25-Shane Clanton[23]; 15. 11-Gordy Gundaker[15]; 16. 16-Sam Seawright[19]; 17. 19R-Ryan Gustin[6]; 18. B1-Brent Larson[24]; 19. 22-Will Roland[20]; 20. 31-Tyler Millwood[10]; 21. 93-Carson Ferguson[21]; 22. 116-Cameron Weaver[22]; 23. 42-Cla Knight[14]; 24. 109-Eli Beets[18] FOX FACTORY HARD CHARGER: Shane Clanton [+9]

Abreu Ends 105-Race Drought, Earns First World of Outlaws Win with Ricky Warner

ROSSBURG, OH – September 23, 2022 – Stop the count. The drought is over. Rico Abreu is once again a winner with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.

The Rowdy Energy, Lucas Oil Products #24 led the final 24 laps of Friday’s “BeFour The Crowns Showdown” at Eldora Speedway, earning his ninth career win with The Greatest Show on Dirt and snapping a four-year winless streak with the Series in the process.

Bound and determined to overcome the agony of 105 consecutive losses, the St. Helena, CA native fended off a fury of four different challengers including Spencer Bayston, Brad Sweet, Donny Schatz, and James McFadden throughout the 30-lap affair. After sliding by Bayston on Lap 6, the 30-year-old fan favorite never relinquished the lead but could feel the full-time Outlaws breathing down his neck the whole time.

Friday’s win not only brought Rico back to NOS Energy Drink Victory Lane for the first time since September 8, 2018, but it also marked his first World of Outlaws win since the off-season addition of eventual Hall of Fame Crew Chief, Ricky Warner.

“This is a huge confidence booster,” a relieved Rico told a joyous Eldora crowd. “As race car drivers, you become so hard on yourself through these slumps inconsistencies. We built another new team this year and I’m just so thankful to have Ricky Warner in my corner. He makes any driver look outstanding. The chemistry in our team is showing, it’s just awesome to be with such a great group.”

Abreu is now a four-time winner of Eldora’s #4Crown Nationals, adding a World of Outlaws win with an All Stars triumph and pair of USAC National Midget victories. More than anything, it’s momentum ahead of the 40th Kings Royal coming soon in July 2023.

“Standing up here against the World of Outlaws is what it’s all about,” Abreu added. “Everything we do here is learning, practicing, and collecting data for when the Crown Jewel races come back in the summer. I never, ever thought in a million years that I would win a race on the bottom at Eldora Speedway, but that shows how comfortable my car is right now. These guys made some last-minute adjustments before we pushed off, and they nailed it.”

Falling short by 1.051-seconds at the checkered flag, McFadden collected his fourth runner-up result of the year and 10th podium finish since joining Roth Motorsports. Although the Australian is starving for that first win of 2022, he was relatively amped with the chance to beat the boards one more time at one of his favorite tracks on the schedule.

“I was pounding the top so hard right there,” J-Mac said with a big grin. “That’s why I come to Eldora, it’s such a blast. I actually got through to the front on the bottom, but the top was coming in during that last run so I just started hitting it harder and harder. I’m happy with a second-place tonight because I know it’ll come to us if we keep putting ourselves in a position to win.”

Rounding out the podium after briefly challenging for the lead on the final restart was Donny Schatz aboard the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Ford Performance, Carquest Auto Parts #15. The #10-time Series champion is now only six-points behind Sheldon Haudenschild in the battle for fourth-place in the championship.

“We just needed to better at the end, and that’s a recurring problem for us,” Schatz said. “We could kind of hang for three-to-five laps, but then I would just stall out. All I could do at that point was run the win back, keep the tires under it, and hang on. Rico didn’t make any mistakes tonight, so hats off to him. We’ll keep plugging away.”

Rounding out the top-10 on Friday night was Brad Sweet in the Kasey Kahne Racing #49, Carson Macedo in the Jason Johnson Racing #41, Jacob Allen in the Shark Racing #1A, Spencer Bayston in the CJB Motorsports #5, Justin Peck in the Buch Motorsports #13, Logan Schuchart in the Shark Racing #1S, and Aaron Reutzel in the RSR #8.

NOS Notebook (Eldora Speedway, 9/24/22)

Rico Abreu’s ninth career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series victory puts him in a tie with Keith Kauffman (Mifflintown, PA), Brent Kaeding (Campbell, CA), and Kenny Jacobs (Holmesville, OH) for 48th on the All-Time Win List.

Abreu’s now-snapped winless streak of both four years, 15 days, and 105 races was the longest of his World of Outlaws career – even longer than the time from his debut in 2011 to his first-career win in 2014.

James McFadden’s runner-up result puts him into a rare category with Jac Haudenschild, Bobby Allen, Tim Shaffer, Mark Kinser, Johnny Herrera, and Daryn Pittman as the seventh man in World of Outlaws history to record 10 podium finishes without any wins during a single season. He’ll have 10 races remaining to try and change that statistic.

After earning his first KSE Hard Charger Award of 2022 last week (22nd-to-2nd at Hanford), Jacob Allen did it again – this time driving from 21st-to-6th at Eldora in the Shark Racing #1A.

Speaking of Shark Racing, the Hanover, PA-based team joined the likes of modern-day powerhouses Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Kasey Kahne Racing, and Roth Motorsports by qualifying three cars (Schuchart, Allen, Myers) in one full-field World of Outlaws Feature.

David Gravel opened the night by topping My Place Hotels Qualifying at 12.625 seconds, nearly topping his own track record of 12.599 seconds – It’s his 96th career World of Outlaws QuickTime Award. Winning NOS Energy Drink Heat Races on Friday was David Gravel (203rd career), Tyler Courtney (10th career), Logan Schuchart (106th career), and Logan Seavey (2nd career).

After a vicious head-on crash to the inside wall down the frontstretch, Brock Zearfoss was checked and released from the infield care center at Eldora Speedway.

UP NEXT (Sat) – Tonight, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will make a four-hour overnight haul from the western border of Ohio to the eastern border of Ohio. A Saturday showcase at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, OH awaits The Greatest Show on Dirt. Fans can BUY TICKETS HERE, or watch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.

