The Greatest Show on Dirt Meets The Last Great Colosseum Once AgainBRISTOL, TN – April 19, 2021 – One of the most anticipated events of the year is finally here.This weekend, after a 20-year absence, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series is making its grand return to the iconic Bristol Motor Speedway.Transformed to a clay-filled colosseum, the 1/2-mile stadium offers up three intense, electrifying nights of The Greatest Show on Dirt. The weekend begins with a practice night (6-9pm) on Thursday which is run in conjunction with a special pre-race show LIVE on DIRTVision, where you can watch this weekend’s action and all of the World of Outlaws events with a FAST PASS.On Friday, racing officially begins with a full program of Qualifying, Heat Races, Dash, Last Chance Showdown, and a 25-lap, $10,000-to-win Feature. On Saturday, we’re back at it again, but this time with a $25,000 payday on the line; the highest of any Sprint Car race to date in 2021.BUY TICKETS HEREWith such a monumental weekend lined up, the storylines are plentiful. Here’s a few of the countless times to watch:20 YEARS IN THE MAKING: It’s been almost two decades since the World of Outlaws last visited Bristol Motor Speedway. The Series debuted at the iconic NASCAR venue in 2000 when the dirt was first laid down and Mark Kinser & Sammy Swindell split wins. The Greatest Show on Dirt came back again in 2001 with Donny Schatz and Sammy Swindell sharing victories.In 2002, the dirt was absent and as were the Outlaws. That dry spell lasted year-after-year and Bristol soon became a historical token of yesteryear. It seemed to be a distant memory until the breaking news came in late December 2020 that dirt was returning in a big way. World of Outlaws Sprint Cars, World of Outlaws Late Models, NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Trucks Series, and more.GUESS WHO’S BACK: Kyle Larson, the man who set dirt racing ablaze with his 46-win campaign in 2020, will make his 2021 season-debut with the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars this weekend at Bristol. The Elk Grove, CA native comes into the weekend fresh off an All Stars Circuit of Champions victory at Williams Grove (PA) Speedway aboard the Paul Silva owned #57.A 12-time winner with the World of Outlaws last year, Larson has the advantage of being the only of 38 drivers this weekend with experience on the current edition of dirt on Bristol. In March, he finished second in two Dirt Late Model events and was looking strong in both the NASCAR Trucks and Cup Series races before being collected in crashes. So far in 2021, Larson has finished on the podium in all eight Late Model/Midget/Sprint Car features.VIEW THE FULL ENTRY LIST HEREHALF-MILE HEROES: This weekend, the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars are back at a big track (Bristol is .533 miles) for the first time since opening the season at Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park. Since the beginning of the 2019 season, the Series has contested 45 events at half-mile race tracks. Over that span, 13 different winners have found victory lane with eight of those racers striking at least twice.Leading the way with the most half-mile wins over that span is Donny Schatz (9), David Gravel (8), Logan Schuchart (6), Kyle Larson (6), and Brad Sweet (5).TENNESSEE TWANG: A pair of drivers, both former World of Outlaws winners, will be competing in their home state of Tennessee this weekend. Jason Sides of Bartlett, TN and Paul McMahan of Nashville, TN are also two of only five drivers (Schatz, Shaffer, J. Haudenschild) racing this weekend that previously competed at Bristol in 2000-01. Sides is a 17-time Series winner aboard the Rico Abreu Racing #7S, while McMahan has 27 Series victories to his credit and drives the CJB Motorsports #23 this weekend.It’s not just drivers, but also tracks in The Volunteer State that have a storied history with the World of Outlaws. Including Bristol, the Series has visited seven Tennessee venues dating back to Milan Speedway in 1982. Most recently, Shane Stewart and Donny Schatz split wins when the Series raced at a make-shift quarter-mile at Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville.NASCAR CONNECTIONS: Three of the top teams in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series are owned by NASCAR Cup Series winners, who each have success on the concrete at Bristol Motor Speedway.Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing fields the Carquest, Ford Performance #15 for Donny Schatz, a 10-time Series champion gunning for his second-career win at Bristol. Kasey Kahne Racing w/ Mike Curb is a lethal two-car operation with two-time Series champion Brad Sweet in the NAPA Auto Parts #49 and Australian James McFadden in the Karavan Trailers #9. Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing is co-owned by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. with Sheldon Haudenschild piloting the NOS Energy Drink #17.WHAT OFF WEEKEND?: Although both events at Lawton (OK) Speedway and Devil’s Bowl (TX) Speedway were rained out, that doesn’t mean all of the Outlaws took the weekend off. Five teams booked it to Knoxville (IA) Raceway, where the World of Outlaws will race on June 11-12 and August 11-14 for the Knoxville Nationals; while another two teams hauled to Port Royal (PA) Speedway, where the Series will visit on October 8-9.Sheldon Haudenschild’s decision to bolt to Knoxville made him one of the most talked about subjects of the whole weekend. The Wooster, OH native, who currently sits second in World of Outlaws championship standings, rallied from 14th to win his first-career feature at the Knoxville half-mile thanks to a stunning last-lap pass on Gio Scelzi. Sheldon and the NOS Energy Drink #17 will carry that momentum into this weekend at Bristol and later trips this year to Knoxville.THE NEED FOR SPEED: In 2001, a Tennessee state trooper whipped out his radar gun and clocked Sammy Swindell at a top speed of 185 MPH down the straightaway at Bristol Motor Speedway. His still-existing track record of 13.860 seconds averaged out at a whopping 138.441 MPH. The real question is: how fast will they go this weekend?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.This Week at a Glance – When and WhereThursday-Saturday, April 22-24 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TNOn the Internet World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models 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: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series transitions to a Midwest tripleheader following Bristol. A Thurdsay, April 29 appearance at Jacksonville (IL) Speedway leads into the two-day FVP Platinum Battery Showdown at I-70 (MO) Motorsports Park on April 30, May 1.NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (7 Drivers): 5 wins – Brad Sweet, Kasey Kahne Racing w/ Mike Curb #49 2 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 – David Gravel, Big Game Motorsports #2 1 win – James McFadden, Kasey Kahne Racing w/ Mike Curb #9FEATURE LAPS LED (13 Drivers): 156 laps – Brad Sweet 51 laps – Aaron Reutzel 45 laps – Donny Schatz 37 laps – David Gravel 31 laps – James McFadden 27 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild 26 laps – Logan Schuchart 25 laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr. 19 laps – Tyler Courtney 11 laps – Carson Macedo 10 laps – Jacob Allen 1 lap – Kasey Kahne & Kraig KinserSLICK WOODY’S QUICKTIME AWARDS (9 Drivers): 2 QuickTimes – David Gravel, Brad Sweet, James McFadden, Cory Eliason. 1 QuickTimes – Aaron Reutzel, Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild, Danny Dietrich, Sam Hafertepe Jr.DRYDENE HEAT RACE WINNERS (18 Drivers) 5 Heat Wins – Aaron Reutzel 4 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart, David Gravel, Carson Macedo 3 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, James McFadden 2 Heat Wins – Donny Schatz, Jacob Allen, Brock Zearfoss, Kasey Kahne, Kraig Kinser, Jason Sides, Ian Madsen, Sam Hafertepe Jr. 1 Heat Win –  Brad Sweet, Gio Scelzi, Danny Dietrich, Hunter SchuerenbergPODIUM FINISHES (16 Drivers): 10 Podiums – Brad Sweet 4 Podiums – Logan Schuchart & Sheldon Haudenschild 3 Podiums – Carson Macedo & James McFadden 2 Podiums – Donny Schatz, Aaron Reutzel, Cory Eliason, Gio Scelzi 1 Podium – Kraig Kinser, Brent Marks, David Gravel, Danny Dietrich, Tyler Courtney, Justin Peck, 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)Photo – Jacy Norgaard

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.

$30,000 on the Line In the Hawkeye 100 All divisions racing for a high-dollar purse at Boone SpeedwayBOONE, IA – APRIL 19, 2021 – In less than two weeks, the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models will travel to Iowa for the Hawkeye 100. The inaugural event is the richest in Boone Speedway’s history, and one racer could drive away with $32,500.On Friday, April 30, The Most Powerful Late Models on The Planet will run two preliminary Features, known as the “Twin Hawks.” The winner of each race will collect $2,500.  Each of those Features will set the starting lineup for the 100-lap finale on Saturday, May 1. The Feature will have an unprecedented three-wide start for the first time in World of Outlaws history. The Hawkeye 100 winner will collect $30,000, and any driver who starts the race gets $1,500.  “This unique event brings the World of Outlaws to Boone for the first time, and we’re excited to add to the history there,” World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series Director Casey Shuman said. “The three-wide start has everyone talking, but a $30,000-to-win and $1,500-to-start event early in the season is tremendous for the teams, too. We can’t wait to get there and put on a show for the fans.” The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models aren’t the only ones racing for a big purse at the event. On Friday and Saturday, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, and IMCA Stock cars will join the Series. The IMCA Modifieds will race for $1,000 on Friday, followed by $3,000 in Saturday’s Hawkeye 30. The total purse of Saturday’s race is more than $10,000. The IMCA Sport Modifieds will race for $500 on Friday and $750 Saturday, while the IMCA Stock Cars will compete for $500 on Friday and $1,000 on Saturday. Among those three divisions alone, the drivers will be chasing more than $31,000.  For Hawkeye 100 Tickets: CLICK HERE. Fans who can’t make it to the track 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 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.

Honda Ridgeline Off-Road Race Truck captures another SCORE Class 7 win
Sixth off-road racing victory on the Baja peninsula for the Ridgeline

SAN FELIPE, Mexico (April 19, 2021) – The Honda Off-Road Racing Team returned to Baja California last weekend, and continued its string of Class 7 [unlimited, V6-powered race trucks] victories in Saturday’s SCORE International San Felipe 250.

Driver Jeff Proctor and navigator Evan Weller built an early lead along the rough, 280-mile loop course that started and ended along the Gulf of California town of San Felipe. Despite a pair of mid-race stops to replace cut tires, Proctor and Weller survived sand washes and multiple “square edge” ruts and jumps to build a 35-mile lead with 20 miles remaining, then cruised to the team’s first SCORE win of 2021, and sixth victory in Baja for the Ridgeline.

Making approximately 550 horsepower, HPD’s 3.5-liter HR35TT engine uses the same block and cylinder heads as the production V6 that powers the production Ridgeline. Additional, custom elements of the powertrain include an HPD-designed intake plenum and custom Engine Control Unit programming.

SCORE International San Felipe 250 Results
1st Class 7 [unlimited V6 trucks] Jeff Proctor/Evan Weller – Honda Ridgeline

Quote
JEFF PROCTOR (owner/driver Ridgeline Off-Road Race Truck) won Class 7 for unlimited V6 Trucks: “My co-driver Even (Weller) navigated a flawless race. We had some pretty good lines in the sand washes, and it was one of those days that everything just clicked. We didn’t really have any issues.  We did have a couple earned flats, but for the most part it was a pretty good day for us. We are taking home the class win and couldn’t be more excited to kick this 2021 SCORE Season with a ‘W’. To get through all those nasty, sharp-edged rocks, all the square-edged whoops that San Felipe is known for, we are just stoked to be here at the finish line.”

Fast Facts
This is the first San Felipe 250 win for the Honda Off-Road Racing Team, in its first appearance in the event for the Honda Ridgeline.
It is the sixth class win for the Ridgeline in the last 12 SCORE events on the Baja Peninsula for the Ridgeline since the debut of the program in 2015.
In addition to this weekend’s win in San Felipe, the Honda Off-Road Racing team has won its class four times in the Baja 500, and once in the Baja 1000.

Next
The Honda Off-Road Racing Team returns to action on the Baja peninsula June 12 for the 53rd annual SCORE Baja 500. Photos and information from the Ridgeline Off-Road Race Truck’s efforts can be viewed on Instagram at @hondaoffroadracing and @proctor_race.

Honda Racing social media content and video links can be found on Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd), Twitter (twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD). Additional features and long-form videos can be found on the Honda Racing/HPD YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV).

