of 105th Indianapolis 500 Presented by GainbridgeThis is 18th time a Chevrolet Corvette has paced ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, May 11, 2021) – The 2021 mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette Stingray hardtop convertible will lead the 33-car field to the green flag for the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on May 30, 2021. The Arctic White Stingray will be the first convertible since 2008 to pace the iconic race. Chevrolet and Corvette have led the starting field more than any other manufacturer and nameplate, respectively. The 2021 race marks the 32nd time for Chevrolet to pace dating back to 1948, and the 18th time since 1978 for America’s favorite sports car. “The Chevrolet team is privileged every time we’re invited to pace the Indianapolis 500,” said Steve Majoros, vice president of Chevrolet Marketing. “We are confident the track-capable Corvette Stingray Convertible will catch every race fan’s eye as it leads the pack toward the Yard of Bricks. From the color scheme, to the special race weekend decals and how the safety lighting is skillfully integrated into the nacelles of the hard-top convertible Corvette’s revolutionary appearance, we’re putting Chevrolet’s best on display for the fans.” The exterior and interior of the Corvette Convertible will be on full display as the car fulfills responsibilities on and off track. Sky Cool Gray and Strike Yellow upholstery selected for the cabin influenced the racy exterior appearance of the pace car. A close look at the car reveals Indianapolis 500 logos adapted specifically for pace car use, an exclusive stripe package, unique Stingray decals and more.  For racers, highly visible safety lighting on the pace car is a top priority. Corvette designers prioritized form and function by incorporating four lights into each of the tonneau cover nacelles, in addition to strobe lights in the headlights, front louvers and taillights. This maintains the Corvette Convertible’s signature silhouette and eliminates need for a traditional lightbar. “The 2021 Corvette Stingray hardtop convertible is such a world-class performance car that’s a perfect match to lead the talented field of 33 drivers to the green flag in ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,’” Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles said. “We continue to be grateful for our strong, enduring partnership with Chevrolet and its many contributions to the success of our events and the exciting appeal of competition at the Racing Capital of the World.” The mid-engine 2021 Corvette Stingray was engineered first and foremost as a convertible. The convertible maintains the tunnel-dominant structure and use of high-integrity die-cast parts found in the Stingray coupe. Like the coupe, the Stingray convertible’s design was inspired by fighter jets. The tonneau cover features aerodynamically shaped nacelles influenced by the housing used for jet engines. The nacelles, which were also used as inspiration on the Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle (CERV) I and II, as well as the Corvette SS and SR2 concepts, help reduce air recirculation into the cabin and provide a remarkably exotic profile with the top up or down. The tonneau also provides a rear power-adjustable window and a vent for mid-engine cooling. The 2021 Corvette Stingray convertible is powered by the next-generation 6.2L Small Block V-8 LT2 engine, the only naturally aspirated V-8 in the segment. It will produce 495 horsepower (369 kW) and 470 lb-ft (637 Nm) of torque when equipped with performance exhaust — the most horsepower and torque for any entry Corvette. The LT2 is paired with Chevrolet’s first eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, which provides lightning-fast shifts and excellent power transfer. This transmission is uniquely designed to provide the best of both worlds: the spirited, directly connected feeling of a manual and the premium driving comfort of an automatic. The double-paddle de-clutch feature even allows the driver to disconnect the clutch by holding both paddles for more manual control. When combined, the advanced propulsion system, revised chassis tuning and retractable hardtop make the Stingray the most no-compromise Corvette convertible in history. Chevrolet has a storied history at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Chevrolet was founded in 1911, the year of the inaugural 500-mile race. Company co-founder and namesake Louis Chevrolet, along with brothers Arthur and Gaston, competed in early Indy 500s. Arthur competed in the 1911 race and Gaston won in 1920. Nine drivers with Chevrolet engines have combined to win “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” 11 times, with Rick Mears, Emerson Fittipaldi, Arie Luyendyk, Al Unser Jr., Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, Juan Pablo Montoya, Will Power and, most recently, Simon Pagenaud in 2019. Team Chevy also has won the NTT INDYCAR SERIES manufacturer championship six times since 2012.  Visit IMS.com for more information about this year’s schedule. The race will be televised live on NBC for the third consecutive year, with the pre-race show starting at 11 a.m. The INDYCAR Radio Network will provide live coverage of the race to its affiliates and on Sirius 211, XM 205, indycar.com and the INDYCAR Mobile App powered by NTT DATA. Additional photos available here:  https://stevefecht.photoshelter.com/gallery/20210511-Mid-Engine-Chevrolet-Corvette-2021-Indianapolis-500-Pace-Car/G0000A0vMciLZ6y4Password: Corvette About Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the world’s largest spectator sporting facility, has been the worldwide leader in motorsports entertainment since opening in 1909. IMS is hosting the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 30, the world’s most prestigious auto race. The Month of May will start Saturday, May 15 with the GMR Grand Prix for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES on the IMS road course. The Speedway also will host the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NTT INDYCAR SERIES on the same weekend Aug. 13-15 for three exciting races on the road course, including the first Cup Series race on the circuit Sunday, Aug. 15. IMS also will welcome the competitors of the Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli/GT Challenge World Challenge America and the ground-breaking Indy Autonomous Challenge on separate event weekends in October 2021. IMS, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and IMS Productions are owned by Penske Corporation, a global transportation, automotive and motorsports leader. To purchase tickets or for more information, please visit ims.com.

The Battle Begins at Lincoln (Wednesday) and Williams Grove (Friday-Saturday)ABBOTTSTOWN, PA – May 10, 2021 – The PA Posse vs. The World of Outlaws. Simply put, it’s the single greatest rivalry in Sprint Car Racing.These two factions have been at each others throats since the inception of Ted Johnson’s traveling tour in 1978, and here we are four decades later with the battle still as epic as ever. When the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series visits central Pennsylvania, you won’t find a more passionate crowd.It’s a rivalry that pits arguably the best local hot bed of racing against the best touring drivers in the nation.This weekend, we kickstart the 2021 edition at Lincoln Speedway in Wednesday’s Gettysburg Clash, followed by a Friday & Saturday double at Williams Grove Speedway for the Morgan Cup.LINCOLN TICKETS (5/12) WILLIAMS GROVE TICKETS (5/14) WILLIAMS GROVE TICKETS (5/15)There’s a plethora of storylines to follow. Here’s some of the most noteworthy to watch:THE TRACKS: Wednesday’s midweek stop marks the first of a scheduled 11 meets in Pennsylvania this year for the World of Outlaws. The Greatest Show on Dirt will tackle the 3/8-mile, semi-banked oval in Abbottstown, PA before heading to Mechanicsburg, PA on Friday and Saturday. Capping the weekend will be two nights at Williams Grove, an iconic 1/2-mile notorious for long straightaways and tight corners.POSSE WANTS REVENGE: The 2020 season was one to forget for the PA Posse. For the first time since 2008, they went winless in World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series competition. They lost at Lincoln, they lost four shows at Williams Grove, and another two at Port Royal. It’s a memory that only fuels their desire to stop the Outlaws this week.In fact, it’s been almost two complete years since a central Pennsylvania Posse member beat the Outlaws. The last occurrence being Lance Dewease’s May 20189 triumph at Williams Grove.THE POSSE’S FINEST: Among the strongest possibilities to beat the Outlaws for the PA Posse this weekend are Lance Dewease of Fayetteville, PA, Danny Dietrich of Gettysburg, PA, Freddie Rahmer of Salfordville, PA, Anthony Macri of Dillsburg, PA, Brent Marks of Myerstown, PA. All five are winners at both Lincoln and Williams Grove, and four of the five are Outlaw winners minus Macri.Their win totals at each track are… Dewease (99 WG / 42 LS); Dietrich (55 LS / 25 WG); Rahmer (15 LS / 14 WG); Marks (10 WG / 8 LS); and Macri (3 LS / 1 WG).Additional names to watch include Tim Shaffer, Alan Krimes, Chase Dietz, TJ Stutts, Tim Wagaman, Kyle Moody, Chad Trout, Billy Dietrich, Jim Siegel, Dylan Cisney, Tyler Ross, Matt Campbell, and a whole host of others.GRAVEL’S CLIMB: We’ve made it through 20 events this season and David Gravel has 19 top-10 finishes. He also has six Slick Woody’s QuickTimes, nine Team Drydene Heat Wins, and 13 DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash appearances – he’s the leader in all of those categories. Entering this week, he’s second in the championship standings and cutting away at Sweet’s 60-point advantage.The Watertown, CT driver brings his Big Game Motorsports #2 crew to two tracks he’s comfortable at. He’s an eight-time winner at Williams Grove with two National Open titles and he’s got two Lincoln Speedway triumphs. They’ve been hot on the half-miles lately, sweeping Bristol Motor Speedway and running well at Eldora Speedway.ICON VS. ICON: Depending on how Wednesday’s show at Lincoln goes, we could enter the Morgan Cup at Williams Grove with a pair of historic accomplishments on the line for two different legends: Donny Schatz and Lance Dewease.For Schatz, he’s chasing his 300th career World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series win. The Fargo, ND native has been close a handful of times this season, leading 66 laps aboard his Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15, but falling short on notable occasions at Volusia, I-55, and last week at Eldora. Williams Grove is welcomed site for the 10-time Series champion, as he won his most recent 299th race at the track during last year’s $75,000-to-win National Open in October.For Dewease, the 55-year-old legend is pursuing his milestone 100th career victory at the Williams Grove Speedway. At 99 wins right now, he’s already the winningest Sprint Car driver in track history, but boy would #100 be extra special coming against the Outlaws, who has beaten 17 times in his career.SWEET’S STRUGGLES: After winning eight of the first 18 races with only one finish outside the top-10, Brad Sweet was due for something to go south. Unfortunately, that finally happened this weekend at Eldora as he recorded finished of 11th and 14th. It’s only the second time in three seasons (since he started winning championships) that such an occasion of back-to-back runs outside the top-10 has occurred for the Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49.To overcome the bad weekend and get back on track, The Big Cat will have to thrive at two tracks he has never won at before. The Grass Valley, CA native has three top-five finishes in 11 starts at Lincon to go along with six top-five runs in 44 starts at Williams Grove.BACK-TO-BACK: Sheldon Haudenschild just checked off one of the biggest “firsts” of his career, might as well follow with another, right? On Saturday, the Wooster, OH native scored his first-career victory at Eldora Speedway in spectacular fashion by stunning Donny Schatz at the white flag for his 17th career World of Outlaws win.On Wednesday, the Series returns to Lincoln Speedway, where Lil Haud was the victor one year ago. Another triumph aboard the NOS Energy Drink, Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing #17 would give him the first back-to-back wins of his career. When it comes to the weekend, he’ll be aiming for his first-career victory at Williams Grove Speedway, where his career-best is a second-place finish from 2019.HOME TURF: Three full-time World of Outlaws drivers will be on home turf this week as the Series heads to The Keystone State for the first time in 2021. Hanover, PA’s Logan Schuchart & Jacob Allen grew up just down the road from Lincoln Speedway, while Jonestown, PA’s Brock Zearfoss hails from less than an hour away from Williams Grove Speedway.Schuchart’s Drydene #1S brings in momentum from an impressive 21st-to-2nd charge at Eldora Speedway last weekend. He’s trying to add his second World of Outlaws win in his home state, first since Port Royal Speedway in 2016. For Allen, he snagged his first top-five finish of the year at Eldora in his Drydene #1A. TheDIETRICH’S PROMISE: Five-time World of Outlaws winner and successful PA Posse star Danny Dietrich delivered the first blow in this week’s rivalry, promising a loss for the Outlaws in at least one of three events. It’s a statement that DD himself can comfortably make, considering the fact that he’s a multi-time Outlaw winner at both tracks.His first two career wins against the Series came at Lincoln Speedway in 2012 and 2013, and he’s stopped them twice at Williams Grove in 2015 and 2016, which was his first-ever National Open title. We’ll find out this week whether Dietrich’s promise comes true or not.This Week at a Glance – When and WhereWednesday, May 12 at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, PA Friday-Saturday, May 14-15 at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, PAOn the Internet World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Twitter – @WorldofOutlaws Instagram – @WoOSprint Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/monthAround the Turn: Following this weekend, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will head back to Ohio for a weekend at Attica Raceway Park on Friday, May 21 and Sharon Speedway on Saturday, May 22.NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (8 Drivers): 8 wins – Brad Sweet, Kasey Kahne Racing w/ Mike Curb #49 3 wins – David Gravel, Big Game Motorsports #2 3 wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing #17 2 wins – Carson Macedo, Jason Johnson Racing #41 1 win – Logan Schuchart, Shark Racing #1S 1 win – Aaron Reutzel, Roth Motorsports #83 1 win – James McFadden, Kasey Kahne Racing w/ Mike Curb #9 1 win – Brent Marks, Brent Marks Racing #19MFEATURE LAPS LED (16 Drivers): 194 laps – Brad Sweet 90 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild 76 laps – David Gravel 66 laps – Donny Schatz 51 laps – Aaron Reutzel 49 laps – Logan Schuchart 31 laps – James McFadden 27 laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr. 19 laps – Tyler Courtney 13 laps – Brent Marks 11 laps – Carson Macedo 10 laps – Jacob Allen & Brock Zearfoss 3 laps – Ian Madsen 1 lap – Kasey Kahne & Kraig KinserSLICK WOODY’S QUICKTIME AWARDS (9 Drivers): 6 QuickTimes – David Gravel 3 QuickTimes – Sheldon Haudenschild 2 QuickTimes – Brad Sweet, James McFadden, Cory Eliason, Sam Hafertepe Jr. 1 QuickTimes – Aaron Reutzel, Logan Schuchart, Danny DietrichDRYDENE HEAT RACE WINNERS (21 Drivers) 9 Heat Wins – David Gravel 7 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo 6 Heat Wins – Aaron Reutzel, Sheldon Haudenschild 4 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart, Donny Schatz 3 Heat Wins – Brock Zearfoss, James McFadden, Ian Madsen, Brian Brown, Sam Hafertepe Jr. 2 Heat Wins – Jacob Allen, Brock Zearfoss, Kasey Kahne, Kraig Kinser, Jason Sides 1 Heat Win –  Brad Sweet, Gio Scelzi, Danny Dietrich, Hunter Schuerenberg, Kyle LarsonPODIUM FINISHES (17 Drivers): 13 Podiums – Brad Sweet 6 Podiums – Sheldon Haudenschild, Donny Schatz 5 Podiums – David Gravel, Carson Macedo, Logan Schuchart, Aaron Reutzel 3 Podiums – James McFadden 2 Podiums – Cory Eliason, Gio Scelzi, Brent Marks 1 Podium – Kraig Kinser, Danny Dietrich, Tyler Courtney, Justin Peck, Brian Brown, Sam Hafertepe Jr.2021 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Schedule & WinnersNo. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins) 1. Fri, Feb. 5 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Brad Sweet (1) 2. Sun, Feb. 7 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Logan Schuchart (1) 3. Fri, March 5 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Carson Macedo (1) 4. Sat, March 6 / East Bay Raceway Park / Tampa, FL / Aaron Reutzel (1) 5. Fri, March 12 / Magnolia Motor Speedway / Columbus, MS / Sheldon Haudenschild (1) 6. Sat, March 13 / The Rev / Monroe, LA / David Gravel (1) 7. Fri, March 19 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Sheldon Haudenschild (2) 8. Sat, March 20 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Brad Sweet (2) 9. Sat, March 27 / Lake Ozark Speedway / Eldon, MO / Brad Sweet (3) 10. Fri, April 2 / I-55 Raceway / Pevely, MO / Brad Sweet (4) 11. Sat, April 3 / I-55 Raceway / Pevely, MO / Brad Sweet (5) 12. Fri, April 9 / Kokomo Speedway / Kokomo, IN / James McFadden (1) 13. Sat, April 10 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN / Carson Macedo (2) 14. Fri, April 22 / Bristol Motor Speedway / Bristol, TN / David Gravel (2) 15. Sun, April 24 / Bristol Motor Speedway / Bristol, TN / David Gravel (3) 16. Thur, April 29 / Jacksonville Speedway / Jacksonville, IL / Brad Sweet (6) 17. Fri, April 30 / I-70 Motorsports Park / Odessa, MO / Brad Sweet (7) 18. Sat, May 1 / I-70 Motorsports Park / Odessa, MO / Brad Sweet (8) 19. Sat, May 8 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Brent Marks (1) 20. Sat, May 8 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Sheldon Haudenschild (3)Photo – Trent Gower