NOS Energy Drink Feature Results (30 Laps) – 1. 24-Rico Abreu [3][$10,000]; 2. 83-James McFadden [9][$6,000]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [12][$3,500]; 4. 49-Brad Sweet [4][$2,800]; 5. 41-Carson Macedo [11][$2,500]; 6. 1A-Jacob Allen [21][$2,300]; 7. 5-Spencer Bayston [1][$2,200]; 8. 13-Justin Peck [10][$2,100]; 9. 1S-Logan Schuchart [5][$2,050]; 10. 8-Aaron Reutzel [18][$2,000]; 11. 2-David Gravel [8][$1,600]; 12. 11X-Buddy Kofoid [16][$1,400]; 13. 11K-Kraig Kinser [19][$1,200]; 14. 7BC-Tyler Courtney [2][$1,100]; 15. 11-Logan Seavey [6][$1,050]; 16. 9-Kasey Kahne [13][$1,000]; 17. 21H-Brady Bacon [17][$1,000]; 18. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [20][$1,000]; 19. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [14][$1,000]; 20. 1M-Landon Myers [24][$1,000]; 21. 7S-Robbie Price [25][$]; 22. 91-Kyle Reinhardt [15][$1,000]; 23. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg [7][$1,000]; 24. 26-Zeb Wise [23][$1,000]; 25. 5TX-Travis Philo [22][$1,000]. Lap Leaders: Spencer Bayston 1-6, Rico Abreu 7-30. KSE Hard Charger Award: 1A-Jacob Allen[+15]

NEW Championship Standings (64/74 Races) – 1. Brad Sweet (7,926); 2. David Gravel (-88); 3. Carson Macedo (-96); 4. Sheldon Haudenschild (-234); 5. Donny Schatz (-240); 6. Logan Schuchart (-308); 7. James McFadden (-456); 8. Spencer Bayston (-526); 9. Jacob Allen (-648); 10. Brock Zearfoss (-862).

JOHN FORCE AND PEAK CHEVY LEAD THE PACK FRIDAY AT NHRA CAROLINA NATIONALS

CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 23, 2022) – John Force and the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS sit in the provisional No. 1 spot Friday at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway. Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevy currently sit No. 3 while Brittany Force has the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy dragster No. 4 and Austin Prock has the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster sitting No. 12. Sitting fourth in points, John Force handled the PEAK Chevy to a stout 3.854-second pass at 330.47 mph, just three thousandths off the track record elapsed time. The PEAK Camaro will pick up three valuable bonus point for being quickest of the session. Sad to come here without Bruton Smith. I think all the racers feel that way. Have to thank his family for moving forward and keeping us racing at these great race tracks that let us come up here and run those numbers. There’s a stack of drivers behind me who can run that or better, especially if we have similar conditions, everyone will turn up the wick tomorrow,” Force said. “This PEAK Chevy is coming around, got a lot of work to do here in the middle of the Countdown. Danny Hood told me it was going to run mid-3.80s and it really went, moved around a little past half-track but I think I was over steering. Really good job to my crew chiefs, Danny Hood and Tim Fabrisi and the whole brain trust over at John Force Racing.” With an 81-point lead in the Funny Car standings, Robert Hight and the Auto Club team picked up another bonus point with their 3.864-second pass at 331.45 mph that was third quickest of the Friday evening session. “I said we had to pick up points every qualifying run and we did just that. Not a bad start to the weekend for the Auto Club Chevy. Tomorrow afternoon will be important for race day, hopefully similar conditions,” Hight said. “We got it down there and have a good starting point. Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham and the whole Auto Club team have done a great job and they’ll keep it going.” Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac dragster had a solid run Friday evening to land in the No. 4 spot with two sessions left. Force would handle the David Grubnic and Mac Savage tuned hot rod to a 3.712-second pass at 297.29 mph. “Qualifying here in Charlotte and zMAX Dragway. In the first session this Flav-R-Pac dragster was on a killer run but it moved around down there, got too close to the wall and I had to pull my foot out of it. It still put 3.71-seconds on the board, which currently puts us No. 4,” Force said. “We know we can get the car down there, we get two more runs tomorrow so our plan is to definitely step it up and get us back to the top.” Coming off his first win of the season, Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / RMT dragster would drive into smoke side-by-side with Steve Torrence, shutting off to run only 5.887 at 107.70. “Not the way this Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team wanted to start out here but we will come back swinging tomorrow,” Prock said. “I’m confident we will be able to get into the top half and stay. Looking forward to the next shot at it.” Competition at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway, the second of six NHRA Countdown to the Championship races, continues with qualifying Saturday at 2:15 and 6:00 p.m. Eliminations are slated for Sunday at noon. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) and continues with a second qualifying show Sunday at 2 p.m. ET with eliminations coverage at 3 p.m. ET. -30-

AUSTIN PROCK, 27, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist DragsterQualifying:12th; 5.887-seconds; 107.70 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0 BRITTANY FORCE, 36, Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy DragsterQualifying:4th; 3.712-seconds; 297.29 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0JOHN FORCE, 73, PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:1st; 3.854-seconds; 330.47 mphBonus Qualifying Points: +3 (quickest Q1)ROBERT HIGHT, 53, Auto Club of Southern California Chevy Camaro SSQualifying:3rd; 3.864-seconds; 331.45 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+1 (3rd quickest Q1)

CONCORD, NC (September 22, 2022) — Following a semifinal finish at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals last weekend Top Alcohol Dragster racer Travis Shumake will bring his Sheetz backed, Randy Meyer owned and tuned 270 mph dragster to zMax Dragway this weekend. The two race Sheetz marketing program is a first in drag racing for the customer-centric destination that offers more than gas and snacks and is open 24/7/365. Shumake will be flying the Sheetz colors as well as branding from Envision Rise starting Friday in the ultra-competitive Top Alcohol Dragster class.

“We have another packed field of 21 cars this weekend and my goal is to drive this Sheetz-Envision Rise dragster into the top half of the field in qualifying,” said Shumake. “I’m excited to race at Zmax, I know it’s one of the best tracks on the circuit and Randy and the team have had great success here over the years.”

Travis Shumake and Sheetz Top Alcohol Dragster, photo by SR Driven Media

This will be Shumake’s third national event competing in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and last weekend was a breakout event for the second generation drag racer. The 38-year-old New York City resident won the first and second round of racing of his professional career with new sponsor Sheetz at the Pep Boys Nationals. In the semifinals the developing driver jumped the start forcing a redlight disqualification, but his spirits were not dampened because of the mistake. 

“I’m putting that red light behind me and focused on getting back into my routine at the track and in the car,” said Shumake. “We showed the folks in Reading that Pennsylvania is Sheetz country and I hope to go rounds again for both Sheetz and Envision Rise this weekend in Charlotte.”

Shumake is building a racing program with aspirations of advancing into the Camping World Drag Racing Series racing either a Top Fuel dragster or nitro Funny Car. The son of Funny Car driver Tripp Shumake understands that gaining experience and seat time will pay dividends as his career progresses. Working with a world championship caliber team like Randy Meyer Racing has afforded Shumake the confidence to develop as a driver in top-of-the-line equipment.

“Randy and his whole organization have been great to work with,” said Shumake. “I learn so much every time I get in my Sheetz race car and Randy’s insight and direction have helped me make huge strides in a short period of time. I need to continue to work on my skills both on and off the track, but I am on an exciting path to promote this sport.”

Top Alcohol Dragsters will be on track Friday for two qualifying runs at 1:15 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. On Saturday the class will get one more qualifying pass at 11:30 a.m. before moving into the first round of eliminations at 3:15 p.m. and second round at 7:00 p.m. The race will conclude on Sunday with the semifinals and final round.