CONCORD, NC – APRIL 19, 2021 – For the first time in 2021, the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models will race at two tracks in the same weekend. It starts Friday, April 23, when the Series makes its first trip to Richmond Raceway in Richmond, KY for a 40-lap $10,000-to-win Feature. “The Beast of the East” will be the 191st track the World of Outlaws have visited, and it’s the only trip to Kentucky for the Series in 2021. Friday will also mark the ninth time in Series history the Bluegrass State has held a World of Outlaws Feature. Rick Eckert has the most World of Outlaws wins in Kentucky (2), while tour regulars Darrell Lanigan and Shane Clanton each have one victory. On Saturday, April 24, the Series moves to Brushcreek Motorsports Complex in Peebles, OH for “The 4B4EVER 40,” celebrating the life of legendary Late Model driver Jackie Boggs.Saturday’s Feature will also be 40-laps, paying $10,000-to-win. It’ll be the first time a National touring Series has raced on the new 3/10-mile track configuration. However, it’s the third time the World of Outlaws Late Models have visited the complex. Dale Mcdowell won in 2005, and Steve Francis won the last event in 2006. If you can’t make it either night, 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.Here are the top stories to follow this weekend:Rocketing To The Top: Even though he hasn’t found Victory Lane in an official World of Outlaws event in 2021, Brandon Sheppard still leads the standings heading into this weekend – 20 points ahead of Kyle Strickler.It’s the longest the New Berlin, IL driver has gone without a win to start the season in his career.  His longest streak previous was four races during his rookie season in 2017.In his last four races, Sheppard has three top-five finishes, including a pair of thirds at Farmer City Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway. If the “Rocket Shepp” can find Victory Lane this weekend, it’ll be his 70th World of Outlaws win of his career. It’ll put him eight wins behind Josh Richards for the most all-time. Defending Home Turf: It hasn’t been the start to the season three-time Series champion Darrell Lanigan has hoped for. He’s sitting eighth in the standings, 106 points behind Brandon Sheppard. The good news for the “Bluegrass Bandit,” is he can take advantage of some home cooking this weekend. Both racetracks the Series visits this weekend aren’t far from his Union, KY home. Lanigan already has a World of Outlaws win in the state of Kentucky, finding Victory Lane at Bluegrass Speedway in 2011. The Kentucky driver also has a third place finish at Brushcreek Motorsports Complex when the Series last visited the Peebles, OH track in 2006. Turning the Tide: It’s been the tale of two seasons for Kyle Strickler in 2021. He won twice at Volusia Speedway Park, catapulting him to the top of the point standings. Since then, the Mooresville, NC driver has had a string of bad luck.The “High Side Tickler” hasn’t had a top-10 finish since February at DIRTcar Nationals. Despite those finishes, he’s still only 20 points behind Brandon Sheppard in the chase for the World of Outlaws Late Models title. A couple of good finishes this weekend could put him back on top.Smokin’ Hot: While it’s been nothing but bad luck for Kyle Strickler since DIRTcar Nationals, it’s the opposite side of the coin for South Carolina’s Chris Madden. He’s been on a hot streak since finding Victory Lane at Smoky Mountain Speedway in March. In just nine starts this season, Madden has four top-five’s and six top-10’s. The Gray Court, SC driver is third in the standings, 60 points behind Sheppard. “Smokey” has put himself in position for good finishes by having good runs in Drydene Heat Races. Madden has won more Heat Races(4) than any other driver in 2021.  When and WhereApril 23: Richmond Raceway in Richmond, KY April 24: Brushcreek Motorsports Complex in Peebles, OH About the TracksRichmond Raceway is a 3/1o mile oval  Online: www.richmond-raceway.net   Track Record: 13.897 set by Scott James on July 19th, 2019Brushcreek Motorsports Complex is a 3/10 mile oval Online: brushcreekmotorsports.com  PREVIOUS BRUSHCREEK MOTORSPORTS COMPLEX WINNERS 2006- Steve Francis on May 5 2005- Dale Mcdowell on May 20On the Internet World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models Series Twitter – Twitter.com/WoOLateModels – @WoOLateModels Instagram – Instagram.com/WoOLateModels – @woolatemodels Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsLateModelSeries YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/monthAround the Turn: The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series returns Friday and Saturday at Boone Speedway in Boone, IA for the Hawkeye 100. CLICK HERE for Tickets.  Feature Winners: (8 Drivers) Rank- Driver- Hometown-WinsKyle Strickler, Mooresville, NC-2 Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-2Kyle Bronson, Brandon, FL-1 Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-1 Chris Madden, Grey Court, SC-1 Mike Spatola, Manhattan, IL-1 Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL-1 Josh Richards, Shinnston, WV-1DRYDENE HEAT RACE WINNERS (30 Drivers) Rank- Driver- Hometown-WinsChris Madden, Gray Court, SC-4Kyle Bronson, Brandon, FL-3 Tim McCreadie, Watertown, NY-3 Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL-3Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, NC-2 Devin Moran, Dresden, OH- 2 Tyler Bruening, Decorah, IA-2 Ross Bailes, Clover, SC- 2 Rick Eckert, York, PA-2Dale Mcdowell, Chickamauga, GA- 1 Cade Dillard, Robeline, LA-1 Darell Lanigan, Union, KY-1 Parker Martin, Milledgeville, GA-1 Brandon Overton, Evans, Ga-1 Brent Larson, Lake Elmo, MN-1 Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN-1 Hudson O’Neal, Martinsville, IN-1 Ricky Thornton Jr., Chandler, AZ-1 Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, GA-1 Scott Bloomquist, Mooresburg, TN-1 Brian Shirley, Chatham, IL-1 Ryan Unzicker, El Paso, IL-1 Taylor Scheffler, Waukesha, WI- 1 Mike Spatola, Manhattan, IL-1 Shannon Babb, Moweaqua, IL- 1 Kevin Weaver, Gibson City, IL-1 Josh Richards, Shinnston, WV-1 Jimmy Owens, Newport, TN-1 Ricky Weiss, Headingly, MB-1 Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-1Last Chance Showdown Winners (17 drivers) Rank- Driver- Hometown-WinsRicky Weiss, Headingly, MB -2 Dale Mcdowell, Chickamauga, GA-2 Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-2Ross Robinson, Georgetown, DE- 1 Boom Briggs, Bear Lake, PA-1 Brent Larson, Lake Elmo, MN-1 Scott Bloomquist, Mooresburg, TN-1 Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KS-1 Brandon Overton, Evans, GA- 1 Dennis Erb, Jr., Carpentersville, IL-1 Mike Norris, Sarver, PA- 1 Stacy Boles, Clinton, TN-1 Kyle Strickler, Silver Springs, PA-1 Rick Eckert, York, PA-1 Kyle Bronson, Brandon, FL-1 Tyler Bruening, Decorah, IA-1 Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, GA-1PODIUM FINISHES (20 drivers) Rank – Driver, Hometown – PodiumsKyle Strickler, Mooresville, NC – 3 Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL-3 Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-3Kyle Bronson, Brandon, FL – 2 Cade Dillard, Robeline, LA – 2 Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-2 Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC-2Scott Bloomquist, Mooresburg, TN – 1 Darrell Lanigan, Union, KY – 1 Hudson O’Neal, Martinsville, IN – 1 Ricky Thornton, Jr., Chandler, AZ – 1 Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA – 1 Brandon Overton, Evans, GA – 1 Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN-1 Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, GA-1 Ryan Unzicker, El Paso, IL-1 Mike Spatola, Manhattan, IL-1 Josh Richards, Shinnston, WV-1 Ross Bailes, Clover, SC-1 Ricky Weiss, Headingly, MB-1HARD CHARGER (5 drivers) Rank – Driver, Hometown – H.C.Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL – 3Ricky Weiss, Headingly, MB – 2 Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KS – 2Boom Briggs, Bear Lake, PA – 1 Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-1 Ricky Thornton Jr., Chandler, AZ-1SLICK WOODY’S QUICK TIME Award (8 drivers) Rank – Driver, Hometown – QTsKyle Strickler, Mooresville, NC – 2 Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-2Kyle Bronson, Brandon, FL – 1 Devin Moran, Dresden, OH – 1 Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL – 1 Donald McIntosh, Dawsonville, GA- 1 Taylor Scheffler, Waukesha, WI- 1 Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL-12021 World of Outlaws Late Model Schedule & WinnersNo./ Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins) 1. Thursday, Jan. 14 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Kyle Bronson (1) 2. Saturday, Jan. 16 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Kyle Strickler (1) 3. Wednesday, Feb. 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Kyle Strickler (2) 4. Thursday, Feb. 11 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Devin Moran (1) 5. Friday, Feb. 12 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Brandon Overton (1) 6. Saturday, March 6/ Smoky Mountain Speedway/ Maryville, TN/ Chris Madden (1). 7. Friday, March 26 / Cherokee Speedway / Gaffney, SC / Jimmy Owens/Brandon Sheppard 8. Friday, April 2/Farmer City Raceway/Farmer City, IL/ Mike Spatola(1) 9. Saturday April 3/ Farmer City Raceway/Farmer City, IL/Bobby Pierce(1) 10. Friday April 9/Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, TN/Josh Richards(1) 11. Sunday April 11/Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, TN/Devin Moran(2)

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.

LAS VEGAS, NV (April 18, 2021) — Tim Wilkerson once again showed that his independent Levi, Ray & Shoup Summit Racing Shelby Mustang  team has the power and performance to make an impact during the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season. As the 21^st NHRA Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals unfolded today Wilkerson knew he had a race car that could contend for the title. On Friday Wilkerson rolled off the trailer and posted a 3.998 second pass at 314.24 mph to solidly place his Mustang Funny Car in the show. On Saturday he and co-crew chief Richard Hartman continued to focus on a race day tune-up that could lead the team back to the winner’s circle. They entered race day as the No. 11 qualifier but he knew there were improved performance numbers on the horizon.

In the first quad Wilkerson took the win light getting the stripe first in front of No. 3 qualifier Alexis DeJoria and No. 11 qualifier Terry Haddock. Chad Green, the No. 6 qualifier, had an issue on the starting line and did not make a run. His winning time of 3.919 second was a huge improvement from his best qualifying effort and was the second quickest run of the session. 

“I was really excited after that first round win,” said Wilkerson. “We looked at the data from Friday and Saturday and just tuned it up. That was the second quickest run of the session and it went right down the middle of the groove. We knew we could do that again which gave the whole team a lot of confidence.”

Heading into the second quad Wilkerson was joined once again by DeJoria along with Funny Car champions Matt Hagan and John Force. Wilkerson returned with a strong tune-up and he advanced with a 3.947 second pass getting to the finish line stripe right behind Hagan’s 3.927 second run. The pair of round winners advanced the final quad along with Ron Capps and Bob Tasca III.

The final quad was an amazing race as Tasca, Capps and Wilkerson were welded together for the entire race. At the finish line Tasca and Capps were able to get the noses of their race cars around Wilkerson for the top two spots handing him a semifinal finish. Wilkerson’s last pass of the event, 3.922 seconds, was a near mirror image of his first round elapsed time. That is the kind of performance he was looking for as the season begins to pick up the pace heading to Atlanta in two weeks.

“We have a strong race car for sure. Richard and I have a good handle on our tune-up,” said Wilkerson. “We are going down the track on race day and you will win a lot of rounds doing that. I am really pleased with that final pass. I was trying to run a low 3.92 and we did exactly that. The conditions here will give us some great data as we head into the summer months. This whole Levi, Ray & Shoup Summit Racing team did a great job all weekend.” 

The Levi Ray & Shoup Shelby Mustang will leave Las Vegas tied with Matt Hagan in fifth place in the Camping World Funny Car standings.