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), NOS Energy (Official Energy Product), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts all World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.

NHRA^® Team Report

NHRA Four-Wide Nationals – Charlotte

Pre-Race Report

Winning the Charlotte Four-Wide is both a goal and fresh memory for Cruz after taking home the Wally from the zMax four-wide meet just three years ago. Now it’s time for the Snap-on Makers & Fixers Dodge^® to showcase all the work Cruz, Crew Chief John Collins, and the team have put into the car this year.

“The Snap-on Dodge is becoming more consistent in getting down the track. Race day in Atlanta was the exception to that when we had a cylinder out at the step. We’ve identified the cause, replaced the wiring that caused the issue, and are confident we’re in a position where that won’t happen again,” says Cruz. “I think we’re right in the mix. We just need to get rid of some of these little issues and, performance-wise, we’re right there. So, we’ve spent the past couple of weeks super-focused on preparing for the race ahead and we’re ready to win in Charlotte again this year.”

When Cruz captured the Funny Car class at the 2018 Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, his was the first independent team to win the category since 2016. He calls the win one of the “sweetest” of his career.

May 9, 2021 After three straight top-10 finishes, Matt DiBenedetto and the Menards/Dutch Boy team struggled to a 19th place finish in Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. DiBenedetto started eighth, and moved up to sixth place in the early going. He maintained that spot until a caution flag flew at Lap 23. From that point on the track Too Tough to Tame lived up to its reputation for the Menards/Dutch Boy team. The No. 21 Mustang was an ill-handling beast for the remainder of the day. DiBenedetto finished 12th in the first Stage and was 17th, one lap down, at the end of the second Stage. With no caution periods in the third and final segment of the race, there were few opportunities for the Menards/Dutch Boy team to make major chassis adjustments, and DiBenedetto crossed the finish line three laps in arrears. “We were just way off, unfortunately,” DiBenedetto said. “We missed the set-up on our  Menards/Dutch Boy Mustang and had to keep it clean and just survive the race with what we had.   “It was a tough day.”   Despite the disappointment, DiBenedetto lost just one position in the points standings to 17th, but remains tied in points with 16th place Tyler Reddick, who holds the tie-breaker of best finish this season. Len Wood said that while the race didn’t play out as he’d hoped, the pre-race festivities did. His uncle Leonard Wood displayed for fans in attendance and for a TV audience his hand-built miniature 427-cubic-inch Ford engine. Then on the pace laps, the NASCAR Hall of Famer made three circuits at the wheel of the team’s 1971 Mercury made famous by the late David Pearson. After that, Len and Eddie Wood were able to visit old friends they hadn’t seen since the start of the pandemic, folks like fellow team owners Jack Roush and Joe Gibbs, and Goodyear’s Stu Grant.    “We haven’t seen them in 14 months,” Len Wood said.   DiBenedetto and the Wood Brothers team now head to Dover International Speedway for next Sunday’s Drydene 400.

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE Team Stick With It All Day at Darlington Raceway16th9th12th“It was fun to work with Bass Pro Shops to pay tribute to NASCAR Hall of Famer Fireball Roberts for this weekend’s NASCAR Throwback race at Darlington Raceway. I just hate that we couldn’t get them into Victory Lane. We started off loose and lost track position late in Stage 1. We put together a really solid run from start to finish in Stage 2, even though we were still trying to fine-tune the handling of our Chevy. Overall, we were just a little too late on the car adjustments and didn’t get the cautions we needed to get back on the lead lap. The entire No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team did a nice job sticking with it all day, but we’ll go back to the drawing board for next time we race at Darlington Raceway. We’ll go get them at Dover International Speedway next week.” -Austin Dillon Tyler Reddick and No. 8 Joe Nichols / Quartz Hill Records Chevy Team Secure Valuable Stage Points with Strong Run at Darlington Raceway12th10th16th“Our No. 8 Joe Nichols / Quartz Hill Records Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE not only looked good for NASCAR’s Throwback weekend, but was also really fast today at Darlington Raceway. I fired off way too loose and lacked rear grip pretty much from the start of the day, but we were able to capitalize on a strong starting spot to gain valuable stage points in Stages 1 and 2. This is the second week in a row we’ve scored a lot of stage points, and those have been key to helping climb up through the standings. Once the sun started to set, the handling of my Chevy changed dramatically. It was tough to be able to move around and search for different lines at times, especially when I would get snug on one end of the track and loose on the other. We kept working at it, and I felt like we were decent on handling at the end of the race, but we just lacked some speed. I wish we could have got back in the top 10 and grab the finish we deserved, but it looks like out right-front shock broke at some point in the race. The important thing is we’re moving in the right direction in the standings. I really enjoyed throwing it back to Marty Robbins and his iconic pink and yellow machine today with the help of Joe Nichols and Quartz Hill, and I hope all the fans enjoyed it too.” -Tyler Reddick

: Madden Holds on for $22,500 Victory“Smokey” wins his 30th Career World of Outlaws FeatureFOUNTAIN CITY, WI – May 8, 2021 – The Dairyland Showdown at Mississippi Thunder Speedway lived up to its billing. After 60 laps of slide jobs, crossovers, and battles through traffic, it was Chris Madden who stood tall in Victory Lane Saturday.  The Gray Court, SC driver took the lead from three-time and defending champion Brandon Sheppard early, en route to his second win of 2021. It’s also Madden’s 30th career World of Outlaws victory.  Even though Madden led most of the race, he didn’t have much time to breathe. “Smokey” was challenged from start-to-finish in the 60-lap Feature. After he dealt with Sheppard, it was Rookie of the Year contender Ryan Gustin who tried to steal the top spot toward the end.  Madden knew he was in for a battle when he saw the Marshalltown, IA driver move into second.  “I watched [Gustin] go around here all weekend, and that boy’s tough,” Madden said. “When he got into second, I said boy, you better get your elbows up and give it all you got.” A couple of late restarts kept Gustin on Madden’s back bumper, but “The Reaper” didn’t have enough to get by.  Madden used his experience to make sure he saw the checkered flag first.  “I just had to make sure I hit my marks, and not slip my wheels when I didn’t need to,” Madden said. “I just had to do the best I could do, and if they beat me, they beat me.”  While Gustin settled for second –his best World of Outlaws finish – the rookie was still happy with his performance at a place he’s familiar with.   “I love [Mississippi Thunder Speedway], it’s my favorite racetrack in the country,” Gustin said. “It’s huge to know you can actually run up front and be a contender, and it feels really good. Hopefully this is the upside of things.” Brandon Sheppard and Kyle Strickler were locked in an exciting battle for most of the race. The “High Side Tickler” attempted multiple slide jobs on Sheppard, but the “Rocket Shepp” powered underneath him to get the position back each time.  While he managed to cross the line in third ahead of Strickler, the New Berlin, IL driver wasn’t happy with Strickler after the race. “The eight car couldn’t pass me without hitting me, I don’t know what his problem is,” Sheppard said.  Strickler had a different view of what happened.  “I don’t think we touched, but I need to run over him because I feel like I’m giving him too much room, and being too nice to him,” Strickler said. “There was times I was clear and needed to commit to the slider. “It doesn’t matter who he his or who he drives for. He puts his pants on the same way I do, so I’m going to go out there and run as hard as we can.”  Strickler’s fourth-place finish is his first top-five since February at DIRTcar Nationals.  Tim McCreadie crossed the line fifth, rebounding from an early setback. T-Mac had to start last in his Drydene Heat Race, after his time was disallowed for not going to the scales after Qualifying.  Sheppard leaves Mississippi Thunder Speedway with a 60 point lead over Madden in the standings. Strickler is third—120 points back. Tyler Bruening is fourth—146 points behind, and Ricky Weiss is fifth—156 points out of first. Up Next: The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet visit Port Royal Speedway, May 21-22, for the Huey Wicoxon Memorial, and Billy Vacek Memorial.  Morton Buildings Feature (60 Laps)-1. 44-Chris Madden [1][$22,500]; 2. 19R-Ryan Gustin [10][$10,000]; 3. 1-Brandon Sheppard [2][$5,000]; 4. 8-Kyle Strickler [4][$4,000]; 5. 39-Tim McCreadie [13][$3,500]; 6. 97-Cade Dillard [8][$3,000]; 7. 49-Jake Timm [5][$2,800]; 8. 16-Tyler Bruening [9][$2,700]; 9. 28M-Jimmy Mars [6][$2,600]; 10. B1-Brent Larson [19][$2,500]; 11. 18B-Shannon Babb [15][$2,000]; 12. 11-Gordy Gundaker [18][$1,800]; 13. 32S-Chris Simpson [12][$1,600]; 14. 7-Ricky Weiss [21][$1,500]; 15. 29-Spencer Diercks [16][$1,400]; 16. 10S-Taylor Scheffler [17][$1,300]; 17. 77-Jordan Yaggy [24][$1,200]; 18. 32-Bobby Pierce [3][$1,200]; 19. 99B-Boom Briggs [7][$1,200]; 20. 15-Nick Anvelink [22][$1,200]; 21. 74-Mitch McGrath [14][$1,200]; 22. 20-Rodney Sanders [11][$1,200]; 23. 90-Lance Matthees [25][$1,200]; 24. 25J-Jared Siefert [20][$1,200]; 25. 28-Dennis Erb [23][$1,200] Hard Charger: B1-Brent Larson[+9] Qualifying Flight-A –1. 32-Bobby Pierce, 13.613; 2. 28M-Jimmy Mars, 13.927; 3. 97-Cade Dillard, 13.935; 4. 44-Chris Madden, 14.045; 5. 16-Tyler Bruening, 14.072; 6. 18B-Shannon Babb, 14.088; 7. 7-Ricky Weiss, 14.091; 8. 20-Rodney Sanders, 14.117; 9. 10S-Taylor Scheffler, 14.171; 10. 25-Chad Simpson, 14.187; 11. B1-Brent Larson, 14.347; 12. 77-Jordan Yaggy, 14.442; 13. 55C-Chad Mahder, 14.501; 14. 99JR-Frank Heckenast, 14.513; 15. 43-Jeremy Grady, 14.559; 16. 28-Dennis Erb, 14.744; 17. 90-Lance Matthees, 14.85; 18. 10-Paul Parker, 14.882; DQ. 39-Tim McCreadie, 13.889Qualifying Flight-B-1. 1-Brandon Sheppard, 13.889; 2. 99B-Boom Briggs, 14.145; 3. 19R-Ryan Gustin, 14.169; 4. 8-Kyle Strickler, 14.282; 5. 74-Mitch McGrath, 14.323; 6. 32S-Chris Simpson, 14.355; 7. 49-Jake Timm, 14.402; 8. 76-Blair Nothdurft, 14.485; 9. 15-Nick Anvelink, 14.536; 10. 24-Brad Waits, 14.585; 11. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck, 14.612; 12. 29-Spencer Diercks, 14.667; 13. 25J-Jared Siefert, 14.672; 14. O4-Tad Pospisil, 14.721; 15. 11-Gordy Gundaker, 14.736; 16. 6M-Jeff Massingill, 14.824; 17. 3-Brett Swedberg, 15.041; 18. 10C-Chad Olsen, 15.063