The Hanover, PA driver is on a career-best streak of 13 top-10 finishes in a row, including preliminary events

By Nick Graziano

ROSSBURG, OH (Sept. 22, 2022) – A couple of years ago, Jacob Allen told his father he didn’t think he was cut out for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series tour. He couldn’t win.

Now…

“I really do believe I feel like I can win any race that I show up to,” Allen said.

The confidence stems from having not only the best season of his career, but, arguably, a “breakout season.”

Allen’s previous season bests included one win, nine top-five finishes, 20 top 10s and 79 laps led. This year, he’s already surpassed each stat with four wins – including his crown jewel victory at the Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar Speedway – 15 top fives, 31 top 10s and 134 laps led.

What’s produced the change?

“You know, I don’t… I just keep believing in myself, keep believing in my team and keep focused,” Allen said. “We’re working hard on getting our race car to feel right for the racetrack. You know, with getting the car right for the racetrack it helps a tremendous amount on driving the race car, as well.”

The Hanover, PA driver and his Shark Racing team are currently on their best stretch of finishes since joining the World of Outlaws tour full-time in 2014. Allen hasn’t finished outside the top 10 in his last 13 starts, including his preliminary nights during the Knoxville Nationals, which he won, and Gold Cup, where he finished second. And more than half of those finishes are podiums.

To put his season into another perspective, with 11 races left to go this season, Allen still has more wins than three-time and defending champion Brad Sweet and is tied with 10-time Series champion Donny Schatz.

“To me, it’s like a humbling feeling more than anything,” Allen said about the stat. “Brad Sweet and Donny Schatz are people I look up to and have respect for. I’ve seen Donny win 30 races in a year. Hopefully I can have their respect and hopefully when I want to go talk to guys like that, that they’re open to giving me advice because I’m just a regular guy.

“I have a long way to go to what I think would be to consider myself a great in this sport. Because of those guys, I strive to be like them and be great like them some day.”

Allen and teammate Logan Schuchart have recently swapped the top two spots during the West Coast swing. Allen won at Gold Cup with Schuchart second and then Schuchart won the Tom Tarlton Classic ahead of his uncle.

Being able to add his name to the list of drivers who have won Gold Cup has multiple special meanings to Allen.

“It meant a lot, especially with Logan (Schuchart) winning it the year before,” Allen said. “And with Stevie Smith winning it, there are three guys from the same area that have won a crown jewel race – the biggest race in my opinion on the West Coast. Coming all the way from the East Coast and doing that is pretty special.

“You look at the names that have won the Gold Cup and there are some real gassers on there. So, to be a part of that list is a pretty huge accomplishment for me.”

This weekend, he and the rest of the World of Outlaws tour venture east for two stops in Ohio – Eldora Speedway for the BeFour the Crowns Showdown on Friday, Sept. 23, and Sharon Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 24

Allen has struggled at both tracks recently, finishing no better than 19th at Eldora this year and 23rd at Sharon last year. However, his previous stats at tracks have held little weight this year.

In the 33 different tracks the World of Outlaws has raced at this season, Allen has had a new career-best finish at 23 of those tracks.

A good portion of that stems from his new mentality of, “I feel like I can win any race that I show up to.”

For tickets to the events at Eldora Speedway and Sharon Speedway, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the tracks, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either DIRTVision.com or by downloading the DIRTVision App.

CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 22, 2022) – John Force and the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team return to zMAX Dragway for the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals sitting fourth in the Camping World Drag Racing Series points, still very much in contention for an unprecedented 17th series championship. Just 97-points back from the lead, Force makes his second 2022 visit to the track where earlier this year he won the Circle K 4Wide Nationals, boosting him to his current drag racing record 155 tour victories. He drove his PEAK Chevy Camaro to zMAX Dragway track Funny Car records of 3.850-seconds and 335.07 mph in qualifying No. 1 for the 4Wide, his only No. 1 start so far this season. “This PEAK Auto team has been working hard to keep us in the hunt. We’re still there. It’s going to be a battle,” Force said. “I’m looking forward to getting back to Charlotte, I’ve done well there and it’s a beautiful facility, the Bellagio of drag racing. The Smith family always puts on a great show, carrying on Bruton’s legacy. We’ll be looking for consistency, go some rounds Sunday, get the job done.” Force has won the spring Four-Wide at zMAX Dragway three times (2010, 2021, 2022) but his only victory in the fall Carolina Nationals came in 2016. Last year, after qualifying No. 1, he was ousted from the Carolina Nationals on a centerline infraction in the second round. Competition at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway, the second of six NHRA Countdown to the Championship races, begins with qualifying Friday evening at 7:15 p.m. and Saturday at 2:15 and 6:00 p.m. Eliminations are slated for Sunday at noon. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) and begins with a live qualifying show Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET. A second qualifying show airs Sunday at 2 p.m. ET with eliminations coverage at 3 p.m. ET.

DENVER, NC (September 22, 2022) — After spending the past seven and a half months traveling across the country pursuing Pro Stock wins and a chance to compete for the Camping World Drag Racing Series Pro Stock world championship rookie Camrie Caruso will race just minutes from her home in Denver, North Carolina, this weekend. Competing in the Betway NHRA Nationals, the second Countdown playoff race, Caruso will be racing a new look GESi Chevrolet Camaro powered by Titan Racing Engines. Sitting in tenth place less than 100 points out of the lead Caruso has five races left in her rookie season. The front-runner for rookie of the year has secured a No. 1 qualifier, raced to a final round, and secured a spot in the playoffs in the ultra-competitive Pro Stock category.

“I am looking forward to racing in front of my North Carolina fans,” said Caruso. “I came to the four-wide race earlier this year as a spectator, but this will be my first time racing Pro Stock at one of the nicest tracks on the tour. We are in the Countdown and we definitely want to move up in the points. This class is very tough. but we are giving it maximum effort.”

Caruso has made her mark already in the Pro Stock category establishing herself as a consistent driver off the starting line with strong power under the hood thanks to Titan Racing Engines. Caruso’s veteran crew chief Jim Yates, a former Pro Stock world champion, has been a strong guiding force in the development of Caruso this season. The duo spent considerable time before the season started working on the minute details of staging and racing in preparation for races like the final five national events in the Countdown.

Pro Stock rookie Camrie Caruso, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

“At the beginning of the season before I had even tested my goals for this season were to win races, be No. 1 qualifier, make the Countdown and win the Pro Stock championship,” said Caruso, a third generation drag racer. “Jim said my goals were too high, but I don’t think so. I feel like we can race with anyone and I am looking forward to showing what this GESi Chevrolet Camaro can do this weekend.”

Throughout the season Caruso Family Racing has been working with several marketing partners both through primary on-car branding and in the pits marketing opportunities. This weekend GESi, an industry leading emissions control technologies company that has conducted over eighteen years of research and development in creating and testing their patented and proprietary advanced emission reduction technology called Dry Selective Catalyst™ (DSC™). Today our technology can be found in many verified applications from a small gas-powered lawn mower up to a 3000HP power generation plant, in locations around the world. Their mission is to design, engineer, manufacture, sell and support emissions technologies by exceeding expectations for their partners and industry.