Qualifying Results

Q1: 3.998 sec, 314.24 mph; Qual. 7

Q2: 4.346 sec, 206.64 mph; Qual. 9

Q3: 4.075 sec, 308.99 mph; Qual. 11

Bonus Points:  0

Race Results

First Quad
Driver                                    Qual       R/T         ET           MPH 
Tim Wilkerson                  11           .131        3.919     327.19 (W)

Alexis DeJoria                    3              .142        3.950     321.73

Terry Haddock                   14           .152        4.069     309.42   

Chad Green                        6              Broke Before Staging

Second Quad
Driver                              Qual       R/T         ET           MPH 
Matt Hagan                 7          .064     3.927   325.06 (W)

Tim Wilkerson           11        .097     3.947   325.14 (W)

John Force                   2          .075     4.049   304.60

Alexis DeJoria             3          .136     4.257   220.30

Final Quad
Driver                              Qual       R/T         ET           MPH 
Bob Tasca III                5          .057     3.938   328.46 (W)      

Matt Hagan                 7          .056     3.955   324.98 (R/U)

Tim Wilkerson           11        .095     3.922   320.43

Ron Capps                   4          .073     3.978   316.75

Camping World Funny Car Top Ten

1. Bob Tasca III, 187

2. J.R. Todd, 166

3. Robert Hight, 152

4. Ron Capps, 139

5. Tim Wilkerson, 129

5. Matt Hagan, 129

7. John Force, 118

8. Alexis DeJoria, 117

9. Cruz Pedregon, 106

10. Chad Green, 66

·        Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Funny Car pilot Matt Hagan earns runner-up finish with Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye in National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Four Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

·        No. 4 seed Ron Capps also drove his DSR Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to final round of unique four-wide racing event and sits fourth in Funny Car category after semifinal result in second race of the 2021 NHRA season 

·        DSR Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett took her No. 3 qualified Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye dragster to the quarterfinals

April 18, 2021, Las Vegas – Leaving Las Vegas a winner isn’t always in the cards, but Matt Hagan came close as he drove his Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Funny Car to a runner-up finish in the four-wide final elimination round of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing Series nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 

Hagan came into the Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Four Wide Nationals event looking for a similar outcome to his previous Vegas outing when he drove his Mopar-powered Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye to a big win last November at the Dodge NHRA Finals presented by Pennzoil to earn the 2020 NHRA Funny Car World Championship. This weekend, however, there was the added challenge presented by the unique four lane race format that drivers haven’t seen in almost two years. Hagan’s efforts through three qualifying runs on Friday and Saturday rewarded him with a seventh place on the eliminations ladder.

Hagan’s first elimination run, clocked at 3.932 seconds and 329.42 mph, was his quickest of the weekend and good enough to beat Blake Alexander and Chris Morel and move him on to the next stage along with round winner John Force. The DSR Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye was quickest off the start and gave Hagan the win in the second quad elimination round with a 3.927 second pass (325.06 mph) over Tim Wilkerson, John Force and Alexis DeJoria to advance to the final.

Facing off against his DSR teammate Ron Capps, Bob Tasca III and Wilkerson in the final quad, Hagan once again beat everyone off the start line with his quick reaction time (0.056 seconds), but saw a slightly faster Tasca edge him at the stripe for a runner-up finish to move him up into the fifth spot in the Funny Car standings behind his DSR teammate Capps.

Capps, for his part, had a tough start to his Vegas weekend after finding himself close to the edge of the ladder after two qualifying runs. However, the HEMI-powered Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat driver put it all on the line with a solid 3.919-second final qualifying lap at 329.89 mph to make a big move up to the fourth spot from which to start his race day.

Capps’ first saw (eventual event winner) Tasca in the opening quad along with Bobby Bode and Jim Campbell, where he drove to the round win and advanced to the next stanza. Capps added a holeshot win in the second round over Tasca, to eliminate Robert Hight, and J.R. Todd and move on to the final.

For the third time in a row, Capps found himself in battle against Tasca, as the pair were joined by teammate Hagan and Wilkerson. This time however, a dropped cylinder hampered his run, permitting Tasca and Hagan to battle for the finish line. Capps semifinal result puts him fourth in the point standings as the top Dodge SRT Charger in the Funny Car category after just two events into the 2021 NHRA season. 

A third competitive Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, driven by Cruz Pedregon, is in this year’s Funny Car field. Looking to build on his Snap-on Tools team’s semifinal finish at the season-opening Gatornationals, Pedregon qualified his No. 8 for the Four Wide Nationals with a 3.960 seconds pass at 323.50 mph. Unfortunately, his race day ended prematurely with a loss in the first elimination round to J.R. Todd and Robert Hight.

In Top Fuel competition, DSR pilot Leah Pruett qualified her Mopar Dodge//SRT dragster in the top half of the field for a fifth consecutive event (dating back to Oct. 2020 at Dallas) but not without a bit of drama after an issue in qualifying saw the team play it safe by bringing out a backup car. Pruett rose to the occasion by qualifying seventh and then using a quick start in the opening round against her competitors to run a respectable 3.808-second elapsed time pass and advance to the next set against Torrence, Doug Kalitta, and Shawn Langdon. Pruett’s run and day was cut short in the second round by a loss of traction soon after the launch.

The next event on the 2021 schedule for the Mopar Dodge//SRT contingent is the NHRA Southern Nationals, set to take place in Atlanta, Georgia from April 30 to May 2.

ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES

FUNNY CAR:

Matt Hagan, DSR Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye
(No. 7 Qualifier – 3.946 seconds at 325.22 mph)
Round 1: (0.070-second reaction time, 3.932 seconds at 329.42 mph) finished second to No. 3 John Force (0.054/3.925/332.02) and defeated No.10 Blake Alexander (0.090/3.958/320.97) and No. 15 Chris Morel (0.109/4.200/294.24) 

Round 2: (0.06/3.927/325.06) won round over No. 11 Tim Wilkerson (0.097/3.947/325.14) and defeated No. 2 John Force (0.075/4.049/304.60) and No. 3 Alexis DeJoria (0.136/4.257/ 220.30)

Round 3: (0.056/3.955/324.98) finished second to No. 5 Bob Tasca III (0.057/3.938/328.46) and defeated Tim Wilkerson (0.095/3.922/320.43) and No. 4 Ron Capps (0.071/3.978/316.75)

“We roll in here every weekend with the expectation of winning every race. We got some momentum going this weekend and we’ve got a great team lead by Dickie (Venables). We’ve got some new guys and I’m really proud of them this weekend. Dickie made some personnel moves on our car, swapping positions, and it seems like a great fit for everyone right now. That gives me confidence as a driver seeing these guys being confident in bolting the car together. I’m really happy with my crew and we’re moving back up in the points. We’ve got a weekend off and then Atlanta, which we’ve won before, and then we finish May at Houston (for the Mopar Express Lane Spring Nationals) where I won my first race a long time ago. Overall, I’m just really happy leaving Vegas. The car is responding. It was a crazy four-wide event. I’m glad I didn’t red light or screw up. I’m really excited. We have a good team, we’re meshing and going rounds.”

Ron Capps, DSR NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car
(No. 4 Qualifier – 3.919 seconds at 329.89 mph) 
Round 1: (0.075-second reaction time, 3.932 seconds at 316.38 mph) finished second to No. 5 Bob Tasca III ( 0.089 / 3.917/329.18) defeated No. 13 Bobby Bode (0.091/3.993/313.66) and No. 12 Jim Campbell (0.123/5.899/114.18)

Round 2: (0.081/3.935/321.50) won round ahead of No. 5 Bob Tasca III (0.089/3.934/331.77) and defeated No. 1 Robert Hight (0.083/3.951/318.24) and No. 9 J.R. Todd (0.123/3.983/319.29)

Round 3: (0.071/3.978/316.75) lost to No. 5 Bob Tasca III (0.057/3.938/328.46), Matt Hagan (0.056/3.955/324.98) and Tim Wilkerson (0.095/3.922/320.43) 

“It’s so nice to be back racing again after that month break, but it wasn’t a smooth weekend for the NAPA team. We had a dropped cylinder the first run, but we fought back to get qualified and we were on the bump spot going into the last session. Guido (Dean Antonelli) and John Medlen made great decisions to get us into the No. 4 qualifying position on the last qualifying run. Today was clockwork. We ended up in the same lane all three rounds today and that final was a stout group of cars, (Matt) Hagan, (Tim) Wilkerson, and (Bob) Tasca (III). I felt confident that we’d go up and repeat with a low 3.90, but we had a hiccup with a cylinder at 300-feet and that dropped us back and I saw Tasca pop out there. It was a good weekend overall, and good with the points. The schedule is heating up and we’ll be at Atlanta in two weeks. Just a great job all around for our NAPA AutoCare team.”

Cruz Pedregon, Pedregon Racing Snap-On Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car

(No. 8 Qualifier – 3.960 seconds at 323.50 mph) 

Round 1: (0.051-second reaction time, 4.285 seconds at 283.85 mph) lost to No. 9 J.R. Todd (0.045/3.955/319.37) and Robert Hight (0.082/3.980/311.34) but finished ahead of No.16 Jonnie Lindberg (0.081/7.263/91.03)

“Our qualifying was strong and we were in top half the field, again, two races in a row. We’re a little off and there’s a little gap there between us and the top cars, but you know, (Crew Chief) John (Collins) and I and the team talk about where we’re making changes and try to get the car to close the gap. We’re still not exactly where we want to be. We’ll look back at the beginning of the year thinking our expectations are really high, but at the same time, we’re still jelling and getting everything fine-tuned. We want to go out there and be knocking them dead in all these rounds but it’s a long season and no one is really running away with it yet.”

TOP FUEL:

Leah Pruett, DSR Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Top Fuel Dragster  
(No. 7 Qualifier – 3.800 seconds at 312.13 mph) 

Round 1: (0093-second reaction time, 3.808 seconds at 315.27 mph) finishes second to No. 2 Steve Torrence (0.117/3.756/325.14) and defeated No. 10 Greg Carillo (0.106/4.107/223.21) and No.15 Cameron Ferre (0.183/4.143/225.97)

Round 2: (0.111/10.921/55.03) loss to No. 2 Steve Torrence (0.051/3.773/322.04), No. 3 Doug Kalitta (0.058/3.768/325.22) and No. 6 Shawn Langdon (0.056/8.558/88.61)

“This was a ‘when it rains, it pours’ weekend for our Mopar Dodge//SRT team this weekend at the Four-Wide Nationals. We had a mix of problems that grew and it put us behind after qualifying. Not being able to make full pulls in the 3.70s during qualifying really put us behind the competition, and we were trying to work on the tune-up on race day and we just didn’t quite have the Mopar hot rod that we thought we had coming in here this weekend. We have a plan for the chassis moving forward and we found we were down on power and we’ll work on that and figure it out the next few weeks before Atlanta. When you’re down on power, it affects all of the other parts of the car, and when you have limited runs with just three qualifying laps, all the small details make a difference. We’ll do a 180 and when the team is on, I’m on, and we’re looking forward to regaining our momentum at the very last Atlanta race.”

NHRA Championship Points Standings:
Following the Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Four Wide Nationals 

FUNNY CAR (season wins in parentheses)
1. Bob Tasca III – 187 (1)

2. J.R. Todd – 166 (1)
3. Robert Hight – 152

4. Ron Capps (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 139

5. Matt Hagan (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 129

5. Tim Wilkerson – 129
7.John Force – 118
8. Alexis DeJoria – 117
9. Cruz Pedregon (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 106
10. Chad Green  – 66

TOP FUEL (season wins in parentheses)
1. Steve Torrance – 184 (1)

2. Shawn Langdon – 149

3. Antron Brown – 145

4. Doug Kalitta – 128
5. Billy Torrence – 118

6. Josh Hart – 113 (1)
7. Leah Pruett (Mopar Dodge//SRT) – 105

7. Clay Millican – 105
9. Justin Ashley – 104
10. Brittany Force – 99

Mopar  

Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) offers exceptional service, parts and customer-care. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of antifreeze products, the Mopar brand has evolved over more than 80 years to represent both complete vehicle care and authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide.

Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era with performance parts to enhance speed and handling for both on-road and racing use. Later, the brand expanded to include technical service and customer support. Today, Mopar integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance customer and dealer support worldwide.

Complete information on the Mopar brand is available at www.mopar.com. Mopar is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com. 

Dodge//SRT

For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge shifts into high gear with muscle cars and SUVs that deliver unrivaled performance in each of the segments where they compete.

2021 marks the year that Dodge is distilled into a pure performance brand, offering Hellcat-powered, 700-plus-horsepower SRT versions of every model across the lineup. For the 2021 model year, Dodge delivers the drag-strip dominating 807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock, the new 797-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Redeye, the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world, and the new 710-horsepower Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, the most powerful SUV ever. Combined, these three muscle cars make Dodge the industry’s most powerful brand, offering more horsepower than any other American brand across its entire lineup.

In 2020, Dodge was named the “#1 Brand in Initial Quality,” making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS). The Dodge brand also ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market). These results are historic because it marks the first time a domestic brand has earned top spots in both J.D. Power studies in the same year.

Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.