The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings® Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, including: Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, MSD, Penske Racing Shocks, Quarter Master, Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award), and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Capital Race Cars, FireAde, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics, Reliable Painting, and Rocket Chassis.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS® Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings® Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.

NASCAR CUP SERIES DARLINGTON RACEWAY GOODYEAR 400TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTESMAY 9, 2021 TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER2nd     KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM THROWBACK CAMARO ZL1 1LE4th      WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 VALVOLINE THROWBACK CAMARO ZL1 1LE7th      CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 HOOTERS THROWBACK CAMARO ZL1 1LE12th    TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 QUARTZ HILL RECORDS CAMARO ZL1 1LE15th    ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 42 MCDONALD’S CAMARO ZL1 1LE TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)2nd     Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)3rd      Kyle Busch (Toyota)4th      William Byron (Chevrolet)   5th      Denny Hamlin (Toyota) The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at Dover International Speedway for the Drydene 400 on Sunday, May 16, at 2:00 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES: KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM THROWBACK CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 2ndYOUR PIT CREW GOT IT DONE AND IT SEEMED LIKE YOU HAD EVERYTHING. YOU CLOSED ON MARTIN TRUEX, JR. (WINNER). WHAT DID YOU NEED IN THOSE CLOSING LAPS?“I was surprised that I was able to get to him. I caught him really; like, I closed on pit road and then I caught him pretty quickly once we were on track. I closed right in, and actually had an opportunity to get by him in the middle of (Turns) 1 and 2, but I thought I’d stay patient and maybe get him to use his stuff up. He was just a little bit better than I was in the long runs. So, just wish maybe I could have taken advantage of that opportunity, but thought it was going to play out a little differently.” “But it was a great day for our HendrickCars.com Chevy. It was fun to come here to Darlington with low downforce. During the day we were sliding around. I felt like we were not very good all day, but I passed a lot of cars and found myself towards the front. I was like well, I feel like I’m struggling but I fast. So, it was fun. Hats off to Martin Truex (Jr.) and his team. But yeah, it was a great day for our guys after a few bad weeks in a row. So, I’m happy about that and now we’ll look forward to Dover and hopefully we’ll be really good there.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 VALVOLINE THROWBACK CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 4th “I thought we were pretty solid all day. We fell back to eighth or ninth early in the race and we were just too loose. We didn’t really have the car fully connected yet, but we just got it better and better. The long runs were still kind of our weakness. We weren’t super strong on long runs; we were just kind of a fourth-place car. But to finish fourth is good for us. Tenth top-10 in a row is awesome. I think our team is just super consistent this year. That’s a credit to Rudy (Fugle, Crew Chief) and the guys preparing awesome cars and executing well. We just have to find that little bit to kind of get with the 5 (Kyle Larson) and the 19 (Martin Truex Jr.). We’re there at times, but we can’t really kind of break that seal, which is hard. We just have to continue to build the notebook. It’s Rudy and I’s first time going to these tracks, so I feel like there’s a lot of room to go still. But we’re doing great.” YOU’RE GETTING A LOT OF STAGE POINTS, TOO. SHOULD WE READ SOMETHING INTO THAT?“I think it just shows the strength of the car, our team, our communication, all those things. If you’re running fifteenth all day and you finish in the top-five, it might feel nice, but it doesn’t really show much points-wise, etc. I feel like for us to run where we finish all day is impressive and that’s what the good teams do, and I feel like we’re in that mix. We’re in that fourth to sixth range right now, so we just kind of have to break that seal to get into the top-two or three, which I think it’s pretty obvious which cars those are. We’re getting close.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 HOOTERS THROWBACK CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 7th“Tough day today. I got pretty loose on that last run and killed the right rear. During the beginning of the run, I was tight though. Not sure if I tried sliding the back too much or what. I just couldn’t figure it out.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 JOE NICHOLS/QUARTZ HILL RECORDS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 12th“Our No. 8 Joe Nichols / Quartz Hill Records Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE not only looked good for NASCAR’s Throwback weekend, but was also really fast today at Darlington Raceway. I fired off way too loose and lacked rear grip pretty much from the start of the day, but we were able to capitalize on a strong starting spot to gain valuable stage points in Stages 1 and 2. This is the second week in a row we’ve scored a lot of stage points, and those have been key to helping climb up through the standings. Once the sun started to set, the handling of my Chevy changed dramatically. It was tough to be able to move around and search for different lines at times, especially when I would get snug on one end of the track and loose on the other. We kept working at it, and I felt like we were decent on handling at the end of the race, but we just lacked some speed. I wish we could have got back in the top 10 to grab the finish we deserved, but we’ll at least take these stage points and move on to Dover. I really enjoyed throwing it back to Marty Robbins and his iconic pink and yellow machine today with the help of Joe Nichols and Quartz Hill, and I hope all the fans enjoyed it too.” ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 42 MCDONALD’S CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 15th“It was a good day for our No. 42 Throwback McDonald’s Chevy. I got trapped a lap down early in Stage 1 and never got it back. I missed two decisions on the choose cone; went in the wrong lane and gave the free pass to two other guys and never got it back the rest of the day. There were no more cautions to cycle us back to the free pass. 15th is okay, but we definitely had a faster car, our best car I believe, of the year. We’ll just keep moving along (with) more progress, more progress. I’m proud of this group. I hate that the No. 1 car (Kurt Busch) wrecked out early. We’re making progress, so it’s good stuff.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 16th“It was fun to work with Bass Pro Shops to pay tribute to NASCAR Hall of Famer Fireball Roberts for this weekend’s NASCAR Throwback race at Darlington Raceway. I just hate that we couldn’t get them into Victory Lane. We started off loose and lost track position late in Stage 1. We put together a really solid run from start to finish in Stage 2 even though we were still trying to fine-tune the handling of our Chevy. Overall, we were just a little too late on the car adjustments and didn’t get the cautions we needed to get back on the lead lap. The entire No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team did a nice job sticking with it all day, but we’ll go back to the drawing board for next time we race at Darlington Raceway. We’ll go get them at Dover International Speedway.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY THROWBACK CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 17th“Today was not our day. We were super tight all day and just couldn’t get the front tires in the track. We will move on to Dover.” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 STP CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 18th“We did not get the finish we wanted today with our Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 STP Camaro ZL1 1LE. It was pretty decent. We had a good run early and lost the balance a little bit late, and then cut a tire and got in the fence. We came back and salvaged a decent day, so I am happy with that. It was the best run we have had in a few weeks, and it is something to build off of when we come back in the fall. Overall a decent day, but we can do a little bit better.” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 CAMPING WORLD THROWBACK CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 23rd“It was a very, very difficult day. We have to regroup and try to see where we are a little wrong. We started the race extremely off. We made a few steps in the right direction and then we lost it again by the end. We have a lot of work to do. But we have very good people and have to regroup to try to see what we’re going to do.” KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 106; Finished 35th“I was racing hard and there’s no give and take. Guy’s running for the Lucky Dog; you can’t fault him for that. But you still have to race the track and the give the room to the lead lap guys. But man, just got ran into, got taken out and we’re on this end of it. It’s been too many times. It’s been a rough year and this just adds to it.” TELL US ABOUT THE RUN OUT THERE TODAY WITH THE LACK OF DOWNFORCE.“It’s a fun challenge. You just have to make sure you’re making the right adjustments to keep up with the track. But we flat out got run over. You still have to race the race track.” KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM THROWBACK CAMARO ZL1 1LE, PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:  THE MODERATOR: We are joined by Kyle Larson, our second-place finisher in today’s Goodyear 400. Q. I know a lot of people have talked about the 750 package coming back to Darlington. What was your assessment? Obviously you were running Truex down there for a bit towards the end. How much fun was it just wheeling these things and really racing the track as much as you were racing anybody else?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, it was fun. It definitely took a handful of laps to get used to. I was going down the straightaway and then everybody was lifting a lot sooner than I thought I needed to, and so I adjusted to them and backed my entry up and I felt like I got a little bit better loading into the corners then. And then the exit was sliding around a lot. A lot of fun. I don’t remember honestly how the high downforce was because I didn’t get to run here last year, but it was fun to be here during the day, my first daytime Cup race here, so it was cool to do that, and yeah, had a lot of fun slipping and sliding. Q. How tough was the heat compared to what you remember from the nighttime races here?KYLE LARSON: It wasn’t as bad as I thought. Maybe we just do a really good job with the cooling in our car, but I hardly broke a sweat, surprisingly. It wasn’t too bad for me. I don’t know how the other guys were. Q. Kyle, how does it feel to — you had a good little run going along and then Richmond, Talladega, Kansas kind of weren’t what you wanted. You guys seem to be back on the — how does it feel to get things back on the right track?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, it’s good. We definitely needed to get a good finish. I thought we were going to get one last week and I messed that up. Three bad weeks in a row, and to come back and contend for a win and finish second and get good stage points after speeding at the end of the first stage, too, yeah, it was a good day. Now we go to Dover, which is one of if not my best tracks. Excited about that, and Hendrick Motorsports has been pretty good at Dover from what I remember, too, so looking forward to getting there. Q. We’re about halfway through the regular season. How would you assess what you’ve been able to accomplish in the first half of the regular season?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I mean, I think we’re top three. We’re one of the top three teams out there, so I’m happy with that. We’ve been really good to start the year and meshing very well as a team. Really enjoy working with cliff and everybody on the 5 car, and I think we’re just going to continue to grow. Our pit crew has been doing an awesome job. Everybody at the shop has been doing great. You look at all four of our teammates, with myself included, and we’ve been really good. Happy about it, and looking forward to building from where we’re at. Q. Before the final round of pit stops cliff was kind of preaching take care of your stuff, we’ll close the gap on the final round of pit stops. Was that hard to do when you can see Martin in front of you and want to get as close as you can, or were you able to kind of be patient there?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I mean, it’s hard. I had already planned on — when we closed a bunch throughout the green flag cycle, that final one, and I could see that I was really close and noticed that I was gaining on him, I definitely had to tell myself to just calm myself. I wish I was. Even the whole last stage I felt like I did a good job for where I was at and who I was battling with to take care of my stuff. But yeah, when the leader is in front of you it is tougher to remind yourself. But in a way I maybe was too patient at one point. I got to his back bumper in 1 and 2 and I could see he was struggling in front of me, and I thought, well, if I am just patient here and stay behind him and put some pressure on him, maybe he’ll use his stuff up or get into the wall in 3 and 4 because he was running so close to it. So I was just hoping that he would make a mistake. Looking back if there was something I could do different I would have taken advantage of that opportunity and tried to get to his inside and maybe tried to clear him off of two and maybe block him in my dirty air the rest of the race. Q. The strength of today’s performance and going back to Dover next week, one of your good tracks and a Hendrick car, what’s your outlook on going back to Dover?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I’m pumped to get there. I think it’s this aero package maybe, too. Yeah, Dover is just an awesome place, suits my style. Can move around quite a bit. It’s fast, aggressive, and I love it. Ready to get there, and hopefully be one spot better. Q. You talked about the runs that you’ve had and obviously the win, the top 5s, but how has it been able to come together so fast for you, your relationship with Cliff, coming to a new team? You’re 12 races in and you guys seem to be clicking on all cylinders. How has it come together so fast?KYLE LARSON: I just think I’ve got a great group of people around me throughout all of Hendrick Motorsports but especially on our 5 car. Their preparation is something that is pretty awesome to see, and I feel like I’m putting in a lot of work off the track, too, to get myself up to speed with no practice and things like that. Honestly probably no practice benefits me a little bit, just from being able to adapt quickly and not giving myself an opportunity to tune ourselves out with any bad feedback. It’s been really fun to be this good this early on in the year, and like I said earlier, I hope we can just continue to build on it and get better and be the best when it comes to the final 10 races. Q. What exactly were you thinking there? I think it was like eight or seven laps to go when you decided to thread the needle between Ryan Newman and Tyler Reddick?KYLE LARSON: Well, they’re both really aggressive drivers, so I didn’t want to get stuck behind them because I knew if I didn’t clear them then, I would definitely not have an opportunity to get by or get close to Martin. I saw a door open up a little bit, and I stuck my nose in there and came out the other side. It was pretty intense, but that’s what I felt like I needed to do at that point to give myself a shot to win, but even once I cleared them, I was struggling at that point and Martin was getting away from me. Q. We’re going to come back here in September and it’s going to be the first race of the playoffs, something you’re locked into at this point. What are you looking to do differently when we get to the longer race, the night race, in September?KYLE LARSON: I don’t know, I mean, hopefully we can just look at our data points from this race and try and get our car better. I felt like we were a little bit slow on the short run, on restarts maybe — after green flag stops I felt like we were one of the faster cars taking off, but on a clear track after restarts I felt like we were a little slow, and then the long runs I was just way too loose to carry throttle, be aggressive, not get stuck in traffic, things like that. Just take what we learned today and try and be better and try and be better than the 19 because he was obviously really good all race long. Q. Just kind of curious, you talked about doing different stuff during the week. Has your routine changed at all since coming to Hendrick as far as how you prepare for the races during the week?KYLE LARSON: I mean, yeah, there’s more meetings and things of that sort, as far as like looking at SMT and stuff like that. That’s stuff I always did before, and I would say even the meetings are the same as what I had before. They’re just a little bit more structured probably and a little more information in them. But yeah, and then I guess, too, the SMT things with no practice, I’m probably spending more time looking at that now because when we did have practice, you’d look for a little while and you’re like, all right, I’ll just figure the rest out once we get on track for practice. But now with not having practice you just want to be as prepared as you can be, so trying to study up on other drivers and stuff like that and what trends look fast. Q. Any physical training? I know you continue to race on a regular basis, but have you done anything from a physical standpoint as far as training goes to prepare for the weekends?KYLE LARSON: I mean, the same as I’ve kind of always did when I was at Ganassi. I actually still work out at Ganassi with Josh Wise. That’s been great. He’s also expanded his program a lot more from even when I was doing it a couple years ago, so you know, now he’s got even more information than I can look at and then go to my guys on the 5 and talk to them about as well as doing stuff in the gym. As you can tell I’m not a big guy so we don’t do a lot of lifting and stuff like that, but I feel like it’s all stuff centered around being a great race car driver. I enjoy doing that. I do it a few times a week when I can, and I race a lot, too, so I think that’s probably the most important fitness you can get as a race car driver. Q. When you saw Truex in front of you, did you think that was your shot to get him or was there another time where you thought, this is my one shot and just didn’t come through?KYLE LARSON: Well, yeah, I saw him — I closed a lot. We had to have gained seconds on him on the pit cycle, and then I was closing on him a little bit and then he was getting in heavy traffic, and it looked like he was struggling in front of me for grip. I was trying to just be patient and try and let him burn his stuff up.I do think I remember seeing him get sideways off of 2 once or something like that, and then I got to him later on and got to his back bumper, was going to try and get him loose just to get him to check up off of 2 and maybe get to his inside or just stalk him some more and get him to make a mistake or burn his tires up. But he did a really good job. So yeah, the only thing I think I could have done differently was get that big run on him in 1 and 2, and when I got to his bumper I could have just probably throttled up through the center and maybe cleared him or at least got my right rear to his left front and made him lift off of 2.Like I said, I could see he was struggling and I wanted to be patient and figured I’d have another opportunity, but I never really did. Q. The maneuver between the 8 and the 6, what was going through your head when you made that move?KYLE LARSON: Well, I just was trying to — I knew if I didn’t get by them then, when I was surprised that I got by them both in the same corner, but Newman obviously is really hard to pass. He races really hard, and so does Tyler, and he was kind of running where I wanted to be, so I knew I had to make quick work of them if I wanted to have an opportunity to get to Martin. So the 6 kind of pulled lower than I thought he would, and I saw a door open and poked my nose through it and came out the other side. Still after I cleared, I wasn’t good enough to get to Martin, but had I not got by them, I definitely would not have had a shot to get to Martin, so just glad I didn’t wreck there. THE MODERATOR: Kyle, thanks so much for taking the time to talk to us. We will see you in Dover.