“GESi has been on our Camaro all season and we wanted to highlight them in the Countdown,” said Caruso. “I am hoping this weekend in Charlotte being a home race for me will be a good time to get that first win not just for GESi but also NGK/NTK Spark Plugs, PowerBuilt Tools, Sand Haulers of America, VP Racing Lubricants and all the partners that have supported us this season.”

Caruso and the GESi Chevrolet Camaro will have three qualifying runs to earn a spot in the 16-car qualified field. This season Caruso has made every field and raced to at least the quarterfinals seven times. Final eliminations will begin on Sunday at noon ET for all the Camping World Drag Racing Series categories. The race will be broadcast on FS1 from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. ET.

CONCORD, N.C. (Sept. 22, 2022) – Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS team will be chasing their eighth win of the season this weekend at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway and with it an even more defining bid for the NHRA Camping World Funny Car championship title. Hight is coming off a millstone 60th career victory and career best seventh win of the season at last weekend’s event at Maple Grove Raceway. The three-time champion had a near perfect weekend gaining points every qualifying run en route to his fourth No. 1 of the season and continued on race day being quickest or second quickest of every round. The victory makes him just the sixth Funny Car driver to win seven races in a season (with Don Prudhomme, Kenny Bernstein, Ron Capps and Jack Beckman). “It’s really been an incredible year so far. I have to give it up to this Auto Club Chevy team. They have worked so hard, really put their heads down and put the work in. It started at the end of last season and carried through all winter, and they haven’t let up. That’s why we are where we are right now,” Hight said. “Going into Charlotte, we have to treat it just like any other race, just like we treated Reading. I sound like a broken record but it really is just one run at a time, get points in qualifying and be consistent on race day. Hopefully we get it done again this weekend.” Hight has won a record six-times at zMAX Dragway, four times in the fall at the Carolina Nationals (2009, 2013, 2017 and 2019) and twice at the Four-Wide Nationals in the spring (2012, 2014). He has yet to qualify No. 1 at the Carolina Nationals but has started race day from the top spot at the Four-Wide three times (2010, 2012, 2019). This weekend, he’ll be looking to add to his 13 Countdown wins, already a record in Funny Car. Competition at the Betway NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway, the second of six NHRA Countdown to the Championship races, begins with qualifying Friday evening at 7:15 p.m. and Saturday at 2:15 and 6:00 p.m. Eliminations are slated for Sunday at noon. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) and begins with a live qualifying show Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET. A second qualifying show airs Sunday at 2 p.m. ET with eliminations coverage at 3 p.m. ET.

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE AutoTrader Echo Park Automotive 500 Texas Motor SpeedwayFort Worth, TexasSeptember 25, 2022

RACE #1 OF NCS PLAYOFFS ROUND OF 12: TEXAS

With the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) playoff field down to 12 drivers; the playoff points standings are reset and attention is turned to the first of three stops in the Round of 12: Texas Motor Speedway. Sunday’s AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 sets up arguably one of the most diverse, wildcard rounds of the 10-race playoff stretch. Joining the 1.5-mile Texas oval in this round is NASCAR’s longest oval, the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway; and 2.28-mile, 17-turn Charlotte ROVAL.  While NASCAR’s premier series has made the trip to the Fort Worth, Texas, venue earlier this season, this weekend marks the first points-paying show of the season at the track. The 2021 season saw a Chevrolet sweep the NCS events at Texas Motor Speedway, both captured by Kyle Larson and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 team. Larson recorded his second-career NASCAR All-Star win in June 2021, later returning to the 1.5-mile Texas venue in October to take the first race of the Round of 8.. a victory that solidified his spot in the Championship 4 that led to his first career NCS championship. Larson’s victory in the 2021 NCS playoff race at Texas brought Chevrolet’s win count at Texas Motor Speedway to 15 to tie Ford in the top spot for all-time NCS wins at the track.

AND THEN THERE WERE 12..

Of the 12 drivers left in contention for the NASCAR Cup Series championship title, Chevrolet continues to lead the charge with six drivers advancing. With the playoff points standings reset, the 2022 NCS Regular-Season Champion Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team reclaimed the top spot in the standings. With his series-leading 4 wins, 11 top-fives, 18 top-10s and 40 playoff points, Elliott is entering the Round of 8 with a 31-point advantage over the cutline. Joining him in the Round of 12 includes his Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson, William Byron and Alex Bowman; as well as Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain, who are competing in the playoffs for the first time in their NCS careers.

With the next round on deck, Chevrolet is one step closer to defending its NCS Driver and Manufacturer Championships. While leading the NCS driver standings, the bowtie brand also continues to sit atop the NCS manufacturer points standings, heading into the Round of 12 with an 87-point lead.  A look at where the Team Chevy NCS playoff drivers stand heading into race one of the Round of 12, including season numbers and career stats at Texas Motor Speedway:

Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 1st in Playoff Standings (+31 points above cutline)2022 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season ChampionVictories: 4 Top-Fives: 11; Top-10s: 18; Laps Led: 719  Average Finish: 11.1; Stage Wins: 5 At Texas Motor Speedway: Top-Fives: 2; Top-10s: 6; Average Finish: 11.545 Of Note:– The 2022 season marks Elliott’s seventh consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs. – Elliott has advanced to the Championship 4 the past two seasons, winning his first career NCS Driver Championship in 2020. – Six of his 17 career NCS wins have come in the playoffs.- Elliott has won at two of the three tracks in the Round of 12, including Talladega Superspeedway (2019); and a two-time winner at the Charlotte ROVAL (2019 and 2020). Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 – 3rd in Playoff Standings (+11 points above cutline)Victories: 2Top-Fives: 10; Top-10s: 16; Laps Led: 584Average Finish: 14.2; Stage Wins: 5 At Texas Motor Speedway: Top-20s: 1; Average Finish: 27.6 Of Note:– The 2022 season marks Chastain’s first career appearance in the NCS playoffs. – Chastain has already scored a win at one of the Round of 12 tracks in 2022, with his second-career NCS win coming at Talladega Superspeedway in April.