DodgeGarage: Digital Hub for Drag Racing News

Fans can follow all the NHRA’s action this season at DodgeGarage, the one-stop portal for Dodge//SRT and Mopar drag-racing news. The site includes daily updates and access to an online racing HQ, news, events, galleries, available downloads, and merchandise. For more information, visit www.dodgegarage.com. 

LAS VEGAS, NV (April 18, 2021) — The ROKiT Bandero Premium Tequila Toyota Camry Funny Car team and driver Alexis DeJoria rolled into The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway looking to continue their high level of performance. At the end of the 21^st NHRA Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals DeJoria and the team knew they had a strong race car and positive momentum as the 2021 season got underway. 

DeJoria steadily improved throughout qualifying on Friday and Saturday. In the final session the ROKiT Bandero Premium Tequila Funny Car blasted to the top with a blistering 3.912 second pass that moved her to No. 1 with one quad left to run. DeJoria settled for the No. 3 qualifier position after Robert Hight and John Force improved to close out Funny Car qualifying. The strong effort extended the team’s streak of top five qualifying positions to seven races and counting.

Heading into the first round of race day facing three competitors in the first quad DeJoria was focused on a first round win.  As the drivers were staging Chad Green in the far right fourth lane had issues staging, ultimately timing out. DeJoria got to the stripe beside Tim Wilkerson and both drivers advanced to the second quad ahead of Terry Haddock. DeJoria’s advancing time of 3.950 seconds at 321.73 mph was a stout run for the first session.

In the second round the quad DeJoria and the ROKiT team faced was stacked with experience with the addition of world champions as Matt Hagan and John Force. All the race cars launched together and as DeJoria’s Camry Funny Car was charging her blower belt shredded as she approached half-track, robbing her race car of much needed power. The No. 3 qualifier was forced to watch Wilkerson and Hagan drive away from her.   

“We have a great race car. This ROKiT Bandero Premium Tequila Toyota Camry continues to do really well in qualifying and on race day,” said DeJoria. “I am so proud of this team. We lost a blower belt on that last run at about 400 feet. I was on a great run and who knows what could have happened. I love getting in this race car because I know this Camry Funny Car has a chance to go to the top of the field on qualifying or win rounds on Sunday. The last run we made on Saturday was awesome and we got a strong first round win today. This team is going to keep grinding. I know Del and Nicky are the best and we will be ready for Atlanta.”

DeJoria will take the quarterfinal finish and her standings as the No. 8 Funny Car in the Top Ten and turn her focus to the NHRA Southern Nationals in two weeks.

Qualifying Results

Q1: 4.089 sec, 264.49 mph; Qual. 9

Q2: 3.976 sec, 318.77 mph; Qual. 6

Q3: 3.912 sec, 321.04 mph; Qual. 3

Bonus Points: +1 (3^rd quickest of Q3)

Port Royal, PA (April 18, 2021) – Not even a brief rain shower early in the evening could halt Jonathan Davenport. The three-time Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion sprinted to his first series win of 2021, which came on Sunday Night at Port Royal Speedway in the River Valley 40. Davenport became the 10th different winner in the first 12 races this season on the LOLMDS tour and the first driver to win a race from the pole starting position. It was not an easy victory as Shane Clanton and Brandon Sheppard gave Davenport all he wanted for most of the 40 lap main event. Clanton got by Sheppard on a lap 21 restart, and closed in on the leader in the final laps. He finished just .475 seconds behind the Davenport. Chris Ferguson came home in fourth followed by Stormy Scott. In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the 51st time in his career Davenport explained his strategy in holding off Clanton in the final laps. “I don’t know if Clanton was easing in on me or what. I felt the top was dying and I did not think the bottom was where I needed to be. He was too close to take that chance, because I knew if he went to the top, he would get a big run and slide me. I just decided to move up and beat-up the wall so I could get a good run down the straightaways.” Clanton came up just short of the win, but was pleased with his finish. “My car was really good. I could have gone another 40 laps with the way the car ran tonight. We worked our tails off in the last week-and-a-half to get the car better. Hopefully we can keep this momentum up.” Sheppard rounded out the podium with his third-place finish. “Davenport has been really tough. Congratulations to him and Shane. It was a fun race. Thanks to the fans for coming out! We had a pretty good car. As bad of luck we have been having lately it is nice to get a top three here.” The winner’s Lance Landers Double L Motorsports Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Nutrien Ag Solutions, ASC Warranty, Bilstein Shocks, VP Fuels, Lucas Oil Products, Fatheadz Eyewear, and Midwest Sheet Metal. Completing the top ten were Gregg Satterlee, Josh Richards, Jimmy Owens, Tim  McCreadie, and Mike Marlar. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary River Valley 40Sunday, April 18, 2021Port Royal Speedway – Port Royal, PA Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Mike Marlar / 18.141 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Brandon Sheppard / 18.457 seconds  Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer):  1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[2]; 2. 157-Mike Marlar[1]; 3. 40B-Kyle Bronson[3]; 4. 39-Tim McCreadie[4]; 5. 71-Hudson O’Neal[6]; 6. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[5]; 7. 48-Colton Flinner[7]; 8. 0E-Rick Eckert[9]; 9. 66C-Matt Cosner[8]; 10. 15-Scott Flickinger[10]; 11. 17T-Tim Vance[11] Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 9-Devin Moran[2]; 2. 22F-Chris Ferguson[1]; 3. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[4]; 4. 1T-Tyler Erb[6]; 5. 20-Jimmy Owens[3]; 6. 72-Michael Norris[5]; 7. 2D-Dan Stone[7]; 8. 21C-Chad Myers[9]; 9. 1K-Pancho Lawler[10]; 10. 43A-Tyler Bare[8]; 11. (DNS) 4S-Danny Snyder Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[1]; 2. 2S-Stormy Scott[2]; 3. 14-Josh Richards[3]; 4. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[4]; 5. 20F-Trever Feathers[8]; 6. 2J-Jeff Rine[5]; 7. 24Y-Dylan Yoder[6]; 8. 72C-Jason Covert[7]; 9. C33-Chris Casner[10]; 10. 17-Nick Dickson[9]; 11. 3W-Tim Wilson[11] Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 25-Shane Clanton[1]; 2. 22-Gregg Satterlee[2]; 3. 7R-Ross Robinson[3]; 4. 76-Andy Haus[4]; 5. 4-Gary Stuhler[7]; 6. 32J-Shaun Jones[5]; 7. 1Z-Logan Zarin[6]; 8. 06-Mike Lupfer[8]; 9. 0G-Deshawn Gingerich[11]; 10. 69-Jon Hodgkiss[10]; 11. (DNS) 94M-Jason Miller LINE-X B-Main #1 Running Order (8 Laps to go Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 20-Jimmy Owens[2]; 2. 72-Michael Norris[4]; 3. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[3]; 4. 0E-Rick Eckert[7]; 5. 2D-Dan Stone[6]; 6. 71-Hudson O’Neal[1]; 7. 66C-Matt Cosner[9]; 8. 1K-Pancho Lawler[10]; 9. 15-Scott Flickinger[11]; 10. 17T-Tim Vance[13]; 11. 48-Colton Flinner[5]; 12. (DNS) 43A-Tyler Bare; 13. (DNS) 21C-Chad Myers; 14. (DNS) 4S-Danny Snyder UNOH B-Main #2 Line Up (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 2J-Jeff Rine[3]; 2. 20F-Trever Feathers[1]; 3. 4-Gary Stuhler[2]; 4. 24Y-Dylan Yoder[5]; 5. 32J-Shaun Jones[4]; 6. 72C-Jason Covert[7]; 7. C33-Chris Casner[9]; 8. 1Z-Logan Zarin[6]; 9. 3W-Tim Wilson[13]; 10. 0G-Deshawn Gingerich[10]; 11. 69-Jon Hodgkiss[12]; 12. 06-Mike Lupfer[8]; 13. (DNS) 17-Nick Dickson; 14. (DNS) 94M-Jason Miller

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION DENSO SPARK PLUGS NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS THE STRIP AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA POST-RACE RECAP APRIL 18, 2021                                                                                                Chevrolet holds the winning hand in four-wide format • Erica Enders records 30th Pro Stock victory in 300th race• Brittany Force registers 21st Top Fuel No. 1 qualifier• Robert Hight is No. 1 qualifier for 69th time in Funny Car
LAS VEGAS (April 18, 2021) – Pressure was on reigning National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Pro Stock champion Erica Enders entering the last of three qualifying sessions for the Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals.
Enders’ Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS experienced tire shake on her two previous runs and was on the wrong side of the qualifying bubble. A steady, conservative pass in the final session at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway put her 13th in the 16-car field for the four-wide format. 
She knew from experience that anything can happen on race day. And it did in an exceptionally positive way.
Enders, competing in her 300th Pro Stock race, picked up her 30th career Wally in the category by coming out on top in the final quad with a pass of 6.656 seconds at 205.88 mph. Aaron Stanfield was runner-up, Deric Kramer was third and Mason McGaha was fourth in their Camaros.
“I really want to give a big thank you to my guys. It is frustrating to go out there and shake your butt off both rounds (of qualifying). I came back and asked if I still had all my teeth,” said Enders, who clinched her fourth Pro Stock championship in November 2020 with a victory at The Strip. “They got down to business today and that’s all that matters. I’m so proud of my team and I love Las Vegas.”
It was Enders’ fifth victory at The Strip and first in the four-wide format at the racetrack.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused four-wide races in Las Vegas and Concord, North Carolina, to be canceled in 2020. The second four-wide event of the season is scheduled for May 14-16 at zMAX Dragway in Concord.
Greg Anderson, the No. 1 qualifier for the second event in a row, registered the low elapsed time of the event of 6.632 seconds in the first round in the Denso Chevrolet Camaro SS for hometown KB Racing. He placed third in the second round – losing out to Enders on holeshot — and did not transfer to the final. John Force Racing drivers qualified No. 1 in Top Fuel (Brittany Force) and 1-2 in Funny Car (Robert Hight and John Force), but none were able to advance to the final quad.
Brittany Force, the No. 1 Top Fuel qualifier for the 21st time in her career, posted the low elapsed time of the event at 3.722 seconds in the Fav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster in winning her first-round matchup. Force, who won at The Strip in the fall of 2019 and holds the track Top Fuel records, placed third in the second round.
Hight, runner-up in the season opener in Florida in the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS, and John Force in the PEAK/BlueDEF PLATINUM Camaro SS saw the same result in the second round of Funny Car eliminations. Hight, the top qualifier for the 69th time, is second to Force (160) on the all-time Funny Car list.
In a matchup of new and classic Chevrolet Camaros, Conner Statler drove a ’69 Camaro to victory over four-time Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series champion Greg Stanfield’s COPO Camaro in the final of Stock Eliminator as Stanfield fouled when he tripped the red light.
Chevrolet Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock drivers will all be in action April 30-May 2 at Atlanta Dragway for the Lucas Oil NHRA Southern Nationals.
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
TOP FUEL:
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, FLAV-R-PAC CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (No. 1 qualifier; fell in second round): “Overall, a good weekend for this Flav-R-Pac team. We qualified No. 1 and picked up point there. We ran consistent all weekend and unfortunately second round we got taken out. That’s four-wide racing for you. You have to keep your focus and I lost it for a short second and that was enough to end our day. We’re going home but we go to Atlanta next. 
FUNNY CAR:
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVORLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier; fell in second round): “It was a tough day for the Auto Club team. We looked really good all through qualifying and then had a problem in that first round but I’m proud of this team. All the guys worked really hard to get this car ready for the second round. Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham had this thing dialed in so I’m not worried and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do. We’ll go out and do some testing tomorrow and move on to the next one.”
JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK/BLUEDEF PLATINUM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 2 qualifier; fell in second round): “We did our job, we qualified good. We went some rounds, Robert (Hight) with Auto Club, myself with PEAK and BlueDEF PLATINUM and Brittany (Force) with Flav-R-Pac and Monster Energy. We didn’t get the win, almost got to the final but we had some breakage and that’s why you need sponsors. All my partners are really standing by me, Chevy, Cornwell Tools stepping up their sponsorship, Baldwin Filters and ParkerStore, you know and that what’s really important.”
PRO STOCK:
GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, DENSO SPARK PLUGS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier; fell in second round): “It was a great weekend until that run. We definitely made a mistake on that run. We underestimated the racetrack and paid the price for it by losing on a dead heat with Erica (Enders). You have to execute every single run to win these days. Unfortunately, in drag racing it’s sudden death. You don’t get a second chance. A lot of positives; I feel great about the race car. We made one small mistake and it bit us. The whole team had great cars all weekend and great chances to win.” 
KYLE KORETSKY, KB RACING, LUCAS OIL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 3 qualifier; fell in second round): “Being my first time in a four-wide I was pretty happy. Still real hard on myself because I wasn’t hitting the Tree like I should have been. Consistent, but consistently late. I’m still getting a feel for the car and the pace of the new car. We had a great qualifying, which just shows the KB guys have some real power.”
MASON MCGAHA, HARLOW SAMMONS RACING, HARLOW SAMMONS OF ODESSA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 10 qualifier; competing in 10th Pro Stock race; advanced to final round, finishing fourth): “Unfortunately, I took myself out of the race during the final with my red light. It was my race to lose. I was on the Tree all day and was feeling very confident. With every pass I am becoming more confident as a driver. It’s a routine and I think I’ve found it. I am learning the ins and out of the rest of the car, but as of right now, it’s my job to drive it and drive it well.”