Haudenschild Beats Schatz for Elusive Eldora WinSheldon Following Father Jac Haudenschild’s Footsteps as an Eldora IconROSSBURG, OH – May 8, 2021 – Saturday’s #LetsRaceTwo finale felt like the symbolical beginning of a new era in more ways than one.For starters, Sheldon Haudenschild finally achieved one of his biggest personal goals: winning at Eldora Speedway. The 27-year-old gasser grew up only two hours away from the 1/2-mile in Wooster, OH sitting in the shadows behind his legendary father, Jac Haudenschild.Jac’s legacy at The Big E is undeniably amongst the all-time greats. He won three Kings Royal’s, the Mopar Million, and countless other features in his heyday. Now, Sheldon is getting his chance to shine at The House That Earl Built. On Saturday, he did it while racing against his father in his farewell season aboard the Pennzoil #22, too.On another level, Sheldon’s momentous breakthrough was special because it came against Donny Schatz. The 10-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champion is easily the greatest Eldora icon of his era, winning almost 20 times at the Rossburg, OH facility. Simply put, he’s the man to beat there.Schatz and his Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing crew were poised for a milestone victory until Sheldon spoiled their moment. Stalking Schatz over the final ten laps, Haudenschild slowly reeled in the Ford Performance, Carquest #15 before pouncing at the white flag and sending his NOS Energy Drink, Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing #17 to the lead.He survived an extra 1/2-mile to score his 17th career World of Outlaws victory and the third of his 2021 season.”Donny is the best in the business,” Haudenschild acknowledged on a man he grew up watching. “He schooled me early in the race, so I just fell into second and watched him for a bit. Sometimes it’s better to not be out front. I just kept telling myself to hit my marks and stay smooth. You have to be perfect at this place, and we finally did it tonight.”From the outset, Haudenschild and Schatz were the two to watch in the #LetsRaceTwo finale.Schatz somehow picked his way from seventh-to-second in the first two laps of the 30-lapper, but then Haudenschild blasted by he and leader Ian Madsen thanks to a monster slide job into turn one. The #17 paced the following four laps before Schatz perfected the low line and cruised into command on Lap 8.A gnarly crash collecting top-five runners Giovanni Scelzi and Carson Macedo – all were okay – set the stage for the final restart on Lap 16. Electing to restart on the bottom, Schatz (Fargo, ND) quickly pulled away and seemed as if he was finally due to collect his first win of the 2021 season.However, with 10 laps to go, you could feel the tide change. The momentum was swiftly changing, and it was changing away from Schatz’s #15.With every passing lap, Haudenschild cut into the lead and withered it away until he was hounding Schatz with three to go. But the next time around, he was all over his back bumper. The next time? He was leading as the white flag waved and the #17 drove around the #15.Haudenschild drove away to officially claim his first Eldora triumph by 0.930-seconds over Logan Schuchart, who stole second from Schatz on the final lap.”As long as we can keep this team, these group of guys together for a long time, we could do something special,” Haudenschild said while realizing the magnitude of this moment. “If you look at the #15 [Schatz] or #49 [Sweet] over all these years, the crew is a huge part of their legacy. This win is at the top of my list, and it wouldn’t come without my guys [Kyle] Ripper, Nickolas [Goodfliesch] and Drew [Brenner]. I can’t wait for our big July shows here.”Coming home with a second-place finish at Eldora was Logan Schuchart of Hanover, PA. He earned KSE Hard Charger honors with a jaw-dropping 21st-to-2nd (+19) bid aboard his Drydene Performance Products #1S.”Man, we needed this run,” Schuchart said following his recent run of bad luck. “We’ve had a fast car all year, but those little problem have hurt us. Confidence is huge in this sport, and we just got a lot back tonight. I knew we had a good car, especially as the track came in. I’m so happy to be back here at Eldora. I love this place.”Finishing a heartbreaking third was Schatz, who led 21 laps until Haudenschild went by at the white flag.”He just had everything to gain by moving around the race track,” Schatz said on Haudenschild catching him. “We were solid out front, but kept fading there at the end. We were better in the middle and lower early on, but sometimes you get to see what’s going on if you’re bak there. I couldn’t move around, it’s just the way it goes. Would’ve been nice to win, but we didn’t. We’ll get another chance on Wednesday.”Behind Haudenschild, Schuchart and Schatz was Ian Madsen in fourth after leading the first three laps aboard the McGhee #11, and Jacob Allen with his first top-five finish of the season aboard his Shark Racing, Drydene #1A.Rounding out the top ten at Eldora was Brian Brown, David Gravel, Aaron Reutzel, Tyler Courtney and Parker Price-Miller.UP NEXT – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series prepare themselves for the first invasion of 2021 against the PA Posse. A three-race swing through Pennsylvania will bring The Greatest Show on Dirt to Lincoln Speedway on Wednesday, May 12 followed a doubleheader at Williams Grove Speedway on Friday-Saturday, May 14-15.NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps) – 1. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [4][$10,000]; 2. 1S-Logan Schuchart [21][$6,000]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [7][$3,500]; 4. 11-Ian Madsen [1][$2,800]; 5. 1A-Jacob Allen [3][$2,500]; 6. 21-Brian Brown [9][$2,300]; 7. 2-David Gravel [5][$2,200]; 8. 83-Aaron Reutzel [11][$2,100]; 9. 7BC-Tyler Courtney [14][$2,050]; 10. 19-Parker Price-Miller [23][$2,000]; 11. 49-Brad Sweet [8][$1,600]; 12. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [25][$400]; 13. 14-Kerry Madsen [17][$1,200]; 14. 9-James McFadden [10][$1,100]; 15. 24-Rico Abreu [24][$1,050]; 16. 5-Spencer Bayston [15][$1,000]; 17. 15H-Sam Hafertepe [19][$1,000]; 18. 19M-Brent Marks [20][$1,000]; 19. 18-Giovanni Scelzi [2][$1,000]; 20. 41-Carson Macedo [6][$1,000]; 21. 10-Zeb Wise [22][$1,000]; 22. 26-Cory Eliason [18][$1,000]; 23. 2C-Wayne Johnson [16][$1,000]; 24. 11K-Kraig Kinser [12][$1,000]; 25. 22-Jac Haudenschild [13][$1,000]. Lap Leaders: Ian Madsen 1-3; Sheldon Haudenschild 4-7, 28-30; Donny Schatz 8-27. KSE Hard Charger Award: 1S-Logan Schuchart[+19]NEW Championship Standings (20/83 Races): 1. Brad Sweet (2,842); 2. David Gravel (-62); 3. Carson Macedo (-110); 4. Sheldon Haudenschild (-140); 5. Aaron Reutzel (-150); 6. Donny Schatz (-160); 7. Logan Schuchart (-178); 8. Kraig Kinser (-352); 9. Brock Zearfoss (-406); 10. Jacob Allen (-512).Photo – Trent Gower

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), NOS Energy (Official Energy Product), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts all World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.