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 4th in Playoff Standings (+10 points above cutline)2021 NASCAR Cup Series ChampionVictories: 2Top-Fives: 11; Top-10s: 15; Laps Led: 341Average Finish: 13.7; Stage Wins: 3 At Texas Motor Speedway: Wins: 1; Top-Fives: 4; Top-10s; 5; Average Finish: 18.429 Of Note:– The 2022 season marks Larson’s sixth appearance in the NCS playoffs, with 2021 bringing Larson his first trip to the Championship 4. – During the playoff era (2004-present); Larson leads the series in ‘multiple playoff race wins in a single season’ with five in 2021 (Bristol, Charlotte ROVAL, Texas, Kansas, Phoenix).- In 2021, Larson took the wins at two of the three tracks that are in the Round of 12, including both the playoff and All-Star races at Texas Motor Speedway; and the annual race at the Charlotte ROVAL. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 5th in Playoff Standings (+6 points above the cutline)Victories: 2Top-Fives: 5; Top-10s: 8; Laps Led: 671Average Finish: 16.8; Stage Wins: 4 At Texas Motor Speedway: Top-Fives: 1; Top-10s: 3; Average Finish: 14.429 Of Note:– The 2022 season marks Byron’s fourth consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs. – Bryon’s career-best finish in the NCS playoffs came in 2021, finishing the season 10th in the final standings.- Byron scored top-10 finishes in all three races of the Round of 16 including an eighth-place at Darlington Raceway; sixth-place at Kansas Speedway; and third-place at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 – 10th in Playoff Standings (-6 points below the cutline)Victories: 1Top-Fives: 4; Top-10s: 12; Laps Led: 136Average Finish: 15.7; Stage Wins: 2 At Texas Motor Speedway: Top-Fives: 2; Top-10s: 2; Average Finish: 24.5 Of Note:– The 2022 season marks Bowman’s fifth consecutive appearance in the NCS playoffs. – Bowman has raced his way into the Round of 12 in each of his NCS playoff appearances; making it to the Round of 8 in the 2020 season to score a career-best sixth in the final standings.- Two of Bowman’s 12 top-10 finishes of 2022 came in the Round of 16, recording a 10th-place finish at Darlington Raceway and a fourth-place finish at Kansas Speedway. Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1 – 11th in Playoff Standings (-6 points below the cutline)Victories: 1Top-Fives: 6; Top-10s: 11; Laps Led: 246Average Finish: 16.4; Stage Wins: 2 At Texas Motor Speedway: Top-Fives: 2; Top-10s: 3; Average Finish: 17.333 Of Note:– The 2022 season marks Suarez’s first career appearance in the NCS playoffs. – Suarez has three top-five finishes on road course circuits in 2022 including his first-career NCS win at Sonoma Raceway; and fifth-place finishes at Road America and Watkins Glen.

Chevrolet All-Time NASCAR Cup SeriesChampionships: Manufacturer Championships:1st Chevy Title: 1958Most Recent Title: 2021Highest Number of Consecutive Titles: 13 (2003-2015) Driver Championships:1st Chevy title: Buck Baker (1957)Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021)Highest Number of Consecutive Titles: 7 (2005-2011)

ALLMENDINGER GOES BACK-TO-BACK IN NXS REGULAR-SEASON TITLES

For the second consecutive season, Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger has been named the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) Regular-Season Champion. The 2022 season is only the second full-time campaign in the series for the 40-year-old California native, with Allmendinger now taking the regular-season title in both. The Chevrolet driver has been a consistent fixture atop the points standings this season; taking the lead after the Richmond event on April 2 and never looking back. Allmendinger – who’s recorded three wins and a series-leading 23 top-10s in 26 points-paying races – will enter the series’ playoff run with 15 additional playoff points as he competes for his first career NXS championship crown.

EIGHT CHEVROLET DRIVERS LOCK INTO NXS PLAYOFFS

With the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season complete, eight Chevrolet drivers have officially punched their ticket into the 12-driver playoff field to compete for the series’ championship title. Joining the NXS Regular-Season Champion AJ Allmendinger in the post-season battle include all four JR Motorsports teammates, Noah Gragson, Justin Allgaier, Josh Berry and Sam Mayer; NXS rookie Austin Hill; Daytona (August) winner Jeremy Clements; and Allmendinger’s Kaulig Racing teammate Daniel Hemric.  With the playoff points standings reseeded for the start of the race to the championship, Noah Gragson and the No. 9 JR Motorsports Camaro SS team has claimed the top spot on the leaderboard. With his six wins – including the past three consecutive races – and his series-leading 15 top-fives, 13 stage wins and 51 playoff points; Gragson enters the Round of 12 with a 46-point lead over the playoff cutline.  The NXS playoffs consist of two, three-race rounds, with one final race at Phoenix Raceway to determine the champion. The first of three races in the NXS Round of 12 gets underway on Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway with the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300. Chevrolet is heading back to the 1.5-mile Texas venue as defending winners at the track after Tyler Reddick drove the No.48 Big Machine Racing Camaro SS to the win in May, with four fellow Team Chevy drivers in tow to give the bowtie brigade a sweep of the top-five finishing positions.

DOMINANT REGULAR-SEASON FOR THE CAMARO SS

In 26-points paying races, Chevrolet drivers have accumulated 19 wins, recorded by eight drivers from five different Chevrolet teams. The first came right out of the gate with Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill in the series’ season opener at Daytona International Speedway. The manufacturer has gone on various impressive win streaks throughout the season, including seven in a row that started with Noah Gragson’s Talladega win in April. Entering the Texas race weekend, Chevrolet is riding streak of five consecutive victories. 16 of Chevrolet’s manufacturer-leading 19 wins of the season have come in the series’ past 18 races, giving Chevrolet drivers and teams a wave of momentum heading into the post-season race to the championship. Gragson’s career-best and series-leading sixth win of 2022 at Bristol Motor Speedway also gave the bowtie brand its 496th all-time NXS win, with the manufacturer entering the playoffs just four wins away from its milestone 500th all-time win in the series.  Looking to capture its sixth consecutive – and 23rd all-time – NXS Manufacturer Championship, Chevrolet continues to pull away in the manufacturer points standings. With just seven races remaining, the bowtie brand now leads its manufacturer competitors by 125-points in the standings.

NCWTS: ONE DOWN, TWO TO GO

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) began the series’ Round of 8 last weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, marking the first of three final chances for playoff drivers to win or point their way into the Championship 4. GMS Racing’s Grant Enfinger had a strong opening round in the playoffs; recording three top-five finishes – including a win – in the first three races. Enfinger and the No. 23 GMS Racing Silverado RST team took on the Round of 8 in similar fashion, bringing his Chevrolet-powered machine home in the fourth-position at Bristol to continue his playoffs top-five finish streak.

The NCWTS will be back in action on October 1, with a 250-mile race at the famed Talladega Superspeedway holding the spot as race two of three in the series’ Round of 8.