April 18, 2021

A smooth, steady performance by Matt DiBenedetto and the Menards/Libman team in Sunday’s 400-lap Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway paved the way for a season-best ninth-place finish.

DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Libman Mustang lined up 16^th for the start of the 300-mile race on the three-quarter-mile Richmond track. He moved up initially to as high as 14^th but had dropped to 18^th at the end of Stage One, an 80-lap segment.

In the second Stage, a 155-lap run, the Menards/Libman crew ran several laps long on the first pit stop and were in third place when Ryan Newman spun to bring out the caution flag. 

DiBenedetto was able to bring the No. 21 Mustang to pit under caution, and restart in ninth place. He pitted earlier in the run on his second stop and was able to end that Stage in sixth place, earning five Stage points.

In the final 163 laps of the race, the Menards/Libman team was among the first to pit in each of the two cycles, and maintained a spot in the top 10 throughout.

When the race’s final caution flag flew with 20 laps remaining, DiBenedetto had just dropped out of the free pass position but was able to take the wave-around and hold ninth place until the checkered flag.

It was his sixth-straight finish of 16^th or better, and he and the Wood Brothers team jumped four spots in the points standings to 18^th.

“It was just a nice smooth day,” DiBenedetto said. “That was the most rewarding part of it, and getting some Stage points was big.”

He said the No. 21 Menards/Libman Mustang was driving well early on, even though he was unable to gain many positions at that point.

“I wasn’t complaining much at all at the first of the race,” he said. “We just needed track position. Once we caught a break with the caution flag and got some track position and got in the top 10, we had the car to run up there with no mistakes for the rest of the day.”

He said the Menards/Libman crew was spot-on all afternoon.

“They did a good job on the pit stops, getting all the lugs on and taking care of the important stuff,” he said.
 
DiBenedetto also was pleased to make another jump in the championship standings.
 
“It just shows the strength of our team, and it’s rewarding to finally get that top 10 and be climbing up there in the points, digging out of that hole and doing what I’ve known all along that we’re more than capable of as a team,” he said.
 
After a stretch of short-track racing, DiBenedetto and the Wood Brothers team now head to Talladega Superspeedway for next Sunday’s GEICO 500.
 

LAS VEGAS (April 18, 2021) – Coming into race day off of a strong qualifying performance at the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, all three John Force Racing hot rods narrowly missed a chance at the finals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway making second round exits on Sunday. Funny Car No. 1 qualifier Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevy ran into trouble in their first quad. Despite having a cylinder out and an explosion at the finish line, Hight ran a 3.980-second pass at 311.34 mph to finish second and move onto the second round behind J.R. Todd’s 3.955 pass at 319.37 mph. Hight beat out Cruz Pedregon’s 4.285 at 283.85 and Jonnie Lindberg’s 7.263 at 91.03. After thrashing between rounds, Hight handled the Auto Club Chevy to a 3.951-second pass at 318.24 mph to come in third in their quad and fall short of the final to Ron Capps’ 3.935 at 321.50 and eventual race winner Bob Tasca’s 3.934 at 331.77. Hight bettered J.R. Todd’s 3.983 at 319.29. “It was a tough day for the Auto Club team. We looked really good all through qualifying and then had a problem in that first round but I’m proud of this team,” said Hight who is now third in points. “All the guys worked really hard to get this car ready for the second round. Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham had this thing dialed in so I’m not worried and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do. We’ll go out and do some testing tomorrow and move on to the next one.” Top Fuel No. 1 qualifier Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac Top Fuel dragster team carried over their consistent improvement into race day winning their first-round quad with a stellar 3.722-second pass at a 330.80 mph that was quickest and fastest of the event. Force moved on with Antron Brown who had a 3.827 pass at 313.15 mph. The pair sent Justin Ashley home with a 3.899 at 268.22. In the second round, Force faced Billy Torrence, Antron Brown and Clay Millican. Billy Torrence left early causing some confusion on the starting line. Both Force and Millican left late. The Flav-R-Pac dragster ran 3.815-seconds at 315.27 mph after dropping a cylinder. Millican went 3.816 at 320.13 but got the win on a holeshot with his .139-second reaction time compared to Force’s .273. Brown won the quad with a 3.761 at 316.23. “Overall, a good weekend for this Flav-R-Pac team. We qualified No. 1 and picked up points there. We ran consistent all weekend and unfortunately second round we got taken out,” said Force who is now tenth in points. “That’s four-wide racing for you. You have to keep your focus and I lost it for a short second and that was enough to end our day. We’re going home but we go to Atlanta next.” John Force powered his PEAK / BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevy Camaro to an impressive 3.925-second pass at an event top speed of 332.02 mph to win his first-round quad. Matt Hagan followed Force with a 3.932 pass at 329.42 mph defeating Blake Alexander’s 3.958 at 320.97 and Chris Morel’s 4.200 at 294.24. The PEAK / BlueDEF Chevy dropped a cylinder down track in the second round of eliminations. It would only run 4.049-seconds at 304.60 mph to be third quickest, falling short of the final quad to Matt Hagan’s 3.927 at 325.06 and Tim Wilkerson’s 3.947 at 325.14. Force did perform better than Alexis DeJoria’s 4.257 at 220.30. “We did our job, we qualified good. We went some rounds, Robert with Auto Club, myself with PEAK and BlueDEF PLATINUM and Brittany with Flav-R-Pac and Monster Energy,” said Force who is now seventh in points. “We didn’t get the win, almost got to the final but we had some breakage and that’s why you need sponsors. All my partners are really standing by me, Chevy, Cornwell Tools stepping up their sponsorship, Baldwin Filters and ParkerStore, you know and that what’s really important.” After testing Monday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the John Force Racing trio will continue competition in the NHRA Camping World Series with the NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway April 30-May 2. It will be the final time the NHRA professional categories will race at the storied facility.

ALEX BOWMAN TRIUMPHS AT RICHMOND RACEWAY Team Chevy Takes 3 of the Top-10RICHMOND, VA – (April 18, 2021) – Alex Bowman earned his first victory of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) season behind the wheel of his No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE in impressive fashion by taking the lead in the last 10 laps of the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway. Bowman rallied back from an earlier pit road penalty and then powered past Denny Hamlin, who had been the dominate leader throughout the race. 
The feat marked Bowman’s first triumph at the .75-mile D-shaped oval, his third NCS career win, and secured him a spot in the NCS Playoff for a chance to compete for the 2021 championship title. The 27-year-old driver gave Team Chevy its 39th victory at Richmond Raceway, the 798th all-time win in NASCAR’s premier division, and the third of the 2021 season for Camaro ZL1 1LE. Bowman’s victory also celebrates the 266th NCS win for car owner, Rick Hendrick, and Hendrick Motorsports. Bowman’s teammate, William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 1LE, finished seventh in the race; and Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon, aboard the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, was 10th to give Chevrolet three of the Top-10 overall. Rounding out the Top 5 finishers were Denny Hamlin (Toyota) in second, Joey Logano (Ford) third, Christopher Bell (Toyota) fourth, and Martin Truex, Jr. (Toyota) was fifth.  The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series continues with race 10 of the season, the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, on Sunday, April 25. FOX will telecast the race live at 2 p.m. ET. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE, PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
THE MODERATOR: We are joined by our race winner Alex Bowman. We’ll get right into questions for Alex. Q.Do you find any poetry in Jimmie making his first INDYCAR start in the 48 car and you getting the win here today?ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, it’s really cool. There are so many different things going on right now, I almost didn’t even remember that it’s my first win in the 48, getting a 48 back in Victory Lane.No, it’s really special for a lot of reasons, just to win for Ally, to get the 48 back in Victory Lane. Obviously really emotional, losing Rowdy and Blakley this off-season. It’s been a lot. Obviously, Jimmie making his INDYCAR debut today, really cool. It’s probably over by now. Somebody fill me in on how he did, how eventful it was or wasn’t for him. Really, really cool. Q.I think he finished 19th. He spun out early, got stalled, then got back going.ALEX BOWMAN: Nice. Q.It was emotional for you after the race. Can you tell me a little bit about your relationship with Rowdy, how hard this off-season really was for you and your team?ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, I mean, our group has a lot of personalities, a lot of awkward people, I guess. Greg and myself are a bit awkward. We have some normal personalities. Rowdy was that big, outgoing personality that really kept the group pumped up in any situation, really held us all together. He was always happy, no matter what the circumstance was. He meant a ton to our race team. He’s probably the first guy when I filled in in the 88 back in the day to really make me feel super welcome, feel like he had my back. He was just a huge part of our team. Q.Alex, you have had speed at times this year, but kind of been an up-and-down year in terms of putting together clean races. As the season moved along, did it start to creep into your mind that you didn’t have a win, some guys got wins that you didn’t think were going to do it, desperate, but maybe feeling a little bit that way?ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, somewhat. I think Bristol, we were probably good enough to win; broke fourth gear. Martinsville, probably good enough to win; we had some issues there. I feel like we’ve been capable, had race cars capable. Just haven’t put all the parts and pieces together, like you said.We weren’t in a great place with points, but now we’ve got a win and we don’t have to worry about that. I wouldn’t say we were desperate. I feel like we’ve had such fast race cars that we knew we were capable of doing a good job, getting into the Playoffs. This definitely eases the nerves a little bit. Q.Can you take me through the restart, what you were thinking, if it went the way you thought it was going to go.ALEX BOWMAN: Did not go the way I thought it was going to go. We were pretty awful on short runs all day. To be honest with you, a caution came out, I was like, Man, we’re going to struggle to get out of here with a top five. Felt like we had such an amazing long run car, but really struggled on the short runs.We took off. My strong suit all day was being able to get into the corner really deep. I was able to get in deep, aside Denny. I knew I had the preferred lane, could probably clear him. I kind of figured he would get right back to me and be faster than us. When we drove away, I was like, Oh, my gosh, what’s happening? We had some really fast laps there. I was super loose the last couple laps. I did my best to get it back away. We just really improved the race car there, had a lot of grip taken off. Q.Do you know what Greg did to the car?ALEX BOWMAN: I don’t have a clue. I didn’t see a wedge wrench go in it, so I would say air pressure stuff. Which is typically your go-to for short run versus long run stuff. It sure woke it up, that’s for sure. Q.You obviously have proven yourself in the Cup Series by winning a couple times. How much does this win mean to you in terms of taking over this ride and working with Ally who have made such a big investment in you and Hendrick Motorsports?ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, it means a lot to get Ally a win, get the 48 back where it belongs. It’s been a rough start to the year. Ally has been super committed. J.B. and Andrea and everybody else over there have been amazing to work with. We talk a lot. They are so committed to this program. They do so much for us.So cool to get them a win. It means the world to me. Just very appreciative for them to have faith in me, to give me this opportunity. Q.With you and two of your teammates already with wins fairly early in the season, how do you think that will help set you up for the Playoffs?ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, I mean, I think I was confident about the Playoffs. Obviously, this helps. This is a really important racetrack for the Playoffs. Short tracks are really important for the Playoffs. We’ve been really strong at the short tracks lately. Knowing kind of what we need to put ourselves in position to win these races, when we come back, is super important. The 9 is going to win super soon. It’s really great to see all four teams being so successful at HMS. A great group of guys. I really enjoy working with William, Kyle, and Chase. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s just cool to be a part of it. Q.Denny said he’d rather be where he is at this point in the season without a win, because he’s smashing everybody, his words, rather than where you are right now with a win because I think he feels like he’s just running well. Would you feel the same way? Would you trade places with him at this point or do you like where you’re at?ALEX BOWMAN: I mean, I feel like lately we’ve been really, really fast each and everywhere we’ve gone. Atlanta, we ran third. Bristol, we’re the best car, break a transmission. Go to Martinsville, the 12 was probably the best car, but we were probably the second-best car. We have our issue there.Pretty happy with where we’re at right now. We’re going to a lot of places that statistically I’ve struggled at, like Martinsville and here, and running really, really well. I think when we get to the places that I feel like we’re actually good at, it’s going to be really, really good. Q.What will your approach be moving forward? Now that you have a win, do you go for as many wins as possible or see what happens? What’s your approach?ALEX BOWMAN: We go to the racetrack every week to win. We’ve gone for every win as long as I’ve been driving these things. There’s never a sit back and relax mode at Hendrick Motorsports. We’re expected to race for wins. All of our partners want us to go out and win. That’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to win a lot of races this year hopefully. I feel like I have a great group of guys behind me to be able to make that happen. Q.What would a superspeedway win at Talladega mean to you?ALEX BOWMAN: That would be pretty special. Not really for any reason aside from the fact that it’s Rowdy’s home track. Winning means a lot to get our car in Victory Lane, we miss him and Blakley a lot. Going to his home track, we’re able to win there, I know that would mean the world to him. We’re going to try our best to make it happen. Q.I consider you sort of a short track guy or a guy that came from short track beginnings. Why are you surprised to win at a short track?ALEX BOWMAN: Not necessarily because it’s a short track. Just because it’s Richmond. We’ve had some pretty painful days here in the past. Really, really struggled. Felt like we got a little better last fall. We had a solid top 10 day. Definitely didn’t feel like we were in contention for a win then. To have one of the best race cars all day, overcome as much as we did, be able to go win on a restart against the guy that’s probably the best in the garage area here, is pretty special. It’s definitely surprising. We were bad on short runs, then we just won the race on a short run. Surprised for a lot of reasons. But happy to have that surprise. Q.Do you think it’s the way that you and Greg and everybody have come together? You’ve had plenty of time to get used to each other. Just seemed like with the kind of relationship and how you all have pulled together that things are just starting to happen on the positive again.ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, for sure. I mean, I think we ended last season super strong. We had one of the best Playoff runs of anybody. We just didn’t have a big group of Playoff points to lean on to make that Round of 4. We started this year a little rough, but had fast race cars.Greg has a tall task when it comes to here in Martinsville specifically. I kind of drive the racetrack wrong. I can’t figure out how to force myself not to. So, he has to make a race car do a lot, do some things that aren’t really normal for this place. Instead of telling me, Hey, you need to do this different, you need to drive different. He just goes to work on making the race car do what I ask of it. It’s really paying off here lately. Q.Do you have an update on a new nickname? I know you don’t like ‘Showman’ that much. More importantly, what kind of confidence or what did you learn from this race as a team that helps out when you know you’ve struggled at tracks like Phoenix and Martinsville in the past?ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, for sure, I don’t know on a nickname. I think I’m kind of stuck with it unfortunately.Really confident going to places that maybe I haven’t been good at in the past that Greg has really figured out what I need in the race car, putting a race car under me that’s going to give me what I need to succeed.Martinsville was a place that I struggled at. We were really fast last week. Obviously really fast today, as well. I think Greg and I are clicking really well. Just really confident in Greg’s ability to give me what I need.
Q.It’s been since 2008 that Hendrick Motorsports has been in Victory Lane at Richmond. Do you remember where you were last time they were in Victory Lane, what you were doing?ALEX BOWMAN: 2008? Man, I was 15. I was running USAC Focus Midgets. I don’t know where, but probably racing somewhere. It’s really neat. This is a place that as a company we’ve struggled at for a while. To be able to come here and get a win is really cool. Q.Looking ahead to next week, Talladega. Spring race at Talladega has been your stronger race of the two. Will you sleep a little bit better this week or is there always a little anxiety heading to Talladega?ALEX BOWMAN: Yeah, nobody sleeps well going to Talladega. There’s a high probability of hitting stuff really hard (laughter). That’s just part of this race week. Superspeedways, we like to tear some stuff up. I think I made 12 laps at the Daytona 500 this year. Not going to sleep any better since we have a win, but at least we won’t have to hit the panic button because of points. THE MODERATOR: Alex, thank you for taking some time with us. Congratulations on the win. We will see you next week. ALEX BOWMAN: Thanks, guys. Have a good one. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