Alberson Uses Rain Sprinkles, High-Side Speed to Win MARS Thaw Brawl Finale at LaSalle Defending Series champ Shirley leads early, Alberson takes it away on rainy restart   LASALLE, IL – May 8, 2021 – Thirty laps down, 30-to-go. A roomy two-second lead on the quarter-mile LaSalle Speedway. Brian Shirley appeared to be well on his way to a second career Thaw Brawl title.   Garrett Alberson, with an assist from Mother Nature, had other plans.   Alberson took to the high side on a restart after halfway and used a rain-dampened track surface to make the pass on Shirley, driving away in the home stretch to score $12,000 and the first green-gold Thaw Brawl title belt of his career Saturday night with the MARS Racing Series.   With wet weather overhead and the race lead in-hand past halfway, most drivers would be looking for an instant downpour to cut the race short and declare them the victor. But not Alberson – he wanted to go the full 60 laps.   “I was glad it ran the rest of the way. It gave me a chance to actually win the race, I feel,” he said.   Alberson, of Las Cruces, NM, now residing in Dubuque, IA, took the initial green from inside Row 2 and watched as Shirley, of Chatham, IL, jetted out to a two-plus-second lead in traffic; outside polesitter Tanner English, of Benton, KY, just ahead of him.   A caution flag on Lap 31 broke the leaders’ hectic chase through lapped traffic, giving the impending rain sprinkles a chance to fall. Which, they did – benefitting none more than Alberson as he lined up third for the ensuing restart.   The green flag dropped. Alberson got a great launch off Turn 4 and threw it way up the banking in Turns 1-2 as Shirley stuck to his guns down low. While he was unsure of whether the top would work, Alberson knew that he was all done waiting for someone else to make a mistake out front.   “I didn’t really know if the track was going to hold-up or be slimy or not. When we took off, I was on the outside row there and I hadn’t been to the top in a few laps, but I just said, ‘to heck with it, I’ve got to go for it right now,’” Alberson said.   With some great momentum on the top lane, Alberson blasted off Turn 2 and beat Shirley to Turn 3, moving down to protect the pass as he rounded Turns 3-4.   “It just kept sprinkling ever so slightly and seemed like it really helped my tire take back off. After that, the car just felt super balanced,” Alberson said.   The yellow came back out one lap later, but Alberson made the middle groove work to his advantage on the restart and proceeded to put some distance between he and his opponents, being careful not to overdrive.   “I still felt like I had some in the tank,” Alberson said. “I was just trying to take it easy a little bit on my tires there – we were a little bit softer than those guys were.”   Some smooth driving in lapped traffic as the race wound down helped him maintain the lead as he jetted across the finish line, fist in the air out the window, a first-time Thaw Brawl main event winner.   Shirley crossed the line in second, just 1.3 seconds shy of his second Thaw Brawl belt. Tanner English came across in third, matching his finish from Friday night. Though he was happy to know Alberson got a big win, even English himself was surprised to see Alberson’s speed on the moist track conditions.   “It was like he had rain tires on. As soon as that hit, he took off and left us there. We caught back up to him at the end, but he was gone,” English said.   UP NEXT   The MARS Racing Series is back in action next Friday and Saturday night with two big-money shows on tap. The annual Farmer City 74 hits the Farmer City Raceway on Friday night, May 14, with $10,000 in-store for the winner. Fairbury Speedway then hosts the MARS DIRTcar Late Model stars Saturday night in the $15,000-to-win Spring Showcase.   Stay tuned to DIRTcar Racing’s social media channels and website for updates throughout the weekend.   FEATURE RESULTS   1. 59-Garrett Alberson, 2. 3s-Brian Shirley, 3. 81E-Tanner English, 4. 24-Ryan Unzicker, 5. 25-Jason Feger, 6. 41-Jeremiah Hurst, 7. 4-Travis Stemler, 8. 4G-Bob Gardner, 9. 73-Ryan Weistart, 10. 3-Dale Markham, 11. 28M-Jake Miller, 12. 9-Jeff Ridell, 13. 4B-Kyle Cooper, 14. 21B-Rich Bell, 15. 15-Kolby Vandenbergh, 16. 1-Mike Mataragas, 17. 2-Mike Chasteen Jr. DIRTcar Racing is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, and NAPA Auto Parts (SDS). Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear (SDS), Bassett, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux (SDS), Cometic Gasket (SDS), COMP Cams, Drydene, Fast Shafts, Fox Factory (SDS), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Quarter Master, Schoenfeld Headers, Summit Racing Equipment, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum) (SDS); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Beyea Headers, FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics and Velocita USA.Alberson Uses Rain Sprinkles, High-Side Speed to Win MARS Thaw Brawl Finale at LaSalleDefending Series champ Shirley leads early, Alberson takes it away on rainy restart LASALLE, IL – May 8, 2021 – Thirty laps down, 30-to-go. A roomy two-second lead on the quarter-mile LaSalle Speedway. Brian Shirley appeared to be well on his way to a second career Thaw Brawl title. Garrett Alberson, with an assist from Mother Nature, had other plans. Alberson took to the high side on a restart after halfway and used a rain-dampened track surface to make the pass on Shirley, driving away in the home stretch to score $12,000 and the first green-gold Thaw Brawl title belt of his career Saturday night with the MARS Racing Series. With wet weather overhead and the race lead in-hand past halfway, most drivers would be looking for an instant downpour to cut the race short and declare them the victor. But not Alberson – he wanted to go the full 60 laps. “I was glad it ran the rest of the way. It gave me a chance to actually win the race, I feel,” he said. Alberson, of Las Cruces, NM, now residing in Dubuque, IA, took the initial green from inside Row 2 and watched as Shirley, of Chatham, IL, jetted out to a two-plus-second lead in traffic; outside polesitter Tanner English, of Benton, KY, just ahead of him. A caution flag on Lap 31 broke the leaders’ hectic chase through lapped traffic, giving the impending rain sprinkles a chance to fall. Which, they did – benefitting none more than Alberson as he lined up third for the ensuing restart. The green flag dropped. Alberson got a great launch off Turn 4 and threw it way up the banking in Turns 1-2 as Shirley stuck to his guns down low. While he was unsure of whether the top would work, Alberson knew that he was all done waiting for someone else to make a mistake out front. “I didn’t really know if the track was going to hold-up or be slimy or not. When we took off, I was on the outside row there and I hadn’t been to the top in a few laps, but I just said, ‘to heck with it, I’ve got to go for it right now,’” Alberson said. With some great momentum on the top lane, Alberson blasted off Turn 2 and beat Shirley to Turn 3, moving down to protect the pass as he rounded Turns 3-4. “It just kept sprinkling ever so slightly and seemed like it really helped my tire take back off. After that, the car just felt super balanced,” Alberson said. The yellow came back out one lap later, but Alberson made the middle groove work to his advantage on the restart and proceeded to put some distance between he and his opponents, being careful not to overdrive. “I still felt like I had some in the tank,” Alberson said. “I was just trying to take it easy a little bit on my tires there – we were a little bit softer than those guys were.” Some smooth driving in lapped traffic as the race wound down helped him maintain the lead as he jetted across the finish line, fist in the air out the window, a first-time Thaw Brawl main event winner. Shirley crossed the line in second, just 1.3 seconds shy of his second Thaw Brawl belt. Tanner English came across in third, matching his finish from Friday night. Though he was happy to know Alberson got a big win, even English himself was surprised to see Alberson’s speed on the moist track conditions. “It was like he had rain tires on. As soon as that hit, he took off and left us there. We caught back up to him at the end, but he was gone,” English said. UP NEXT The MARS Racing Series is back in action next Friday and Saturday night with two big-money shows on tap. The annual Farmer City 74 hits the Farmer City Raceway on Friday night, May 14, with $10,000 in-store for the winner. Fairbury Speedway then hosts the MARS DIRTcar Late Model stars Saturday night in the $15,000-to-win Spring Showcase. Stay tuned to DIRTcar Racing’s social media channels and website for updates throughout the weekend. FEATURE RESULTS 1. 59-Garrett Alberson, 2. 3s-Brian Shirley, 3. 81E-Tanner English, 4. 24-Ryan Unzicker, 5. 25-Jason Feger, 6. 41-Jeremiah Hurst, 7. 4-Travis Stemler, 8. 4G-Bob Gardner, 9. 73-Ryan Weistart, 10. 3-Dale Markham, 11. 28M-Jake Miller, 12. 9-Jeff Ridell, 13. 4B-Kyle Cooper, 14. 21B-Rich Bell, 15. 15-Kolby Vandenbergh, 16. 1-Mike Mataragas, 17. 2-Mike Chasteen Jr.

DIRTcar Racing is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, and NAPA Auto Parts (SDS). Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear (SDS), Bassett, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux (SDS), Cometic Gasket (SDS), COMP Cams, Drydene, Fast Shafts, Fox Factory (SDS), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Quarter Master, Schoenfeld Headers, Summit Racing Equipment, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum) (SDS); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Beyea Headers, FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics and Velocita USA.

Myatt Snider and the TaxSlayer Chevrolet Team Show Speed Early at Darlington Raceway19th10th8th“We definitely started out strong today in our TaxSlayer Chevrolet at Darlington Raceway. We steadily picked up spots during the opening stage and I was able to stay consistently inside the top-10. My Richard Childress Racing pit crew posted a really fast stop at the stage break, which propelled us inside the top-three. From that point forward our race was an uphill battle. The car became very loose on entry and exit and I was getting everything I could out of it. Our right front fender had some damage from hitting the wall early and we think that could have affected us in those later stages. Our Camaro definitely had top-five speed at the beginning though, so I wish we could have held on for a better finish in our beautiful throwback design. We will go back to the shop, learn from today and be prepared for Dover next week.” -Myatt Snider

Gravel Gets QuickTime, Eldora Set for Saturday DoubleheaderQualifying Completed on Friday, Finishing Both Shows on Saturday at The Big EROSSBURG, OH – May 8, 2021 – #LetsRaceTwo has turned into #LetsRaceFour as Saturday’s slate at Eldora Speedway will now include four features, two for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.After a five-hour rain delay pushed the beginning of Friday’s show into the wee morning hours on Saturday, The Greatest Show on Dirt was able to complete Hot Laps and Slick Woody’s Qualifying before postponing the remainder of the program to Saturday afternoon.David Gravel of Watertown, CT earned his Series-best fifth Slick Woody’s QuickTime of the season with a lap of 12.608 seconds, only 0.009 seconds shy of his very own track record at The Big E. Already a two-time winner on 1/2-mile ovals this year, Gravel and the Big Game Motorsports #2 will look to back up their Bristol Throwdown sweep with another potential double at Eldora tomorrow.Timing in behind Gravel was a trio of invaders all hoping to breakthrough for their first World of Outlaws win at Eldora. Brian Brown (Grain Valley, MO) was second at 12.721 in the FVP Parts #21, Tyler Courtney (Indianapolis, IN) was third at 12.745 in the NOS Energy Drink #7BC, and Spencer Bayston (Lebanon, IN) was fourth at 12.795 in the CJB Motorsports #5. Rookie of the Year contenders James McFadden was fifth-quick at 12.831 in the Kasey Kahne Racing #9.Entering on a three-race winning streak, two-time Series champion Brad Sweet suffered his worst qualifying result of the season as the Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 was buried in 23rd of 30 cars that timed in.Other storylines ahead of Eldora’s doubleheader include Tony Stewart Racing’s Donny Schatz chasing his 1,900th career Feature start, among other accomplishments, and 2013 Series champion Daryn Pittman returning to action with the Swindell SpeedLab #39 camp.On Saturday, pit gates will open at 12:00pm with spectator gates opening at 1:00pm and Hot Laps scheduled for 2:30pm with Friday’s Heat Races to follow. Once the first program is done, the facility will be swept and track will be re-worked with the second program slated to begin at 6:00pm.All tickets and pit passes from Friday will be honored for the afternoon show, and all tickets for Saturday’s originally scheduled show will be honored for the 6:00pm event. A limited number of tickets remain available to purchase for both shows.Friday Night – Qualifying Times:#2 David Gravel (12.608)#21 Brian Brown (12.721)#7BC Tyler Courtney (12.745)#5 Spencer Bayston (12.795)#9 James McFadden (12.831)#13 Justin Peck (12.837)#41 Carson Macedo (12.838)#11 Ian Madsen (12.858)#14 Kerry Madsen (12.861)#3Z Brock Zearfoss (12.872)#39 Daryn Pittman (12.884)#17 Sheldon Haudenschild (12.888)#15 Donny Schatz (12.894)#10 Zeb Wise (12.904)#2C Wayne Johnson (12.919)#83 Aaron Reutzel (12.922)#1S Logan Schuchart (12.930)#1A Jacob Allen (12.930)#26 Cory Eliason (12.932)#7S Jason Sides (12.940)#19 Parker Price-Miller (12.946)#11K Kraig Kinser (13.007)#49 Brad Sweet (13.058)#24 Rico Abreu (13.067)#W20 Greg Wilson (13.067)#22 Jac Haudenschild (13.083)#19M Brent Marks (13.104)#18X Cole Macedo (13.154)#97 Cole Duncan (13.183)#18S Bryce Schmitt (14.406)

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), NOS Energy (Official Energy Product), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts all World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.