BOWTIE BULLETS

·       Victories by active Chevrolet drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Texas Motor Speedway include:       Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 (Defending Winner; 2021)       Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 (2020) ·       Kyle Larson swept the NASCAR Cup Series events at Texas Motor Speedway in 2021, capturing his second-career NASCAR All-Star win in June, later returning to take the first race of the NCS Playoffs Round of 8 at the track in October.   ·       Chevrolet has recorded 15 NASCAR Cup Series wins (tied for the most) and a series-leading 15 pole wins at Texas Motor Speedway. ·       Career Chevrolet driver, Jimmie Johnson, leads the NASCAR Cup Series in a variety of measures at Texas Motor Speedway, including the most wins (7), runner-up finishes (5), top-fives (16) and laps led (1,152). ·       Six Chevrolet drivers advanced to the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 12, giving the bowtie brand 50 percent of the playoff field for the second consecutive round. ·       With the NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings reseeded going into the Round of 12; 2022 NCS Regular-Season Champion Chase Elliott reclaimed the top spot with a 31-point advantage over the cutline. Elliott continues to lead the series in wins (4), top-fives (11), top-10s (18) and laps led (719). ·       For the second consecutive season, AJ Allmendinger has claimed the NASCAR Xfinity Series Regular-Season Championship. The 2022 season is only Allmendinger’s second full-time campaign in the series, with the Kaulig Racing driver now taking the NXS Regular-Season Championship title in both. ·       Eight Chevrolet drivers have clinched a spot in the 12-driver NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff field. JR Motorsports’ Noah Gragson – who leads the series in wins (6), top-fives (15), stage wins (13) and accumulated playoff points (51) – now sits atop the NXS driver points standings, 46-points over the cutline. ·       Three of the top-five NASCAR Cup Series drivers that have led the most laps thus far come from the bowtie brand, led by the 2022 NCS regular-season champion Chase Elliott (719 laps). Joining Elliott in the top-five of that chart includes William Byron in second (671 laps) and Ross Chastain in fourth (584 laps). ·       In 29 NASCAR Cup Series points-paying racing, Chevrolet continues to lead all manufacturers in NCS race wins (16), top-fives (69), top-10s (127), laps led (3,329) and stage wins (23). With a double-digit lead in wins over its manufacturer competitors with only seven races remaining in the 2022 season; Chevrolet has already clinched the most NCS wins recorded in a single year among all manufacturers. ·       Seven Team Chevy drivers have combined 23 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins:        Tyler Reddick 2 – Fontana x2       Alex Bowman 1 – Las Vegas, Kansas       Ross Chastain 4 – Las Vegas, Darlington, Charlotte, Pocono, Richmond       William Byron 4 – Phoenix, Atlanta, Talladega, Darlington       Daniel Suarez 2 – COTA, Charlotte       Chase Elliott 3 – Martinsville x2, Charlotte, Atlanta x2        Kyle Larson 3 – Bristol, Sonoma, Pocono ·       Reigning NASCAR Cup Series and NASAR Xfinity Series Manufacturer Champions, Chevrolet, continues to lead in the manufacturer points standings in both series. The bowtie brand leads the NCS manufacturer points standings by 87-points, with the manufacturer’s lead in the NXS standings expanding to 125-points. ·       With its 40 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 830 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR.

FOR THE FANS

·       Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Texas Motor Speedway. ·       Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: 2023 Corvette 3LT, Tahoe RST, Silverado 1500 High Country, Colorado Bison, Camaro ZL1, Silverado ZR2 and the Blazer EV.·       At the Chevrolet Display, fans can also view Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Camaro ZL1 show car. Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display: Saturday, September 24·       Jeb Burton: 11:30 a.m.·       Brandon Brown: 11:45 a.m.·       Sheldon Creed & Austin Hill: 12:00 p.m.·       Nick Sanchez: 12:15 p.m. Sunday, September 25·       Ricky Stenhouse Jr: 10:30 a.m.·       Austin Dillon: 11:30 a.m.·       William Byron: 12 p.m. Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:  Saturday, September 24: 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Sunday, September 25: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.   Tune In: USA Network will broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 25. Live coverage can also be found on the NBCSports Gold App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  USA Network will broadcast the NASCAR Xfinity Series Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 24. Live coverage can also be found on the NBCSports Gold App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

QUOTABLE QUOTES

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 RENU CAMARO ZL1 Did you learn anything in the Sprint All-Star race that you think will be important in this Playoff race?“In the spring we were flying in Texas. I would like to not fly as high (laughs). With the two ends being so different, you gain so much speed with the banking and you have to slow down a lot in turns 1 and 2. Keeping the balance on both ends is important. We obviously learned stuff in the All-Star race but now there is a lot more on the line.” Since its newer pavement at Texas, do you think we’ll see more drastic things with the new car?“It does actually. It has a lot of grip until you lose it, so when you do lose it you crash, or we blow tires. I think the whole field has gotten better with not blowing tires as easily. I don’t know how long they’re going to leave Texas the way it is, so it’s probably time to enjoy it for what it is.” KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 Larson on lessons learned during last season’s playoffs: “Be clean and let the other teams make the mistakes. Honestly, if you can just finish you don’t have to do anything crazy in the first couple rounds. Don’t take yourself out of stage points or a good finish and you can advance. Once you get to the Round of 8, that’s obviously when you need to get some top-five finishes or a win. You just don’t want to take yourself out of any race or get any DNF or anything like that where you put yourself in a must-win situation because winning is really difficult to do. You just want to keep yourself in contention every race.” CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1Daniels on the challenges of setting a car up for Texas Motor Speedway: “Texas (Motor Speedway) is definitely a different style intermediate track with less banking in (turns) one and two and a tighter corner radius than (turns) three and four. It’s actually fun to try to set up a car because the ends are so different. With some hotter temperatures this weekend compared to when we were there for the All-Star Race and with the groove widening out with resin or whatever they spray, 500 miles is a long race but I hope it can be a pretty fun day.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1Elliott on racing at Texas: “I’d love to go to Texas (Motor Speedway) this weekend and have a good, solid run and start this round off on a high note. We didn’t get to run the full All-Star Race earlier this year, but I still feel like we got enough track time to have good notes as we head back there. We just need to put a good weekend together and execute a solid day. If we can do that, then we have as good a shot as anyone to get a win and lock ourselves into the next round.” ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on preparing for the Round of 12:“This is going to be a tough round, but we know what we need to do to keep our playoff run going. Execution and putting together three solid races is going to be key. Each of these races in this Round of 12 has its own unique set of challenges. There isn’t really much room for error, but if you make a mistake, you have to regroup quickly and do what you can to maximize the day and get as many points as you can. Our group is really good at that and I think we are fully capable of advancing.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1Byron on preparation for Texas: “I’m interested to see how racing at Texas (Motor Speedway) goes this weekend. We’ve always had speed there but I think in the spring we just were a little off on our setup since it was the first time at Texas in the Next Gen car. Our mile-and-a-half program is the one I think we needed to work on the most this season but I think, especially after Kansas (Speedway) a few weeks ago, that we’ve really improved on those style of tracks. With how this round shapes up there’s a lot of emphasis on Texas and leaving there with as many points as possible and that will be our goal, just like how we did last round. As long as we have a good Saturday, I think we’ll be in a good place for the race and then it’s all about execution on Sunday.” RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1Fugle on what he expects at Texas this weekend: “I think we have some good notes heading into this weekend’s race at Texas (Motor Speedway). We learned a lot from Kansas (Speedway) a couple weeks ago, and with us using the same tire as we did for that race, a good portion of those notes should translate. The biggest difference is going to be how much hotter it is and where the resin is applied on the track. From what we’ve been told, the resin is being applied like it was for the All-Star Race earlier this year, so we have those notes as well. Just with the heat and tire compound though, I think handling is going to play a much bigger factor this weekend than it did for the All-Star event. We’ve really focused on that this week, so we hopefully unload close to where we need to be and focus more on fine-tuning than anything.” TY DILLON, NO. 42 BLACK RIFLE COFFEE COMPANY CAMARO ZL1Dillon’s thoughts on racing at Texas Motor Speedway:“I’m looking forward to heading to Texas this weekend with my No. 42 Petty GMS team. We have been working on our intermediate package and I believe this weekend should be fun to see how some of these changes play out on track. Ever since the surface was reconfigured a few years ago, it has presented us drivers with such a challenging course to attack. Hopefully, the use of the resin will help promote some good passing opportunities, because the speeds are up and clean air is always king at this place. I’m excited to welcome our friends at Black Rifle Coffee Company back onboard our Camaro, and hope to give everyone a good run for 500 miles in the Lone Star state.” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 FOCUSFACTOR CAMARO ZL1“Texas was a tough race for us during the All-Star race. We got voted in by the fan vote and just really struggled all night. We were on a path that I feel like wasn’t working with our mile-and-a-half program at that point. I think we’ve gotten it quite a bit better and know what we need to do better for that race coming back. Hopefully those things will play out for us. I like Texas a lot. I’ve been able to win a hand full of races there in the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series, so I want to get strong there in the Cup car and contend for a win with our FOCUSfactor Chevy.”  ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1Bowman on being named the 2022 Halifax Humane Society’s Humanitarian of the Year: “It is really cool to be nominated for the award. Helping animals is a big passion of mine and something that I really value. Without Ally and Best Friends Animal Society helping me get the money and resources to Best Friends network partners across the country, none of this would be possible. I am honored to receive this award, but there is still a lot of work to be done. Hopefully we can win a few more races before the season ends and get even more money to the pets who need it.” Bowman, on what it takes to make it to the Round of 8: “Our team is really focused on taking it one race at a time. We did that in the Round of 16 to get to where we are now. The crew is really fired up right now and all of us are putting in the time to give ourselves the best chance of success. Greg (Ives) is really focused and leading us really well right now. I think that if we continue to pay attention to the small details and stay focused on one race at a time, we can go really far this postseason. We have Texas (Motor Speedway) circled right now and that’s all that matters.” GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1Ives on advancing to the Round of 12: “Despite the mechanical issues, we had a fast car in Bristol and glad we made it to the next round of the playoffs. Our team has worked hard to give Alex (Bowman) really fast race cars and Alex has been locked in on performing and the team is feeding off of his energy. We have a lot of momentum right now and I told the team we don’t have to hit home runs. We just need to get on base and maximize the results. Texas (Motor Speedway) is the next race we all have our focus on.” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 AGUAS FRESCAS CAMARO ZL1What are your thoughts on going to Texas and beginning the Round of 12?“We can’t wait to get to the track. Not only do we have a big weekend planned with Daniel’s Amigos, but Texas is one of my favorite tracks. We know we are better than what we showed at Bristol. Texas, Talladega and the Charlotte Roval are three of my better tracks. We know we can advance, now we have to show everyone else.” How tough is the mental reset after a struggle at Bristol?“You have no idea how easy it’s going to be for me to reset because that car was not fun. For me, to be able to make it to the next round with the way the car was driving, is a huge plus. Thank you to everyone on our team. They did a very good job. We had the speed, but there were a lot of mistakes; on pit road, myself, overall. We’ll come back stronger for the next round.” What is Daniel’s Amigos?“Daniel’s Amigos was just an idea. I always wanted to do something special for the Latinos, and was just trying to come up with ways to bring this community to the race track and give them a special, cool experience. After several conversations with Coca-Cola and NASCAR, we were able to make it happen in 2019 at Auto Club Speedway in California and it has just grown from here. It has taken a lot of work by Coca-Cola and NASCAR to make this happen, but I am super excited about it.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 40First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15) Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 33First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)                2022 STATISTICS:                                                                                                    Wins: 16Poles: 8Laps Led: 3,329Top-five finishes: 69Top-10 finishes: 127Stage wins: 23Tyler Reddick (Fontanax2)Alex Bowman (Las Vegas), (Kansas)Ross Chastain (Las Vegas), (Darlington), (Charlotte), (Pocono), (Richmond)William Byron (Phoenix), (Atlanta), (Talladega), (Darlington)Daniel Suarez (COTA), (Charlotte)Chase Elliott (Martinsvillex2), (Charlotte), (Atlantax2)Kyle Larson (Bristol Dirt), (Sonoma), (Pocono) CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 830 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 731Laps led to date: 244,665Top-five finishes to date: 4,207Top-10 finishes to date: 8,682                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:                    General Motors: 1,164           Chevrolet: 830           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 818                                                                      Ford: 718           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 168

CHEVROLET AT CHARLOTTE What: Betway NHRA Carolina NationalsWhen: Friday, Sept. 23-Sunday, Sept. 25Where: zMAX Dragway in Concord, North CarolinaTV: FS1 will telecast eliminations live at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 25                                                                       Team Chevy aims to keep rolling in the CountdownChevrolet drivers enter second round of playoffs with momentum after Maple Grove

DETROIT (Sept. 22, 2022) – Chevrolet teams and drivers enter Round 2 of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Countdown to the Championship seeking to add significant points to their totals at a familiar racetrack. When zMAX Dragway hosted the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series four-wide event on May 1, John Force had another weekend to remember by sweeping to the No. 1 Funny Car qualifier honor and going on to record career victory No. 155. Teammate Robert Hight was runner-up.This weekend, the facility in Concord, North Carolina, will be the site of conventional match racing and include the Pro Stock category that did not compete the first time around. Hight, driver of the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS, will aim to put more distance between himself and Funny Car championship pursuers. The front-runner earned his seventh victory of the season and 60th of his career Sept.18 at Maple Grove Raceway. “It’s one down five to go. We have to focus and try to get the same job done again. If you can do that early on, you’re going to put some pressure on these guys,” said Hight, a six-time winner at the track. Force, driving the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Camaro SS, is fourth in the standings – only 16 points out of second place – as he takes aim at his 17th Funny Car world championship. He advanced to the semifinals at Maple Grove in the Countdown opener. Brittany Force, the No. 1 qualifier at Maple Grove, is only nine points behind the Top Fuel points leader as she looks to regain the top spot in the Flav-R-Pac/Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster. She was the No. 1 qualifier and runner-up in the 2021 fall race at zMAX Dragway. Teammate Austin Prock has renewed confidence after picking up his second career Top Fuel win, driving the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster to victory at Maple Grove Raceway. He is sixth in the standings. Kyle Koretsky won the Pro Stock race last fall at zMAX Dragway, defeating KB Racing teammate Greg Anderson in the final. Both will challenge for the victory this weekend as they look to reel in points leader Erica Enders.