Solid Top-10 Finish for Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Richmond Raceway

10th

11th

12th

“A top-10 at Richmond Raceway in the No. 3 Chevrolet. We’ll take it! I tried to pass the No. 21 for ninth at the end of the race but the right-front stopped working. Overall, it was a decent day. We were just too late getting our Chevy where we needed it. The biggest issue we faced was a loose-handling condition and needing more turn through the corner. Once Justin Alexander and the team figured out what the No. 3 needed, it was much faster. We just ran out of laps. We know for next time, though.” -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick and No. 8 Cat #WhatPowersYou Chevy Team Fight Through Handling Challenges at Richmond Raceway

20th

13th

22nd

“We tried a lot of different things with our No. 8 Cat #WhatPowersYou Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE today to try to get the handling to where it needed to be and made some small gains throughout the race. It just seemed like we were a tiny bit off from what we had last year during our one visit to Richmond Raceway, so we’ll definitely be studying this one closely to be better when we come back in the fall. I was just a little too tight almost all day and then too loose in the final stage, which didn’t let me charge through the corners like I wanted. Richmond Raceway is a tough place to figure out in a Cup car, especially with it being just my second Cup start here, but I learned a lot. We’ll be ready when we come back here in September.” -Tyler Reddick

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES INDY GP OF ALABAMA – APRIL 17-18 BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK LEEDS. ALABAMA RACE RECAP APRIL 18, 2021
SOLID OPENING RACE FOR CHEVROLET IN 2021 NTT INDYCAR SEASON

• Four Chevy Powered Drivers score top-six finishes
• Will Power finished in runner-up position to claim podium spot 
• Pole winner Pato O’Ward finished fourth, Sebastien Bourdais scored the fifth spot and Rinus VeeKay finished sixth
• Chase for the Chambpionship begins in very competitive field

 BIRMINGHAM (APRIL 18,2021) – It was a beautiful day at Barber Motorsports Park for 24 NTT INDYCAR Series race cars to take the green flag to start the opening race of the 2021season.
Pole winner Pato O’Ward. No.5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, led the field to turn one solidly in the lead, but a multi-car crash in a few turns later jumbled the field and strategies. Chevy drivers Josef Newgarden, Felex Rosenqvist and Max Chilton sustained heavy damage in the melee.
Rosenqvist, No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevy and Chilton, No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet were able to make repairs and return to gather points. Newgarden’s, No.2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, day was done.
Former Series’ champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Will Power and his No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet team executed an outstanding race. Methodically he drove his way up to the runner-up step on the podium.
O’Ward led for 25 laps, but strategies that were varied by the crash. He turned fast and consistent laps, but after each of his three pit stops, he was mired deep in the field. He battled is way to fourth at the finish.  Four-time champion Sebastien Bourdais, No. 4 ROKIT Chevrolet finished fifth, and Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax Ed Carpenter Racing finished sixth. Up next is the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on April 24-25, 2021. TEAM CHEVY FINISHERS:2^nd               Will Power4^th                Pato O’Ward5^th                 Sebastien Bourdais6^th                 Rinus VeeKay 14^th              Scott McLaughlin16^th              Conor Daly18^th               Dalton Kellett20^th              Max Chilton21^st               Felix Rosenqvist23^rd               Josef Newgarden DRIVER QUOTESWILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON 5G TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – FINISHED 2ND:“YOU PUT UP A GOOD FIGHT. YOU HAD A LOT MORE PUSH TO PASS LEFT THAN ALEX PALOU. WHAT MORE, IF ANYTHING, COULD YOU HAVE DONE THERE IN THOSE CLOSING LAPS?“Yeah, I made one little mistake. Yes, you’re right. With the amount of push to pass I had left, it could have been pretty good. I did have to save some fuel, so I had enough to be able to use push to pass for the last two laps. But it just blew my mind how fast Alex was in that first stint. I had absolutely nothing for him. He just pulled away. So, I figured he was doing a three-stop race because I was getting the best lap time I could for the fuel number. But we got the Verizon 5G car on the podium. We’ve had a pretty bad start to the year the last four years, so it’s awesome to get a really good start to the season.” SINCE THERE ARE FOUR RACES IN JUST A MATTER OF THREE WEEKS, WHAT DOES THIS DO FOR THE TEAM TO START OFF SO STRONGLY?“Yeah, it’s great. It’s great. I said to the guys if we do this week in and week out, just solid races with no mistakes, I promise you we will absolutely have a great chance at winning the championship.” PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET – FINISHED 4THWHAT’S YOUR TAKEAWAY FROM THE RACE THIS AFTERNOON?“Track position was everything today. I feel like we executed on what we went for, strategy-wise. Unfortunately, it was the wrong one. But I’ve got to give it to these guys. We were the fastest car on track today. We’ve been the fastest car all weekend in terms of qualifying and pace; and we’re ready for St. Pete. We got good points here. I would have loved to get the win, but we’ve got another shot next weekend and we’re going to be going for it. I just want to thank Arrow Electronics, Arrow McLaren SP, Team Chevy; these guys have been on it. I’m one hundred percent sure that when St. Pete comes in a few days, we’ll be ready to give it our all.” SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS, NO. 4 ROKIT AJ RACING CHEVROLET, FINIDHED 5^TH“Really good run today for the No. 14 ROKIT Chevrolet for AJ Foyt Racing. A very solid day, a very solid race. Good strategies and good pit stops. And good pace. Really happy for the whole team. We overcame a dodgy day starting 16^th. Put on a good show and put on a show. Passed a lot of cars. I’m really happy for everybody and looking forward to. St. Pete.” RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 SONAX ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 6^TH: “Crazy race here at Barber. G. ot in a lot of trouble on the first lap. Got a flat tire and went all the way to the back. But the team was awesome at strategies. The car was awesome. I felt awesome. We had a great race coming back to P6.So close to the top-five but awesome recovery. All I could wish for. This is the start of an awesome season – so happy me.”`  JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE – SIDELINED IN MULTI-CAR CRASH ON LAP 1“I got loose coming over the hill. It was a good start. We were lining in pretty nicely, but I just got loose in the wake. I thought I had the car and then touched the grass and I think once I touched the grass it pitched me sideways. I feel really bad for anyone that got involved in that. Obviously, my mess created a bigger mess. Any of the cars that got involved, I’m real sorry because it was obviously us that tipped it off. It’s a shame. I feel like we had a really good car. We just needed to file-in there at the start. We partially did that but yeah. Wudda, shudda, cudda I guess for Hitachi and Chevrolet. But we’ll come back. We’ve just got to bounce back at the next one.”
ARE YOU OKAY AND WHAT HAPPENED“Yes, I’m okay. I wanted to just get rolling. I felt like we had so much potential. We had a really good car underneath us and the team worked really hard and was ready to show that. I made a mistake. I got loose in traffic coming up the hill. I haven’t been loose like that at the start of a race here (Barber Motorsports Park). So just feel bad for causing a big wreck and anyone who was involved because of me. It’s tough to have a mistake like that. But thanks to our partners Hitachi, Chevrolet and everyone else, Just disappointed we couldn’t make something of it today.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES RICHMOND RACEWAY TOYOTA OWNERS 400 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES APRIL 18, 2021