Unzicker Escapes Shirley’s Clutches in Traffic to Win MARS Prelim Feature at LaSalleDefending champion Shirley pulls early slide job, Unzicker quickly denies and holds on for $3,000 victory LASALLE, IL – May 7, 2021 – In a great short-track battle through lapped traffic Friday night, The El Paso Express was the fastest train on the track. Ryan Unzicker, of El Paso, IL, made the right moves in traffic and held off a hungry Brian Shirley and Tanner English for over 25 laps to score the Feature win in Friday’s Thaw Brawl preliminary night of action with the MARS Racing Series at LaSalle Speedway. “Any time you can beat English and Shirley, that’s something that we need to be proud of because those are two top-notch teams,” Unzicker said. Unzicker, Shirley and English were the three cars to beat all night long – top three in Qualifying, three Heat Race winners and first three on the starting grid. At the drop of the green, they each jumped out front and began their 30-lap throwdown on the fast quarter-mile. English, of Benton, KY, led the first two circuits from the pole before Unzicker found some great grip on the very bottom lane and beat English to the line on Lap 3 before the caution came out. Shortly after the ensuing restart, Shirley, of Chatham, IL, made the move for second around English and got a full head of steam on the top side as he charged after leader Unzicker. It wasn’t until he realized his eyes were deceiving him that Unzicker felt Shirley’s charge from behind. “We got to playing around with the lapped traffic people, and I thought I had a decent lead, five-or-six car lengths or so,” Unzicker said. “[Turns out] I was looking at the wrong darn stick guy.” “I was riding pretty comfortable for a little bit, and I saw a nose pop into the corner of my eye when I looked over at a car. Then I tried to focus back on where my stick guy was and he had the sticks closed, so I was like ‘oh, s*** he’s right here!’” With some big momentum from his drive out of Turn 2, Shirley dove deep under Unizcker into Turn 3 and threw a big slide job to take the lead, but Unzicker was steady and crossed back underneath Shirley’s #3s to regain the spot at the stripe. “I got that run in 1 and 2, and I just went in too hard,” Shirley said. “The problem was I didn’t think [Unzicker] could see me if I would’ve went in slow and he would’ve come down, so I went in too hard and slid up. “If I could’ve passed him, I just should’ve whoa-ed the brakes and stayed on the bottom there, but I just pushed up enough where he could run back by us.” Unzicker kept Shirley at bay until the final laps set in. With six-to-go, Unzicker caught the tail end of the field and was forced to make some quick and risky decisions with Shirley now right on his bumper. With cars both high and low, Unzicker chose the bottom lane in Turns 3-4 to get by two slower cars, then pushed up to the top in Turns 1-2, leaving the door open for Shirley down low. However, he was unable to capitalize. “It left a lane open because they guy had actually pushed [Unzicker] up, but I had pushed in 1 and 2 and it just left too much gap there, so I couldn’t make a move on him,” Shirley said. Now with only a single slower car ahead, Unzicker overtook him quickly and drove away from Shirley’s grasp to the $3,000 victory – the fourth of his MARS career. “The car was really balanced to where I could go top and bottom, really just put the car wherever I needed to. I think that’s what won me the race,” he said. English crossed the line in third after holding off Jeremiah Hurst in fourth and Jason Feger fifth. Feger had started fourth before falling back to seventh and made a nice recovery to seal the top-five. Garrett Alberson, of Las Cruces, NM, made a terrific charge through the field to finish seventh after riding as far back as 15th in the opening laps. UP NEXT The MARS Racing Series action continues from the 10th annual Thaw Brawl at LaSalle Speedway on Saturday, May 8, with the 60-lap, $12,000-to-win finale. Grandstand gates open at 3pm, Hot Laps are scheduled for 6pm. FEATURE RESULTS 1. 24-Ryan Unzicker, 2. 3s-Brian Shirley, 3. 81E-Tanner English, 4. 41-Jeremiah Hurst, 5. 25-Jason Feger, 6. 91-Rusty Schlenk, 7. 59-Garrett Alberson, 8. 89-Mike Spatola, 9. 4-Travis Stemler, 10. 2-Mike Chasteen Jr, 11. 15-Kolby Vandenbergh, 12. 4G-Bob Gardner, 13. M27-Mike Provenzano, 14. 44-Collin Shipley, 15. 3-Dale Markham, 16. 73-Ryan Weistart, 17. 76-Titus Sneed, 18. 9-Jeff Ridell, 19. 21B-Rich Bell, 20. B14-Victor Benedetto, 21. 79w-Greg Wagner, DNS-28m Jake Miller

DIRTcar Racing is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, and NAPA Auto Parts (SDS). Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear (SDS), Bassett, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux (SDS), Cometic Gasket (SDS), COMP Cams, Drydene, Fast Shafts, Fox Factory (SDS), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Quarter Master, Schoenfeld Headers, Summit Racing Equipment, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum) (SDS); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Beyea Headers, FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics and Velocita USA.

Sheppard ends drought at Dairyland Showdown It’s the New Berlin, IL driver’s 70th career World of Outlaws victory FOUNTAIN CITY, WI – MAY 7, 2021 – Holding his hands together, Brandon Sheppard raised them to the sky in thanks of the gift before him. Victory. Relief… Finally. The three-time and defending champion ended his longest drought of starting a season without an official World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model win (15 races) by finding Victory Lane Friday night at Mississippi Thunder Speedway. Along with it came a $12,500 top prize, as well. It was also the New Berlin, IL driver’s 70th Series win. He’s now eight wins away from tying four-time champion Josh Richards for most all-time (78).  Sheppard felt a victory was coming after several consistent runs over the last month.  “Everybody’s been working together really hard trying to figure out what we need to do to get back to Victory Lane,” Sheppard said. “I know we’ve been close the last month, but we’ve been just trying to find that little bit of extra, and we’re getting things back to normal.”  While Sheppard added to his impressive list of accolades, he also kept another driver from taking his first checkered flag.    Lake Elmo, MN driver Brent Larson got off to a fast start, keeping his car locked on the bottom.  He powered past six drivers in the first 10 laps and grabbed the lead.    Larson opened a sizeable advantage in traffic, but Sheppard started to reel him back in. That’s when the “Rocket Shepp” made his move, driving around Larson on the outside. It wasn’t something Sheppard could do early in the race.  “At the beginning of the race, the bottom was blowing crumbs up to the top, so I knew the top wasn’t the best place to be,” Sheppard said. “Once we got into lap traffic, we got up there and started hustling and it worked out for us.”  When the top groove came in, it may have signaled the end of Larson’s chances to win. He knew he couldn’t come off the bottom if he wanted to keep his momentum going.  “The top came in, and I was really too tight to be up there,” Larson said. “I didn’t cut our tire up to take that much abuse. We didn’t see any tire wear [Thursday] when we were testing, and tonight we blistered.”  Even though Larson didn’t get to Victory Lane, second is still important for the Minnesota campaigner. It’s his best finish on the World of Outlaws Late Models Series, so far. “It’s a great feeling,” Larson said. “It’s a great accomplishment for our team. It’s a good reminder to us that we can do this, and show other people the same thing.” Jimmy Mars finished third, Cade Dillard was fourth, and Chris Madden crossed the line fifth.  Sheppard and Larson weren’t the only contenders for the win. Both had late challenges from Ryan Gustin, who was running third until his night took an unfortunate end due to a mechanical failure with five laps to go. “The Reaper” had a lot of damage including a broken driveshaft.  He was disappointed because it was a car he felt could win.  “I’m not sure what tires the other two were running, but that caution toward the end didn’t help us,” Gustin said. “We should be able to get it back together and hopefully be there at the end tomorrow.” UP NEXT: The Most Powerful Late Models on The Planet return to Mississippi Thunder Speedway Saturday, May 8, for night two of the Dairyland Showdown presented by Dynamic Concrete Resurfacing.  Saturday’s Feature is 60-laps, paying $22,500-to-win. If Sheppard wins again, he’ll get a $5,000 bonus.  Morton Buildings Feature (40 Laps)-1. 1-Brandon Sheppard [2][$12,500]; 2. B1-Brent Larson [7][$6,000]; 3. 28M-Jimmy Mars [11][$3,500]; 4. 97-Cade Dillard [4][$2,800]; 5. 44-Chris Madden [12][$2,500]; 6. 25-Chad Simpson [10][$2,300]; 7. 8-Kyle Strickler [5][$2,200]; 8. 32-Bobby Pierce [6][$2,100]; 9. 99JR-Frank Heckenast [9][$2,050]; 10. 18B-Shannon Babb [14][$2,000]; 11. 10S-Taylor Scheffler [8][$1,600]; 12. 49-Jake Timm [18][$1,400]; 13. 28-Dennis Erb [20][$1,200]; 14. 7-Ricky Weiss [23][$1,100]; 15. 99B-Boom Briggs [15][$1,050]; 16. 74-Mitch McGrath [13][$1,000]; 17. 11-Gordy Gundaker [22][$1,000]; 18. 29-Spencer Diercks [19][$1,000]; 19. 55C-Chad Mahder [21][$1,000]; 20. 19R-Ryan Gustin [3][$1,000]; 21. 16-Tyler Bruening [1][$1,000]; 22. 20-Rodney Sanders [16][$1,000]; 23. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck [24][$1,000]; 24. 32S-Chris Simpson [17][$1,000] Hard Charger: 7-Ricky Weiss[+9] Qualifying Flight-A –1. 74-Mitch McGrath, 13.743; 2. 16-Tyler Bruening, 13.821; 3. 8-Kyle Strickler, 13.822; 4. B1-Brent Larson, 13.837; 5. 97-Cade Dillard, 13.842; 6. 32S-Chris Simpson, 13.85; 7. 99JR-Frank Heckenast, 13.896; 8. 28M-Jimmy Mars, 13.934; 9. 3-Brett Swedberg, 13.963; 10. 99B-Boom Briggs, 13.964; 11. 77-Jordan Yaggy, 14.067; 12. 25J-Jared Siefert, 14.098; 13. 66-Ron Berna, 14.223; 14. 29-Spencer Diercks, 14.284; 15. 10-Paul Parker, 14.459; 16. 24-Brad Waits, 14.519; 17. 10C-Chad Olsen, 14.589; 18. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck, 14.71; 19. 55C-Chad Mahder, 14.738 Qualifying Flight-B-1. 1-Brandon Sheppard, 13.504; 2. 32-Bobby Pierce, 13.638; 3. 10S-Taylor Scheffler, 13.698; 4. 19R-Ryan Gustin, 13.706; 5. 25-Chad Simpson, 13.75; 6. 44-Chris Madden, 13.788; 7. 18B-Shannon Babb, 13.815; 8. 19-Dustin Sorensen, 13.854; 9. 49-Jake Timm, 13.864; 10. 76-Blair Nothdurft, 13.911; 11. 11-Gordy Gundaker, 14.009; 12. 28-Dennis Erb, 14.013; 13. 15-Nick Anvelink, 14.166; 14. 20-Rodney Sanders, 14.21; 15. 90-Lance Matthees, 14.322; 16. 7-Ricky Weiss, 14.324; 17. 43-Jeremy Grady, 14.453; 18. 6M-Jeff Massingill, NT; DNS. 39-Tim McCreadie, NT   The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings® Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, including: Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, MSD, Penske Racing Shocks, Quarter Master, Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award), and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Capital Race Cars, FireAde, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics, Reliable Painting, and Rocket Chassis. Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS® Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings® Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.

May 8 marks 1-year anniversary of World of Outlaws’ ‘Return to Racing’ Not only did the World of Outlaws find a way to return to racing during a pandemic, it was able to strive through the uncertaintiesBy Nick GrazianoROSSBURG, OH – May 7, 2021 – An extraordinary day in the midst of silence…That’s how World of Outlaws CEO Brian Carter described May 8, 2020 – the day the World of Outlaws became the first racing organization to emerge from the trap door COVID-19 laid under every racing series, and the entertainment industry as a whole, in 2020.A year later, on May 8, 2021, the silence will be masked by the harmonizing of 900hp Sprint Cars and thousands of race fans yelling to the world dirt racing is well and thriving. The day will not only celebrate the World of Outlaws’ one-year anniversary of returning to racing, but it’ll also celebrate the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars’ return to Eldora Speedway (May 7-8) for the first time since 2019 – with fans.“May the 8th really rings the fact that we were able to break through before anybody else and go racing,” Carter said. “We raced in the time frame up to May 8, virtually (with iRacing events), but putting those race cars back on the track (at Knoxville Raceway), sitting there watching… the quiet… it was surreal. Surreal that we not only pushed our way through that crisis but that we succeeded at the same time.”Hours before the start of the Sprint Car’s fourth race of the 2020 season at Cotton Bowl Speedway in late February, the event was hit by the wave of cancellations across all major sporting events caused by the pandemic. Initially, it was assumed racing would resume a week or two later. That turned into months.The only thing certain was uncertainty.“That was the biggest thing,” Carter said. “Never in our history have we not known when we’re going racing again. I heard someone else say this, ‘Humans loath uncertainty.’ That definitely rings true with me. I hated not knowing. We were throwing things at the wall trying to get them to stick at the time. We thought we were close to getting something done in April, but it didn’t pan out and we had to be a little more patient for a couple more weeks.”When the world shut down and racing was put on hiatus, the World of Outlaws and DIRTcar team immediately looked into addressing the two major questions: When can we go back racing? And where can we go back racing?While answers were sought after, a weekly iRacing series was organized, featuring several drivers from the World of Outlaws, Super DIRTcar Series and DIRTcar ranks. Along with giving fans and drivers some form of normalcy, it also became a tool to introduce the drivers and cars – albeit virtual – to a new audience with the races being broadcast nationally on Fox Sports and CBS Sports Network. The popularity of the events led to CBS broadcasting an hour-long World of Outlaws “Return to Racing” documentary and CBS Sports Network broadcasting a couple of live World of Outlaws races.The virtual racing served as a solid placeholder while plans for a return to real racing found momentum.Knoxville Raceway – famously known as the Sprint Car Capital of the World – was identified early on as a venue with the best infrastructure to accommodate what was needed for a safe return, according to World of Outlaws and DIRTcar Director of Business Development Melvyn Record. A variety of plans were developed to make that happen.“We were working directly with Governor Kim Reynolds of Iowa, the Iowa Department of Health, the racetrack and Marion County to see what they were comfortable with if we went back to racing,” Record said. “We came up with three different scenarios… Could we do a race with 50 people at the venue? Could we do a race with 250 people? Could we do a race with 500 people? Obviously, doing an event with 50 people at the facility would be a challenge. How many cars would that look like and logistically what would that look like?“We ended up with a plan that was less than 400 people (in total, including drivers, crews, staff and safety, and no fans). We had an A and B team at the track, which was Carlton (Reimers, the Series Director), myself and others who were outside of the track in case anybody on the staff caught COVID so we could quickly jump in and replace that person and still have the event.”Before then, a Return to Racing Resource Center with a 10-Step Guide for a safe return was developed by World of Outlaws and DIRTcar personnel. It was created with the help of motorsports experts Agajanian & Anthony, P.C., Mr. Jeff Ladd at Sports Insurance Specialists, LLC and Dr. Jack Faircloth, MD. The purpose of it was to provide, not only the series but tracks around the country a helpful resource to safely return to racing. It’s still available to everyone on the World of Outlaws website.“A handful of racing organizations reached out to see if they could use it,” Record said. “The document was written with the specific intention that anybody could use it.”The procedures were put to the test at Knoxville and proved beneficial as the event went on with no issues, giving hope during a dark time. Adding to that, everyone watching on DIRTVision was treated to a stellar race.Even with the grandstands empty – a first in the history of the World of Outlaws – the adrenaline rush of excitement provided by David Gravel and Ian Madsen’s late-race battle for the win created an electric atmosphere around the half-mile track that felt like 20,000 fans were there cheering at the finish.As DIRTVision pit reporter Dave Rieff said after the race, “It was quiet… But it was cool.”Its success became a launching point for the Series and dirt racing in general. It laid a path for motorsports to return to a world starving for entertainment.“We were faced with a situation that we never dreamt of being faced with,” World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Director Carlton Reimers said. “We weren’t the only ones, obviously. I’m pretty proud of our company. We had a choice to make. We could either sit back and see what other people did or, I think we were in a unique situation where we were in a position to lead in some areas. That’s what we decided to do. We got out there and led. We got out front and dealt with things we never had to deal with before.”COVID didn’t go away after Knoxville. Each series faced varying restrictions and guidelines from state to state and county to county. In the early stages of the pandemic, those restrictions tended to change week to week, as well. But with the Return to Racing safety guidelines already established, racing was able to occur every weekend – leading to full schedules being secured this year – fans were able to return and drivers were paid a full points fund at the end of the year.However, questions still lingered about what fan attendance would look like once restrictions lifted. Would fans still want to come to races in large crowds? This year, the answer has emphatically been, “yes.” Stands have been full each week and record numbers of merchandise have been sold.“It’s been actually really incredible to see how much has really changed,” Two-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car Champion Brad Sweet said. “Obviously, we had great momentum at the end of 2019 (ending the season with the closest points battle in Series history), and obviously with COVID in 2020 we weren’t sure how we were going to recover. The crowds have been unbelievable. The fans have been energetic. It’s so great to be racing in front of the big crowds again. I honestly feel like they’re bigger than they’ve ever been before. It’s really awesome to be a part of the World of Outlaws right now.”There’s a pent-up demand to see racing, according to Carter. Those who could only watch World of Outlaws events on DIRTVision, either as a new or current fan last year, are now taking advantage of seeing them live.“The crowds have been remarkable,” Carter said. “The reception has been remarkable. People want to wear the T-shirts and wear their favorite driver’s T-shirts and they want to let the world know they’re at a dirt track having fun.”Eldora Speedway still has to adhere to local COVID restrictions with limited fans in attendance this weekend, but the World of Outlaws’ return to the “Big E” will mark the first time in about 20 months the famed track has been able to host an event with fans. It’s a sight everyone at Eldora will be celebrating.“It’s huge,” Eldora Speedway Promoter and General Manager Roger Slack said. “It’s going to be emotional for everybody. Everybody that works here, from our concession workers to our ticket folks and safety team and everybody that is here full-time, we have a great passion for this place and great pride. To not be able to host events last year, that’s what we all live to do. It’s a lot of work to put it on the way we are.”For years to come, May 8 will represent an important part of World of Outlaws, dirt racing and motorsports history.“May the 8th, it was an extraordinary day in the midst of silence. It was crazy and something I’ve never experienced before,” Carter said. “I’ll never forget that. But it was a good day for dirt track racing and in particular the World of Outlaws. It was going back to what we all wanted to so badly do.”For tickets to World of Outlaws events, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), NOS Energy (Official Energy Product), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts all World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.

River Cities and Granite City Kick Off Busy June Slate for World of Outlaws10-Time Series Champion Donny Schatz Heads Home, Where He DominatesGRAND FORKS, ND – May 7, 2021 – We’ve rolled through the Dirty South, we’ve roared through the Midwest, and soon we’ll be rumbling along the East Coast, but this time next month we’ll be getting our first taste of the Northern Tour in 2021.Scheduled to make the first appearances of the season in both North Dakota and Minnesota, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will open a busy month of June at River Cities (ND) Speedway on Friday, June 4 and Granite City (MN) Speedway on Saturday, June 5.RIVER CITIES TICKETS (6/4) GRANITE CITY TICKETS (6/5)In recent years, both northern establishments have groomed themselves into two of the most-anticipated tracks on the 80+ race schedule. In fact, they both offered race of the year vibes in their most recent appearance with The Greatest Show on Dirt.Granite City’s 2019 show saw Brad Sweet & David Gravel trade the lead over the closing laps all while bouncing it off the fence. In River Cities’ 2020 thriller, Kyle Larson stunned Logan Schuchart and the world with his miraculous last-lap pass at the checkered flag.For 10-time Series champion Donny Schatz, the Northern Tour is always a welcomed sight for the Fargo, ND. Not only does he lead the way with the most wins at both River Cities and Granite City, but it’s a chance to go back home for the pilot of the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Ford Performance, Carquest #15.The weekend begins at River Cities, where Schatz has amassed a staggering 12 victories in 26 World of Outlaws events at the 1/4-mile. His 46% winning percentage at the Grand Forks, ND bullring is far and away better than his closest challenger. In fact, Craig Dollansky (3 wins), Steve Kinser (2 wins), and Joey Saldana (2 wins) are the only other multi-time winners at the track.Outside of Schatz, only three of the current 15 full-time competitors have made the trip to River Cities victory lane. Logan Schuchart of Shark Racing, David Gravel of Big Game Motorsports, and Kraig Kinser of Kinser Racing each have one triumph to their name.“You always look forward to getting to race close to home,” said Schatz. “You get to sleep in your own bed. See all the local fans, friends and family. It’s the highlight of the year for me. I can’t wait. We are pretty lucky that we get to go home twice. We race there in June and August.”When it comes to Granite City Speedway, the Sauk Rapids, MN track is still relatively new to the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. Only four previous events in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019 have been held at the 3/8th-mile venue.Like River Cities, Schatz is the winningest driver at Granite City as well, with breakthroughs in 2015 and 2017 during his championship campaigns. The only other victors at the Minnesota facility are Shane Stewart in 2016 and Brad Sweet during the last visit in 2019.As far as the championship chase is concerned, Brad Sweet and the Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 are continuing the same onslaught they’ve laid on the World of Outlaws for the past two years. The Big Cat has topped eight of the first 18 races (fourth time in history) and currently leads David Gravel and the Big Game Motorsports #2 by 90 points.Also in the mix as we enter the month of May is Carson Macedo’s Jason Johnson Racing #41 (-110 PTS), Sheldon Haudenschild’s Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing #17 (-142 PTS), Aaron Reutzel’s Roth Motorsports #83 (-180 PTS), Donny Schatz’s Tony Stewart Racing #15 (-198 PTS), and Logan Schuchart’s Shark Racing #1S (-206 PTS).All four Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year contenders will enter on equal footing as all have little-to-no experience at River Cities and Granite City. Through the first 18 of 83 events this season, Aaron Reutzel (Clute, TX) of Roth Motorsports and James McFadden (Alice Springs, NT, AUS) of Kasey Kahne Racing are the only rookie winners. Parker Price-Miller (Kokomo, IN) and Brock Zearfoss (Jonestown, PA) have had some strong runs to their own credit as well.Fans who can’t make it to the track can catch all of the action on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.RIVER CITIES SPEEDWAY WINNERS: 12 wins – Donny Schatz (Fargo, ND) 3 wins – Craig Dollansky (Elk River, MN) 2 wins – Steve Kinser (Bloomington, IN) 2 wins – Joey Saldana (Brownsburg, IN) 1 win – Kyle Larson (Elk Grove, CA) 1 win – Logan Schuchart (Hanover, PA) 1 win – David Gravel (Watertown, CT) 1 win – Daryn Pittman (Owasso, OK) 1 win – Cody Darrah ( 1 win – Kraig Kinser (Bloomington, IN) 1 win – Sammy Swindell (Germantown, TN)GRANITE CITY SPEEDWAY WINNERS: 2 wins – Donny Schatz (Fargo, ND) 1 win – Shane Stewart (Bixby, OK) 1 win – Brad Sweet (Grass Valley, CA)

Baggsy

The Navara-R 1000bhp VR41

Here it is..

The Navara-R 1000bhp VR41! Built by Paul Cheshire.

The VR38 4.1L @runbc engine, built by the amazing team at @pcheshire_ap with over 160 hours build time to complete this epic engine.

This is a real a perfectionists masterpiece.

With the build being handled by Paul Cheshire, we couldn’t have made it this far without all our incredible partners coming on board and supporting us with the Navara-R, and we thank you!

@supertechperformance valve train, Tomei camshafts, @arpbolts, @kingbearings,  @asnu_fuel_injection inlet manifold, @samcosport hoses, @forgemotorsport intercooler & radiator pipework, @walton_motorsport custom made exhaust manifolds with full system using @vibrant_performance tube,  holding up a pair of @garrettmotion G30 660 turbos with @knfilters & @turbosmarthq wastegates.

Alongside our engine release this week, we also had another monthly instalment of the Mission CTRL: Navara-R Livestream last night, catching the viewers up on the antics at UKDC Round 1, the VR38 engine build and some more weird challenges imagined by @ctrl_sport‘s Mat McCallum, for Baggsy and Ian to do whilst live!

Baggsy – “I can’t be happier with the Navara-R engine build! Paul worked his magic and I just can’t wait to hear it fire up for the first time!”

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all my amazing partners for getting us this far & we are very excited about the next few weeks”

www.baggsyboy.com

www.sbmotorsport.com

NASCAR CUP SERIESKANSAS SPEEDWAYBUSCHY MCBUSCH RACE 400TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTAPRIL 27, 2021
ERIK JONES, NO. 43 BLACK ENTREPRENEUR INITIATIVE CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Teleconference Transcript: YOU HAVE SOME EXCITING SPONSORSHIP NEWS FOR YOUR TEAM. CAN YOU GIVE US A QUICK OVERVIEW OF THAT, ALONG WITH YOUR THOUGHTS LEADING INTO KANSAS THIS WEEKEND?”“We are partnering up with The Lonely Entrepreneur for three races. The first is this weekend in Kansas and then on to COTA and Nashville, as well. So, it’s a pretty cool company. I’m learning more about them and what they really are. But they provide resources to entrepreneurs who are trying to get their footing in the business world and helping them out; and we’re also really spotlighting black entrepreneurs as well, which is going to be a cool program and one that I’m excited to work with and have learned a lot about here in the last, really, just a few days. So, it’s been cool to learn more about it and get to know them a little bit.”
WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR HEAD AT TALLADEGA WHEN YOU WERE LEADING THE FIELD?“Well, I was hoping it was going to stay green. I thought that was our best shot to try to win. Unfortunately, we had that yellow come out. But, just trying to defend the line and what was coming and just trying to keep that lead. So, I was just happy though to get up front and lead some laps with the Air Force on the car. That was our first race this year, so it was cool to get them up front. Obviously, I wish we could have closed the race out a little bit better. But overall, I thought it was a good race for us.”
IT WAS A STRONG WEEKEND FOR YOU BUT THE FINAL RESULT DIDN’T REFLECT THE GREAT DAY YOU HAD. WHAT DO YOU TELL YOU TEAM AFTER A ROUGH FINISH LIKE THAT?“Well, I think you just have to keep your head up and know that we did bring a fast car; one that was quick enough to win the race obviously. We were up front and leading laps. You’ve got to take it with a grain of salt. It’s Talladega and that’s how things go there sometimes but I definitely just want to keep those guys motivated and inspired and I think they’ve been doing a really good job and giving me some good cars. So, things come together. We’ve just got to keep doing what we’ve been doing, really; and wait for the rest to kind of fall into place for us.”
TEN RACES INTO YOUR RPM TENURE ON VERY UNIQUE TRACKS ON THIS SCHEDULE. WHAT ARE YOUR IMPRESSIONS OF RPM AND WHAT CAN YOU GUYS BE DOING BETTER AT THIS POINT?“I think it’s been good. I think overall we just want to consistently improve each week and still find our footing. We are getting better and better. With no practice it takes time to get to know each other and figure out what we need out of the race car and how we’ve got to go through the weekend. But I think we’ve been doing a good job and I think RPM does a good job. They’ve got good equipment and we just have to take advantage of what we have. We don’t have the same number of people as a lot of these bigger teams, but I think we’ve got really people in the people that we do have. So, we’re just doing what we can to take advantage of that and making the most of every week.”
DO YOU HAVE ANY RACES YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR TEAM SHOULD FOCUS ON AS FAR AS TRYING TO GET A WIN TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS?“Yeah, Talladega was one of those races that we wanted to try to win. I thought we had a good plan and did have a shot. But moving forward, with Daytona coming up and obviously the season finale a little way out; but Darlington is in a couple of weeks and is a great race track for me. I won there a couple of years ago so we’re really putting a lot of weight on that one. So, that’s probably the next one on the schedule, I would say, is Darlington; that we’ve got to focus hard on and hope we can take advantage of that place.”
TEN RACES IN, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU’VE FOUND TO BE MORE OF A CHALLENGE THAN YOU ANTICIPATED?“Well, I think just no practice has been more of a challenge. Last year, I didn’t really think much of it, but I’d also been with that organization for a few years with the same crew chief. So, we had a lot of notes. We’re kind of going in a little bit blind this year with a new team and a new crew chief and a new car and a new manufacturer. Everything is a lot different. So, having no notes has made the no practice just stand out more for me this year over last year.”
GIVEN WHAT YOU JUST SAID, HAVE YOU HAD TO TEMPER EXPECTATIONS THIS YEAR?“I don’t think so. I think we just go out every week with the hope to run a Top 10. We’ve done that a few times. I think we are probably capable of doing it a few more; we just didn’t have things really work out for us. So, I think we’ve kept our expectations pretty similar to what we began the year with. And that’s just going out and trying to obviously, get those Top 10’s and take advantage of the places we know we can go up front and try to win at.”
WE ARE GOING TO DARLINGTON THIS YEAR WITH THE HIGH HORSEPOWER PACKAGE. WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT WILL DO FOR THE RACING AND DO YOU THINK THAT PACKAGE WILL BE BETTER SUITED FOR DARLINGTON?“Yeah, I think so. It’s been a few years now since we’ve ran it, but I was trying to look back through my mental notes of what the track was like last time we ran the low downforce package there. I thought the racing was good both ways; but I think the low downforce is going to be fun. As a driver, it’s definitely a challenge there with how slick and worn out that place is. So, I’m excited to get there and to give it a shot again. We were on the simulator today doing some laps and just kind of getting reacquainted with it and it was fun. I always like Darlington. We ran good there with the low downforce package. We were Top 5 I think, in all those races; so hopefully we can keep that trend going.”
ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THE DIRECTION AND PROGRESS YOU ARE SEEING AT RPM SINCE YOU’VE BEEN THERE AND WHERE YOU GUYS ARE HEADED IN THE LONG RUN?“Yeah, I’ve been happy with how it’s been going, I think. Jerry (Baxter, crew chief) have worked well together and what we’ve done this year has been good. So, I think we’re making gains and doing the right things we need to do to keep getting the cars better and keep getting the team better. It’s not a fast process. You’re trying to get a lot of different gears moving along in different directions, but overall, I’ve been pretty happy with the progress we’ve been making.”
YOU SEEM TO HAVE A LOT OF SPEED ON THE SUPERSPEEDWAYS AND SOME OF THE LARGER TRACKS. WHAT TYPE OF ADJUSTMENTS DO YOU THINK YOUR TEAM NEEDS TO MAKE SO YOU CAN HAVE THAT SAME SPEED ON SOME OF THE SHORTER TRACKS?“Yeah, I mean the draft is kind of a great equalizer. Obviously, I thought we brought a good superspeedway car but you’ve always kind of got a shot to go up and contend there, no matter what you do. But you know, it’s just more development on the intermediate side of things. We’ve got obviously some different kinds of cars that we run at different 1.5-miles, from Atlanta to Vegas. We struggled at Atlanta but ran really well at Vegas. But those were two totally different cars. So, I think we’ve changed our mindset a little bit on some of those tracks. And, going into Kansas this weekend, we’re running a car real similar to what we had at Las Vegas, so I think that’ll be pretty good. But just learning and trying to get a notebook together for what works and what doesn’t. I think we’ve done a good job of that and I think it’s going to start to show here as we start to go back to more of these 1.5-mile tracks.”

COMMERCE, Ga. (April 28, 2021) – Sixteen-time Funny Car world champion John Force will make his 38th and final appearance at historic Atlanta Dragway when he visits the facility in his PEAK / BlueDEF Chevrolet Camaro Funny Car April 30-May 2 for the Lucas Oil NHRA Southern Nationals.  “Atlanta Dragway has a lot of history for me. We’ve been racing there for a long time. It’s going to be sad to see it go but I have a lot of good memories there,” Force said. “Ashley got her first win there; she beat me in the finals. Courtney has won there too, and Brittany is knocking on the door for a win. I’m looking forward to racing there one more time and then say goodbye to a piece of history.” In 37 years of competing in the Southern Nationals, Force has earned seven event wins in 14 final round appearances with eight No. 1 qualifying positions. For nine straight years, 1992-2000, Force was a finalist and in those final rounds he was victorious in six, his seventh win came in 2005. Atlanta Dragway was also the location of Force’s two closest races; he defeated Whit Bazemore by .001-seconds in 1991 and Robert Hight by .002-seconds in 2005. Heading into the 39th annual NHRA Southern Nationals, Force is sitting seventh in the points standings after a No. 2 Qualifying effort at the Las Vegas Four Wide Nationals where he was only bettered by teammate and company president, Robert Hight. Opening the season at the Gatornationals, Force was qualified No. 5 qualifying and quarterfinal finish at the hand of Hight. “All of John Force Racing is looking good. Just two races in with some testing and we’re going to continue to be in the hunt this season. This PEAK / BlueDEF Chevy is right there with Robert and Auto Club and Brittany with Monster and Flav-R-Pac are just as fast and quick as ever,” Force said. “We’re going to get to Atlanta and do our job, qualify well and make our fans and sponsors proud. They all stuck by us and I owe them that.” The final Lucas Oil NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway will take place over two days. Qualifying for the event will start Saturday at 1:15 p.m. ET with a second session at 5:15 p.m. ET. Eliminations will take place Sunday at 11 a.m. ET. Fans can catch the action Sunday on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with qualifying coverage at 10:30 a.m. ET and eliminations coverage at 11:30 p.m. ET.

COMMERCE, Ga. (April 28, 2021) – Brittany Force and her Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac Top Fuel dragster team have come out swinging to open the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing season. Heading into the Lucas Oil NHRA Southern Nationals, the final event at Atlanta Dragway, April 30-May 2, they’ll look to continue to do the same this time ending the weekend with a victory. Force and her David Grubnic and Mac Savage led team opened the season at the Gatornationals with a consistent race car snagging top speed of the event in the first round of eliminations at 331.94 mph. At the Vegas Four-Wide Nationals, Force tallied the 21st No. 1 qualifying position of her career and ended the weekend with the top speed and lowest elapsed time when she ran 3.722-seconds at 330.80 mph to open eliminations.  “Overall, we’ve started the season running well. We looked good in testing and at the Gatornationals and qualified No. 1 in Vegas,” Force said. “We did some testing on Monday and the team, David Grubnic and Mac Savage, they’re feeling good. Worked out some things so we’re looking forward to Atlanta next.” In pursuit of her first win at historic Atlanta Dragway, Force has had recent success at the venue. The last time the Southern Nationals were contested in 2019, Force picked up her first No. 1 qualifying position at the track and powered her way to her first final round defeating Cameron Ferre, Antron Brown and Jordan Vandergriff before exiting to eventual world champion Steve Torrence in the finals. “Heading into the final Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway this weekend. Our Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team is looking for our first win of the 2021 NHRA season. We’ve been qualifying well and running very consistently. Winning Atlanta this year would be so much more significant since we won’t be returning. This team wants to take home the last and final win at Atlanta Dragway this weekend!” The Force Family has had notable success at Atlanta Dragway that Brittany and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team will look to cap off. Not only has Force’s father, legendary Funny Car driver John Force, had wins at the venue but her older sister Ashley Force-Hood picked up the first win of her career in Atlanta when she defeated her father in the 2010 final and younger sister Courtney Force-Rahal tallied a win in what was her final season as a driver, 2018. The final Lucas Oil NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway will take place over two days. Qualifying for the event will start Saturday at 1:15 p.m. ET with a second session at 5:15 p.m. ET. Eliminations will take place Sunday at 11 a.m. ET. Fans can catch the action Sunday on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with qualifying coverage at 10:30 a.m. ET and eliminations coverage at 11:30 p.m. ET.

ROBERT HIGHT AND AUTO CLUB CARRYING MOMENTUM INTO NHRA SOUTHERN NATIONALS

COMMERCE, Ga. (April 28, 2021) – Sitting third in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series points standings, three-time world champion Robert Hight and his Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro have quickly shown they have what it takes to be the Funny Car to beat. This weekend, at the final running of the Lucas Oil NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway, Hight and the Auto Club boys will once again flex their muscle as they chase their first win of the season. In just two events Hight has recorded a runner-up finish, a No. 1 qualifier and had low elapsed time (ET) of an event. At the Gatornationals, Hight raced his way to the final round and at the Vegas Four-Wide Nationals he was quickest each of the qualifying rounds and bettered himself with low ET of the event during the first round of eliminations on Sunday. “This Auto Club car has what it takes. We’ve been working out some gremlins, did some testing Monday after the Vegas race,” Hight said. “Vegas went really well for us, we looked great through qualifying and that first round. We ran into some trouble at the end of that low ET run and these guys, myself included, had to put in the work for the next round and it just wasn’t quite enough.” Heading into what will be the final NHRA national event at the storied Atlanta Dragway, Hight will be racing for his fourth win at the facility. He has earned the No. 1 qualifying position twice, most recently in 2019, and his six final round appearances match his most at any event, the others include the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis and the Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif. “I still think this Auto Club Chevy is the best Funny Car out there. We had some bad luck, but things are falling into place. I have no worries at all that we’ll be going rounds and picking up wins starting this weekend at Atlanta Dragway,” said Hight who set the track ET record at 3.880-seconds during the 2017 event. “We’ll keep doing what we know how to do, being quick and fast. Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham will have this thing tuned in.” The Lucas Oil NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway will take place over two days. Qualifying for the event will start Saturday at 1:15 p.m. ET with a second session at 5:15 p.m. ET. Eliminations will take place Sunday at 11 a.m. ET. Fans can catch the action Sunday on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with qualifying coverage at 10:30 a.m. ET and eliminations coverage at 11:30 p.m. ET.