Enders, driving the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS, claimed her seventh victory of the season and 40th of her career in the Countdown opener to widen her points lead. Anderson, driver of the HendrickCars.com Camaro SS, moved to second in the standings, while Koretsky is third in the Lucas Oil Camaro SS. FS1 will telecast eliminations at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 25.

CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPITTOP FUELBRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, FLAV-R-PAC/MONSTER ENERGY CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (four-time winner this season; second in points): “Charlotte is second on the Countdown list and after a challenging weekend our Flav-R-Pac team is ready to get the event started. First priority is to get back on track with solid qualifying. We will be looking for three consistent qualifying runs to get us in the top of the show. Every point matters and we have a shot to pick up some points with good qualifying runs. Race day we need to be going rounds. This Countdown is short and we need to step it up and will be hunting down a win this weekend.” AUSTIN PROCK, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONTANA BRAND/ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (won last week at Reading): “(The Maple Grove win) was exactly what we needed. If we want to play for the big trophy at the end of the year we had to win (the Countdown opener). Just really proud of this team. It’s been a trying year and everyone has kept their heads down and still believed in themselves and you keep that attitude and you end up with a Wally. We’ll have more confidence rolling in (to Charlotte). We have some momentum going. People get on rolls and sometimes they stay on a roll and this is a perfect time to do it for us. We’re going to focus on one round at a time like we did in Reading and see how things shake up. Anything is possible.” FUNNY CARJOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK ANTIFREEZE AND COOLANT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (Charlotte four-wide winner in spring; fourth in points): “Everyone (at John Force Racing) is in the hunt. Robert may just run away with it. But this PEAK Chevy, we’re still in the mix, still five races to go. Brittany will be good, still up in the top. That Montana Brand car, we’ve been working hard to get that car back in the mix, and they’ve got a chance. We head right to Charlotte where we’ll have another shot at it. Keep on trying to get the job done.” ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (seven-time winner this season; points leader): “It’s one down five to go. We have to focus and try to get the same job done again. If you can do that early on, you’re going to put some pressure on these guys. Seven wins is not going to get the championship. We’re going to have to get more than what we have and keep this rolling to win this championship. This is just getting started.” PRO STOCKERICA ENDERS, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, MELLING PERFORMANCE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (seven-time winner this season; points leader): “This Countdown is going to be a dogfight as it is early single year and giving up that 200-plus point lead coming in doesn’t help. We know we have to capitalize on every moment, execute perfectly. It’s hard to win a round let alone a race. I am stoked to start the Countdown on the right foot, to get that jump on everybody. I would rather that than to make a comeback as the race close out at the end of the year. We just have to continue the trend. Momentum is huge in any sport and we just hope to carry it.” GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (reigning Pro Stock champion; second in standings): “We lost ground to the leader and we’re second, but we’re not fighting for second. We’re fighting for first. We had a bit of a rough weekend. We didn’t qualify like we should have and just had some things going on that were out of the ordinary. We had some engine issues; the engine was wanting to stumble in low gear right off the starting line to get to 60 foot properly. We’ve been working on things back at the shop. We’ve got to get that figured out because you’re not going to beat these other racers if you’re not 100 percent. (This weekend) the air is going to be good, the weather is going to be perfect, so the cars will be fast. We have to get that 60-foot time back down to where we need it and then we can contend for the win again.” KYLE KORETSKY, KB RACING, LUCAS OIL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (won 2021 fall race at track; third in standings): “I would like nothing better than to repeat what we did at zMAX Dragway last year. We’re coming off a semifinal round loss at my home track — Maple Grove Raceway — where we qualified third. It was a good weekend to kick off the Countdown, but we want to go more rounds with the Lucas Oil Chevy. We’ll try to do that this weekend in Charlotte.”  DALLAS GLENN, KB RACING, RAD TORQUE SYSTEMS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (Gainesville winner): “Racing at home is always something we look forward to. We didn’t get to race here in the spring so I’ve really been waiting to get back to zMAX. We hurt our good engine last weekend but we were able to get it back together with minimal damage right in time for this weekend. We’ve got our eyes on the winner’s circle.” CAMRIE CARUSO, CARUSO FAMILY RACING, TEQUILA COMISARIO CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (first season in Pro Stock; No. 1 qualifier and runner-up at Houston): “We are in the Countdown. We just have to work a little harder to win this championship. I am happy with how well my team has pulled together and hopefully we can do some damage over these next five playoff races.”

September 22, 2022

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team are going to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend to honor a hero. A cancer hero – the late Nancy Wood.

Mrs. Wood, wife of team co-owner Len Wood, will be recognized as part of an initiative by the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation, The NASCAR Foundation and AdventHealth. For the past three years the program hasraised awareness and money to be used for research and support of new treatments and to improve the lives of those affected by ovarian and childhood cancers. Her name will appear above the driver’s door of the No. 21 Mustang.
 
The Cancer Hero program is held in September, which is Childhood and Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

Mrs. Wood was a popular member of the racing community and a familiar face in the NASCAR garages as she represented the Wood Brothers race team. On race days, she could be found at the team hauler in the garage area, welcoming friends and fans with her friendly smile and outgoing personality. 
 
Even as she battled cancer, Mrs. Wood continued in her role as the “Welcome Wagon” for the family team.
 
“She never complained,” the team wrote in nominating her for the Cancer Hero program. “She continued to shine. Even on her roughest days, Nancy brightened any room, any track she walked into.

“She fought valiantly. She was beyond grateful for the love and dedication her husband and son showered on her after her diagnosis.”
 
Nancy Wilds Wood died in December, 2021, after a courageous battle with a rare form of colon cancer.

The DEX Imaging team’s appearance in the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 weekend at Texas Motor Speedway comes at the end of an extra busy week.

Since racing Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, where they finished 16^th despite some early tire issues and a spin, Burton and the No. 21 team participated in a two-day test at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
 
Crew chief Brian Wilson said he’s looking forward to Sunday’s 500-miler.
 
“Texas offers the No. 21 Ford team another return trip to a track this season,” Wilson said, adding that the Homestead test went well for Burton and the crew. “At this test and at the Martinsville test we had competitive speed. What this tells me is that the most important ingredient for our continued progress is laps and a notebook.
 
“We will have that heading into this weekend.”
 
He said he was proud of the team’s performance at Bristol under trying circumstances and said he believes the team will work just as hard in the remaining races this year.
 
“Bristol was a solid result after a challenging start to the race,” he said. “I’m proud of the fight that each team member showed. 
 
“Everyone stayed focused on the task at hand. We clawed our way back into a very respectable finish. Our group will take that same fighting attitude into the rest of the season.”
 
Practice for the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 is set for Saturday at 11:35 a.m. (12:35 p.m. Eastern Time) to be followed by qualifying at 12:20 p.m. (1:20 Eastern).
 
Sunday’s 334-lap, 500-mile race is scheduled to start just after 2:30 p.m. (3:30 Eastern) with TV coverage on USA Network. Stage breaks are planned for Laps 105 and 201.