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER1st      ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE 7th      WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE10th    AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE 12th    CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE13th    KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 TUBI TV CAMARO ZL1 1LE  TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Alex Bowman (Chevrolet)2nd     Denny Hamlin (Toyota)3rd      Joey Logano (Ford)4th      Christopher Bell (Toyota)5th      Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)
The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at Talladega Superspeedway for the GEICO 500 on Sunday, April 25, at 2 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES: ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Race Winner QuoteLAST WEEK, ALEX BOWMAN WAS ONE OF THE FASTEST CARS AND IT ENDED IN HEARTBREAK FOR YOU GUYS. YOU COME BACK AND YOU SEAL THE DEAL TODAY, AFTER OVERCOMING A PIT ROAD PENALTY. HOW DID YOU GUYS OVERCOME THAT?“We just had a great race car; it’s as simple as that. Greg Ives (Crew Chief) and all the guys, they have to deal with me at short tracks and I drive these places really wrong. We kind of instead of trying to make me figure it out, we went to work on getting the race car where I needed it to be. Greg has done such an amazing job at making that happen.”“First and foremost, got to thank Ally and Chevrolet; everyone at Hendrick Motorsports. This one is for Rowdy and his family. Miss him and Blakley every day. Just means the world to be able to win for Ally. It’s definitely emotional, obviously, with how hard the off-season was on us. Appreciative for the opportunity and we have more races to win this year.” HE’S TALKING ABOUT HIS PIT CREW MEMBER THAT LOST HIS LIFE IN THE OFF-SEASON. LET’S GO BACK TO THE END OF THIS RACE. YOU’RE BATTLING TWO GUYS THAT, COMBINED, HAVE WON IT FIVE TIMES. WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND AT THAT MOMENT?“To be honest with you, we were terrible on short runs. We restarted third and I’m like man, if we get out of here with a solid top-five, we’ll be good. We’ve overcome a lot today. I don’t know if Greg pumped the pressures way up or what he did, but that’s more grip than I’ve ever had in a race car at Richmond and it worked out really well. Getting to race a guy like Denny (Hamlin) at a place that this is really cool. I feel like we raced each other really clean, so I’m appreciative of that. It means a lot.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 7th“It was a good day for us. We ran in the top-10 all day; sometimes top-five. Definitely were searching for more there at the end, but to come home seventh at a track that I’ve struggled at is good for us. We definitely know what we need to work on to get better. This is not a race that we had circled to do well, so it’s good to finish top-10 again and keep that streak alive.”
“Congrats to Alex (Bowman) and the No. 48 team. They did a great job there at the end of the race to get their car to take off. That was pretty awesome. We’ll go onto Talladega (Superspeedway) and try to win that one.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 10th “Solid day for our No. 3 Chevrolet team. I thought we had something taking off today. I felt like we were pretty good; drove up into sixth or seventh. We never really were as good as we were the last time we were here. Just couldn’t get that adjustment that really would make us go any better than we were before; just kind of a top-10 place car all day. At one point, we were way worse than that. Justin (Alexander, Crew Chief) did a good job making adjustments and the guys in the pits were solid. Can’t thank all the team at RCR and the No. 3 guys enough; working hard and putting in the effort. Tenth, for a battle, was good. We wanted more, but we’ll take a top-10.”  ERIK JONES, NO. 43 MEDALLION BANK CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 19th “It was an up-and-down day for the No. 43 Medallion Bank Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. We started too tight and could not really do what we needed to do with our Chevrolet Camaro. We got it better as the day went, especially towards the end of the race. We started to really get some good speed and gain some track position. Just got too far behind, got caught on pit road when the caution flag came out, lost a lap early and could not get it back where we needed it to be. We will take a top-20 finish. We got some good notes and we will move on.”
TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CAT #WHATPOWERSYOU CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 20th“We tried a lot of different things with our No. 8 Cat #WhatPowersYou Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE today to try to get the handling to where it needed to be and made some small gains throughout the race. It just seemed like we were a tiny bit off from what we had last year during our one visit to Richmond Raceway, so we’ll definitely be studying this one closely to be better when we come back in the fall. I was just a little too tight almost all day and then too loose in the final stage, which didn’t let me charge through the corners like I wanted. Richmond Raceway is a tough place to figure out in a Cup car, especially with it being just my second Cup start here, but I learned a lot. We’ll be ready when we come back here in September.”

Alex Palou scores first NTT INDYCAR SERIES win at Barber Motorsports Park
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing win Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola
Jeff Procter, Honda Off-Road Racing Team score win in San Felipe 250

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (April 18, 2021) – Alex Palou completed a “Hat Trick” of international racing victories for Honda today by claiming his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory at the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama.

Palou’s win at Barber Motorsports Park completed the weekend sweep for Honda, which included wins by Max Verstappen in his Red Bull Racing Honda in the Formula One race at Imola, Italy; and the Jeff Procter-led Honda Off-Road Racing Team claiming the Class 7 victory in the SCORE International San Felipe 250 in Baja, Mexico.

Starting third in today’s season-opening, 90-lap contest, Palou was flawless in claiming victory in just his 15th INDYCAR start, and his first with Chip Ganassi Racing. At the checkers, Palou held off former series champion Will Power by four-tenths of a second to claim the win, with his Ganassi teammate and defending series champion Scott Dixon, third.

Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Results
1st Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
3rd Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
7th Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
8th Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
9th Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda
10th Romain Grosjean-R Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
11th Jack Harvey Meyer Shank Racing Honda
13th Takuma Sato Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
15th Ed Jones Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Honda
19th Jimmie Johnson-R Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
17th James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport Honda
22nd Colton Herta Andretti Autosport Honda
24th Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Honda

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship (unofficial, after 1 of 17 rounds)
Honda 90 pts
Chevrolet 73

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Drivers’ Championship (unofficial, after 1 of 17 rounds)

1. Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 53 pts.
2. Will Power, Team Penske Chevrolet 41
3. Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 35
4. Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet 34
5. Sebastien Bourdais, A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet 31

Quotes
Alex Palou (Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) started 3rd, finished 1st, first career NTT INDYCAR SERIES win in his 15th race start. “We knew we’re with the best team, and had a great car today. So we knew a win was possible. Everyone on the team did an amazing job. The team was telling me on the radio ‘keep doing what you’re doing’. It was one of those days when everything went well. We had good fuel mileage, good tire management and good pace. This team is amazing. Honda gave us a great engine. Honda and Chip Ganassi Racing, what else can I ask for?”

Romain Grosjean (Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda) started 7th, finished 10th in his INDYCAR debut, top rookie race finish: “What a day! My first race in INDYCAR, and my first top-10 result. We can be very happy with that. We fought for a long time with the top four, and we did our best. There’s a lot that we learned today, so we’ll move on to St. Pete and keep working to improve. I still need to get used to rolling starts [as used in INDYCAR, Formula One uses a standing start], but it was a lot of fun!”

David Salters (President, Honda Performance Development) on today’s season-opening Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama: “It was a good day for Honda Power here in Alabama. A big ‘thank you’ to the amazing team at HPD, who worked tirelessly to provide the best possible performance for our teams. It was particularly rewarding to see our colleagues here from Alabama, who manufacturer rugged vehicles such as the Pilot, Passport and HPD Ridgeline. A big thanks to our teams, who all raced well, and a big hug to race winner Alex Palou, who drove simply outstanding all day to record his first INDYCAR victory. We all extremely proud to represent Honda in what was a great weekend of racing for the company.”

Fast Facts
Honda takes the initial lead in the 2021 INDYCAR Manufacturers’ Championship with an unofficial total of 90 points to 73 for rival Chevrolet. Honda is seeking the company’s fourth consecutive NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship in 2021.
Alex Palou also takes the early-season lead in the Drivers’ Championship standings, with 53 points to 41 for Team Penske’s Will Power. Palou’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, defending and six-time INDYCAR champion Scott Dixon, is third with 35 points.
Seven wins in 2020 brought Honda the company’s ninth INDYCAR Manufacturers’ Championship, and third consecutive title, with Honda driver Scott Dixon prevailing to win his sixth Drivers’ Championship, highest among all active drivers in the series.

Next
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES now heads southeast to Florida for next weekend’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, April 23-25.

Honda Racing social media content and video links from Barber Motorsports Park can be found on Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd), Twitter (twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD). Additional features and long-form videos can be found on the Honda Racing/HPD YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV).

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Race Winner Quote LAST WEEK, ALEX BOWMAN WAS ONE OF THE FASTEST CARS AND IT ENDED IN HEARTBREAK FOR YOU GUYS. YOU COME BACK AND YOU SEAL THE DEAL TODAY, AFTER OVERCOMING A PIT ROAD PENALTY. HOW DID YOU GUYS OVERCOME THAT?“We just had a great race car; it’s as simple as that. Greg Ives (Crew Chief) and all the guys, they have to deal with me at short tracks and I drive these places really wrong. We kind of instead of trying to make me figure it out, we went to work on getting the race car where I needed it to be. Greg has done such an amazing job at making that happen.”
“First and foremost, got to thank Ally and Chevrolet; everyone at Hendrick Motorsports. This one is for Rowdy and his family. Miss him and Blakley every day. Just means the world to be able to win for Ally. It’s definitely emotional, obviously, with how hard the off-season was on us. Appreciative for the opportunity and we have more races to win this year.” HE’S TALKING ABOUT HIS PIT CREW MEMBER THAT LOST HIS LIFE IN THE OFF-SEASON. LET’S GO BACK TO THE END OF THIS RACE. YOU’RE BATTLING TWO GUYS THAT, COMBINED, HAVE WON IT FIVE TIMES. WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND AT THAT MOMENT?“To be honest with you, we were terrible on short runs. We restarted third and I’m like man, if we get out of here with a solid top-five, we’ll be good. We’ve overcome a lot today. I don’t know if Greg pumped the pressures way up or what he did, but that’s more grip than I’ve ever had in a race car at Richmond and it worked out really well. Getting to race a guy like Denny (Hamlin) at a place that this is really cool. I feel like we raced each other really clean, so I’m appreciative of that. It means a lot.”

Series Champions Discuss This Weekend’s Bristol Throwdown

BRISTOL, TN – April 18, 2021 – There’s Eldora, Knoxville, Williams Grove, Port Royal, Bulls Gap, and many more, but nothing is quite like Bristol Motor Speedway.

For the first time in 20 years, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series is returning to race at The Last Great Colosseum, and it all goes down this weekend with the Bristol Throwdown on Thursday to Saturday, April 22-24. Fan can BUY TICKETS HERE.

Before the highly-anticipated show kicks off on Thursday night with an evening of practice, we heard from two World of Outlaws champions on what they’re expecting. Here’s what Donny Schatz and Brad Sweet had to say…

“I was a lot younger back then,” Schatz said. “I remember the atmosphere was just incredible. Being inside a stadium like that, the colosseum is an accurate name. I had never seen so many people at a dirt race in my life. It’s hard to put into words what the banking and the speed looks like until you see it with your own two eyes; the camera does it no justice.”

While Schatz is a World of Outlaws winner on the Bristol half-mile, Sweet will be making his first laps in a Sprint Car.

“It’s exciting from a standpoint that we never get to race in venues quite that large,” Sweet mentioned. “You also feel like you’re going to see a huge crowd due to the anticipation of waiting 20 years. On the drivers side, it’s a bigger, more banked half-mile so you’re a little nervous. Once we get there and practice, we’ll feel good about it hopefully.”

When asked for comparisons to the Tennessee speed plant, both focused on Eldora, but offered up another analogy as well.

“Eldora is probably the closest comparison, or Bulls Gap in Tennessee has some massive banking as well,” Schatz offered. Sweet concurred: “Eldora has pretty good banking and it’s obviously fast, but Port Royal up in Pennsylvania has similar type length of straightaway. But as far as length, banking, and unknowns of red dirt, this will be a different animal.”

One of the most talked about subjects of Sprint Cars at Bristol is the raw speed. Schatz weighed in on that.

“Sprint Cars are a lot more notorious for the overall average speed,” Schatz noted. “I think the average was like 151 MPH, but that was 20 years ago and now we have better motors, better shocks, and everything is better in today’s age. I don’t think there’s any question that the speeds are gonna be up there. If I remember right the top speed on straightaways was like 168 MPH last time.”

For Sweet, he’s had the benefit of leaning on his brother-in-law Kyle Larson. He’s raced both Late Models and NASCAR on the dirt half-mile, and will make his season-debut with the World of Outlaws this weekend.

“I’ve been talking to Kyle [Larson] a good bit,” Sweet said. “He kind of made us all feel a little bit better going into it. He said once the track slicks up, it feels a lot more like a normal race track. That was reassuring.”

Practice is something the World of Outlaws don’t see often, so they’re taking advantage of Thursday’s session.

“Obviously we’ll use Thursday as an important practice day,” Schatz agreed. “We’ll have plenty of things to change be it aero, durability, engine, and a lot of other things to fine tune. The tire situation is also going to be crucial. All we can do is make a determination from there. We can’t speculate how it’s going to race until we actually hit the track.”

Sweet agreed the practice day is something new, but something appreciated.

“This is what we do for a living,” Sweet insisted. “We do this night-in and night-out. We don’t know the speeds we’re up against, though, and how the parts, tires, etc. will withstand it. Normally, we’ve got hot laps, qualifying, and we’re racing. The practice day will hopefully give us more time to process everything. We’re bringing our strongest, most durable stuff.”

With last week’s rain out, Bristol Motor Speedway could be the site of Schatz’s 300th career World of Outlaws win.

“The bigger tracks do seem to be more suiting to our situation and where we’re at right now,” Schatz  mentioned on the half-miles. “I just want to get over that hump. I know a lot of our partners at Sage Fruit, Ford Performance, Carquest, Advanced Auto Parts, and more are going to be there. I would love to get it done with them in attendance.”

For Sweet, a five-time winner in 2021, he knows the competition will be as stout as ever at Bristol.

“I know he’s having a down year, but I always regard Donny as my toughest competition,” Sweet said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys that are getting better like Logan Schuchart, he’s been unreal on the half-miles the past few years. Sheldon Haudenschild has been much more consistent and developed a lot as a driver. You’ve got David Gravel, Carson Macedo, Aaron Reutzel, and so many more. Plus Kyle Larson will be with us this weekend, and all of the other outsiders. I feel like this Series is as strong as ever.

This week’s festivals at Bristol include practice night on Thursday, a $10,000-to-win program on Friday, and a $25,000-to-win finale on Saturday. Fans can BUY TICKETS HERE to this can’t miss event.

Fans unable to make it to the track can watch all of the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.

Hagerstown, MD (April 17, 2021) – Tim McCreadie became the ninth different winner of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series this season. He made a dramatic last lap pass on Ricky Thornton Jr. to win the Red Nininger Tribute Race on Saturday Night at Hagerstown Speedway. McCreadie crossed the line .424 seconds ahead of Thornton, who suffered the heartbreak of leading 49 of 50 laps only to come up short of his second LOLMDS win of the season. Jonathan Davenport, who started 16th charged the field to finish in third. Gregg Satterlee finished fourth and Tyler Erb rounded out the top five. Thornton grabbed the lead at the start of the race with McCreadie in second. The first 26 laps of the race went caution-free. Just as the leaders were starting to race in heavy traffic, fourth place running Matt Cosner slowed on the frontstretch with smoke billowing out of his car. Late in the race, the lead dwindled for Thornton. McCreadie dove to the inside heading into turn one on the bottom and fired better than Thrornton off of turn two for the pass, for a thrilling victory. In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the 23rd time in his career, McCreadie also became the 12th different winner in 13 appearances at Hagerstown. “I had nothing to lose on that last lap and rolled the dice to go for the win. I am sure Ricky feels terrible. He probably had a better car and he didn’t have to move that much. I had to spend a lot of the race diving into this corner and that. Another lap and it might have been all three of us reversed and JD might have won.” Thornton finished second in his debut at the half-mile speedplant. “I could hear him [McCreadie] more than anything. I kind of screwed up a little bit, and I got too close to Devin [Moran]. It’s just part of the growing process as a driver. Congrats to Tim! It’s tough to lose on the last lap, but we have got really good equipment. This is a three-year old car that Hudson [O’Neal] drove.” Davenport came into the night on a 2-race win streak but came home in third. “They had a little harder left rear tires on than we did. Once we got rolling there it made me lose at the end. I tried to roll the outside and my tire just got overheated. I probably needed a caution with about ten to go.” The winner’s Donald and Gena Bradsher/Paylor Motorsports Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and is sponsored by Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas, Bilstein Shocks, New Point Lighting and Design, D&E Marine, Racing for Heroes, and The Aesthetic Haus.  Completing the top ten were Josh Richards, Tyler Bare, Chris Ferguson, Kyle Bronson, and Hudson O’Neal. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Nininger TributeSaturday, April 17, 2021Hagerstown Speedway – Hagerstown, MD Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Kyle Larson / 17.680 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Shane Clanton / 17.700 seconds  Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 24-Dylan Yoder[3]; 2. 20-Jimmy Owens[4]; 3. 14-Josh Richards[5]; 4. 22F-Chris Ferguson[2]; 5. 71-Hudson O’Neal[7]; 6. 40B-Kyle Bronson[9]; 7. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[6]; 8. 32-Travis Stickley[10]; 9. 94M-Jason Miller[8]; 10. 112-Brandon Little[11]; 11. (DNS) 6-Kyle Larson Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 22-Gregg Satterlee[2]; 2. 66C-Matt Cosner[1]; 3. 2D-Dan Stone[4]; 4. 43A-Tyler Bare[3]; 5. 2S-Stormy Scott[8]; 6. 4-Gary Stuhler[6]; 7. 7R-Ross Robinson[5]; 8. 48-Colton Flinner[7]; 9. 17-Nick Dickson[9]; 10. 17T-Tim Vance[10] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[2]; 2. 1T-Tyler Erb[3]; 3. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[4]; 4. 25-Shane Clanton[1]; 5. 72-Michael Norris[5]; 6. 72C-Jason Covert[6]; 7. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[9]; 8. 157-Mike Marlar[7]; 9. 1K-Pancho Lawler[8]; 10. (DNS) 0G-Deshawn Gingerich; 11. (DNS) 6J-Jamie Lathroum Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 39-Tim McCreadie[2]; 2. 0E-Rick Eckert[6]; 3. 0H-Dale Hollidge[1]; 4. 49-Jonathan Davenport[3]; 5. 9-Devin Moran[7]; 6. 10-Jared Miley[8]; 7. 41-Justin Weaver[9]; 8. 20F-Trever Feathers[5]; 9. 4S-Danny Snyder[10]; 10. 32J-Shaun Jones[4] LINE-X B-Main #1 Running Order (8 Laps to go Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 2S-Stormy Scott[2]; 2. 71-Hudson O’Neal[1]; 3. 40B-Kyle Bronson[3]; 4. 4-Gary Stuhler[4]; 5. 48-Colton Flinner[8]; 6. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[5]; 7. 7R-Ross Robinson[6]; 8. 32-Travis Stickley[7]; 9. 17-Nick Dickson[10]; 10. 17T-Tim Vance[12]; 11. 112-Brandon Little[11]; 12. 94M-Jason Miller[9]; 13. (DNS) 6-Kyle Larson UNOH B-Main #2 Line Up (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 9-Devin Moran[2]; 2. 72-Michael Norris[1]; 3. 72C-Jason Covert[3]; 4. 10-Jared Miley[4]; 5. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[5]; 6. 157-Mike Marlar[7]; 7. 20F-Trever Feathers[8]; 8. 1K-Pancho Lawler[9]; 9. 4S-Danny Snyder[10]; 10. 41-Justin Weaver[6]; 11. (DNS) 0G-Deshawn Gingerich; 12. (DNS) 32J-Shaun Jones; 13. (DNS) 6J-Jamie Lathroum

Lucas Oil Feature Finish (50 Laps):

Race StatisticsEntrants: 42Lap Leaders: Ricky Thornton Jr. (Laps 1 – 49); Tim McCreadie (Lap 50)Wrisco Feature Winner: Hudson O’NealArizona Sport Shirts CJC – Presented by DirtOnDirt Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: n/aMargin of Victory: 0.424 secondsStop Tech Brakes Cautions: Matt Cosner (Lap 26)Series Provisionals: Brandon Sheppard, Mike MarlarFast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: Earl Pearson Jr.Track Provisionals: Gary StuhlerBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Tim McCreadie, Ricky Thornton Jr, Jonathan DavenportPenske Shocks Top 5: Tim McCreadie, Ricky Thornton Jr, Jonathan Davenport, Gregg Satterlee, Tyler ErbOptima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Jonathan Davenport (Advanced 13 Positions) Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Hudson O’NealHot Rod Processing Most Laps Led: Ricky Thornton Jr. (49 Laps)Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Tyler ErbEibach Springs Rookie of the Race: n/aDirty Girl Racewear Fastest Lap of the Race: Ricky Thornton Jr. (Lap #18.636 –  seconds)Fast Shafts Tough Break of the Race: Matt CosnerOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Philip Snellen (Tim McCreadie)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Cornett Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Mike Marlar (17.955 seconds)Time of Race: 23 minutes 23 second

LAS VEGAS (April 17, 2021) – There was nothing but improvement for the John Force Racing teams on day two of the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Brittany Force and her Flav-R-Pac Top Fuel dragster and Robert Hight and his Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car took the top spots in their respective categories and John Force with his PEAK / BlueDEF PLATINUM Camaro landed in the No. 2 position.  After overpowering the track on the lone run of Friday, Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac Top Fuel dragster team saw the most improvement for John Force Racing. Their 3.766-second pass at 325.53 mph moved them nine spots into No. 2, just behind reigning and three-time world champ Steve Torrence. To cap off qualifying, Force and her David Grubnic and Mac Savage led Flav-R-Pac team blasted to a 3.732-second pass at 320.66 mph to steal the No. 1 qualifying position, the 21st of her career, second at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and first at the spring event. “We made big jumps on our runs today. First No. 1 qualifier of the season for this Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team. We are pumped to be here in Vegas. [Crew chiefs] David Grubnic and Mac Savage said they were going to hall ass on that run, said they were going to step it up. And we did just that,” said Force who collected six bonus qualifying points. “Obviously tomorrow we are focused now on winning. We put today behind us, move into tomorrow and go after a win. That’s our primary focus. “I have lots of confidence in this team,” continued Force. “Returning with the entire Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team that we had from 2019 and beginning of 2020, I think, speaks a lot for itself. It shows how much loyalty this team has for John Force Racing and they stood by us and we returned together and we’re stronger than ever.” Force will begin eliminations facing off against Antron Brown and Justin Ashely. With only 15 Top Fuel cars entered into the event their quad has one bye. Coming into the day already in the No. 1 position, Hight and the Auto Club team bettered their Friday night performance with a 3.918-second pass at 325.77 mph during the final quad of the second session. In their last run of qualifying, Hight completed his sweep with another stand-out run of 3.882-seconds and 331.85 mph to ensure his 69th career No. 1 qualifier, seventh at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, fifth at the spring event and first in the four-wide format. The team’s speed was also quickest of the event and only one of two teams who reached the 330-mph mark, the other was team owner John Force. “[Crew chief] Jimmy Prock basically called every single run we’ve made here this weekend at the Las Vegas Four Wide Nationals. He and [crew chief] Chris Cunningham really have this Auto Club Chevy working great. You know, in the last year we took off I don’t think there was a day that these guys didn’t look at the computer and think about what they could do to make this car better and the results are right here,” said Hight who earned nine bonus qualifying points. “We have to go three rounds tomorrow and I think we are in a good position to do that.” Hight will race against Cruz Pedregon, J.R. Todd, and Jonnie Lindberg in his first quad of eliminations on Sunday. He will be chasing his first four-wide win at The Strip but his fourth at the spring event and sixth overall at the facility. Already with a strong performance on Friday evening, John Force and the PEAK / BlueDEF PLATINUM team jumped one spot from No. 3 to No. 2 with their Q2 run of 3.936-seconds at 325.22 mph. Wrapping up their qualifying efforts, the 16-time champion’s Chevrolet Camaro stayed consistent with their improvement powering to a 3.898-second pass at 330.72 mph to secure the No. 2 qualifying spot. “Well I thought I could get low in this PEAK / BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevy, it rattled a little bit but got through it and ran .89-seconds. Of course, Robert went .88, expected. I was excited to see Brittany go low with Flav-R-Pac. It’s good for us, makes us feel strong for being gone for a year. But tomorrow is an all-new ball game, and it’s four wide,” Force said. “PEAK / BlueDEF, Auto Club, Flav-R-Pac, Monster, Chevy, all of our sponsors, I want to thank you for sticking by us through the hard times. We’re back to doing some drag racing and we’re going to get back to winning.” Chasing his 152nd NHRA victory, Force will start eliminations running against Matt Hagan, Blake Alexander, and Chris Morel. Eliminations at the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will kick off at noon PT on Sunday. Fans can catch the action on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET.