All posts by ARP Trish

Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Barber Post Race

CHEVROLET RACING IN THE VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
HONDA INDY GRAND PRIX OF ALABAMA’
BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK
POST RACE RECAP
APRIL 23, 2017

Josef Newgarden Puts Chevrolet in Victory Lane at Barber

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – It did not take Josef Newgarden long to get comfortable in his new surroundings at Team Penske in the No. 2 Fitzgerald Glider Kits Chevrolet. In just his third race for the “Captain” (Roger Penske), Newgarden took the lead with 14 laps remaining in the 90-lap Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, and went on to record his second win at the 2.38-mile road course and his fourth Verizon IndyCar Series (VICS) career victory. Continue reading Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Barber Post Race

Chevy Racing–NHRA–Texas

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
NHRA SPRINGNATIONALS
ROYAL PURPLE RACEWAY AT BAYTOWN, TEXAS
SUNDAY, APRIL 23, 2017

Chevrolet Claims Fifth Pro Stock Victory with Another First-Time Winner

• Bo Butner earns maiden win after seven Pro Stock runner-up finishes
• No. 1 Pro Stock qualifier Jeg Coughlin Jr. reaches final, sets track record
• Robert Hight advances to Funny Car final, establishes new track speed mark
• No. 1 Funny Car qualifier Courtney Force resets track elapsed time record

BAYTOWN, Texas (April 23, 2017) – Bo finally knows what victory in National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Pro Stock competition feels like.

James “Bo” Butner secured his first Wally by defeating No. 1 qualifier and fellow Chevrolet driver Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the final of the NHRA SpringNationals at Royal Purple Raceway. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NHRA–Texas

Marathon Petroleum’s Allen Johnson Finds Gremlins, Encouraged After SpringNationals

Marathon Petroleum’s Allen Johnson Finds Gremlins, Encouraged After SpringNationals

HOUSTON, Tex. (April 23, 2017) – Allen Johnson and the Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Dodge Dart Pro Stock team may have not turned on the win light in the first round of eliminations, but perhaps they found something a little more important: the gremlin that has been plaguing their performance so far this season.

Johnson came into raceday as the No. 13 seed with his fastest pass during qualifying being a 6.645, 207.94. That granted him a first-round matchup against Bo Butner.

In the first round, Johnson bettered his best pass of the weekend by an outstanding eight-thousandths of a second. He crossed the finish line at Royal Purple Raceway with a 6.567, 211.16 but Butner’s 6.523, 213.33 advanced to the second round.

Despite being a first-round runner-up, Johnson left the 30th annual NHRA SpringNationals extremely optimistic and encouraged.

“We traded out everything electrical and fuel-related in the car,” Johnson said. “The win light might’ve not turned on in our lane but I feel really positive about the performance of my Marathon Petroleum Dodge Dart in the first round. I think we found our gremlin!”

PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil driver John Force: Progress being made at JFR

PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil driver John Force:
Progress being made at JFR

Photo credit: Gary Nastase / Auto Imagery
BAYTOWN, Texas (April 23) – The NHRA SpringNationals didn’t go as PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil Funny Car driver John Force expected, but the 16-time Funny Car champion knows progress is being made in the John Force Racing camp.

In Funny Car, Force qualified No. 3 and raced to the second round, while No. 4 qualifier Robert Hight made it to the final round after beating No. 1 qualifier Courtney Force in semifinals. Continue reading PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil driver John Force: Progress being made at JFR

NHRA–Texas Results

Top Fuel — Leah Pritchett, 3.781 seconds, 321.96 mph def. Steve Torrence, 3.787 seconds, 322.11 mph.

Funny Car — Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 4.004, 284.33 def. Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, Foul – Centerline.

Pro Stock — Bo Butner, Chevy Camaro, 6.550, 212.26 def. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.562, 212.03.

Pro Modified — Steve Matusek, Chevy Camaro, 8.985, 124.96 ARP Car def. Shane Molinari, Pontiac Firebird, Foul – Red Light.

Top Fuel Harley — Jay Turner, Triple J, 6.219, 222.47 def. Bob Malloy, Buell, 6.312, 209.88.

Top Alcohol Dragster — Joey Severance, 5.203, 275.39 def. Mia Tedesco, 5.445, 264.70.

Top Alcohol Funny Car — Doug Gordon, Chevy Camaro, 5.428, 272.12 def. Jay Payne, Camaro, 11.171, 66.34.

Super Stock — Norvell Bowers, Pontiac Firebird, 10.587, 124.18 def. Kevin Helms, Dodge Challenger, 9.383, 130.15.

Stock Eliminator — Kevin Helms, Dodge Challenger, 10.096, 121.74 def. Austin Ford, Ford Mustang, 9.632, 131.56.

Super Comp — Alan Savage, Dragster, 8.888, 182.01 def. Britt Cummings, Dragster, 8.876, 166.23.

Super Gas — Steve Collier, Chevy Vega, 9.900, 167.66 def. Roger Warren, Chevy Corvette, 9.899, 162.00.

Super Street — Chris Vang, Chevy Chevelle, 10.834, 137.72 def. Val Harmon, Chevy Nova, Foul – Red Light.

Top Sportsman presented by RacingRVs.com — Keith Raftery, Chevy Camaro, 6.479, 195.68 def. Vince Hoda, Camaro, 6.851, 198.93.

Top Dragster presented by RacingRVs.com — J.R. Baxter, Dragster, 6.130, 227.31 def. William Kruse, Dragster, Foul – Red Light.

Monster Energy driver Brittany Force looks to next race after early Houston exit

Monster Energy driver Brittany Force looks
to next race after early Houston exit

Photo Credit: Gary Nastase and Auto Imagery
BAYTOWN, Texas (April 23) – Brittany Force has her sights set on next weekend’s Four-Wide Nationals after an early exit in Sunday’s NHRA SpringNationals at Royal Purple Raceway, the fifth race on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.

Force, the No. 5 qualifier in the Top Fuel category, lost a close matchup against Troy Coughlin Jr. in the opening round. She ran an elapsed time of 3.871 at 274.55 mph. Despite a slightly slower reaction time, Force inched ahead at the 60-foot mark, and was marginally ahead much of the way.
Continue reading Monster Energy driver Brittany Force looks to next race after early Houston exit

Dixon Fights to Second at Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama

Dixon Fights to Second at Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama
• Scott Dixon leads Honda effort at Barber Motorsports Park with second-place finish
• Sebastien Bourdais remains atop the drivers’ championship, Dixon now second
• Honda drivers claim nine of top 12 finishing positions

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (April 23, 2017) – Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon remained in the thick of the battle for the victory throughout Sunday’s Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, finishing second to Josef Newgarden after 90 hard-fought laps around scenic Barber Motorsports Park, the first road course event of the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule.

Starting fourth, Dixon gained one position on the opening lap and then entered a multi-car battle at the front of the field. When race leader Will Power pitted on Lap 77 with a deflating rear tire, the race came down to a two-driver duel, with Newgarden prevailing over Dixon by just over one second. Continue reading Dixon Fights to Second at Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama

Advance Auto Parts driver Courtney Force advances to semifinals of NHRA SpringNationals in Houston

Advance Auto Parts driver Courtney Force advances to semifinals of NHRA SpringNationals in Houston

BAYTOWN, Texas (April 23) – The goal for Courtney Force and the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS team in the NHRA SpringNationals this weekend at Royal Purple Raceway was to put the past three races behind them and win rounds.

Force – the No. 1 qualifier for the second consecutive Mello Yello Drag Racing Series race – made it to the semifinals, where – despite a solid third-round pass – she fell to teammate and No. 4 qualifier Robert Hight in a close race. Hight lost to Ron Capps in the finals. Continue reading Advance Auto Parts driver Courtney Force advances to semifinals of NHRA SpringNationals in Houston

Robert Hight takes AAA Texas Chevrolet to Houston final round

Robert Hight takes AAA Texas Chevrolet
to Houston final round

Photo credit: Ron Lewis Photography
BAYTOWN, Texas (April 23) – The way his AAA Texas Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car was running during the NHRA SpringNationals this weekend at Royal Purple Raceway, Robert Hight had his sights set on raising the Wally at the end of the race.

He fell one round victory short. Continue reading Robert Hight takes AAA Texas Chevrolet to Houston final round

Jeg Coughlin Jr. says runner-up finish in Houston shows progress of Elite Motorsports

Jeg Coughlin Jr. says runner-up finish in
Houston shows progress of Elite Motorsports
HOUSTON (April 23) — While admitting he wanted this victory a little more than usual, Jeg Coughlin Jr. was still very satisfied with his runner-up finish Sunday at the 30th annual NHRA Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway.

Racing in his 101st career final, Coughlin took on good friend Bo Butner for the trophy. When the lights flashed, both men left with identical .061-second reaction times with Butner managing to inch away at each incremental timer for a slight 6.550 to 6.562-second win. Continue reading Jeg Coughlin Jr. says runner-up finish in Houston shows progress of Elite Motorsports

Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Post Race

CHEVROLET RACING IN THE VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
HONDA INDY GRAND PRIX OF ALABAMA
POST RACE DRIVER QUOTES
APRIL 23, 2017

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 FITZGERALD GLIDER KITS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, RACE WINNER: “That was an awesome day. This is what we work for as an entire group. We always want to get one of these cars in victory lane. And, for (teammate) Will Power, I feel so bad for those boys on the 12 car – they were on it today and I feel like it would have been a great battle between Will, myself and Scott (Dixon). But it ended up just being Scott and myself. It’s a group effort here (at Team Penske) – all four of these guys work together. I’m thrilled for the (No.) 2 car guys but this is a team effort with all four cars. So whoever is in victory lane – we just want to get someone there with Team Penske.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Post Race

Going for broke, Troy Coughlin overcooks racetrack and loses in Houston quarterfinals

Going for broke, Troy Coughlin overcooks
racetrack and loses in Houston quarterfinals
HOUSTON (April 23) — Feeling he needed something special to beat second-round opponent Jonathan Gray, who runs a supercharged Pro Mod racecar, Troy Coughlin and his JEGS.com race crew pushed the performance envelope a little too far Sunday and lost traction, eventually losing by a wide margin in the second round of the 30th annual NHRA Spring Nationals. Continue reading Going for broke, Troy Coughlin overcooks racetrack and loses in Houston quarterfinals

Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Barber–Josef Newgarden Race Winner

CHEVROLET RACING IN THE VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
HONDA INDY GRAND PRIX OF ALABAMA
BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK
RACE NOTES & QUOTES
APRIL 23, 2017

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 FITZGERALD GLIDER KITS CHEVROLET – Race Winner:
YOU ARE THE WINNER FOR TEAM PENSKE. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU?
“It’s great. Ever since I joined this team I felt just this awesome energy with this group. These guy work so hard on these race cars at Team Penske. But it’s a group effort. All these guys in all four cars are working together. It’s really cool to have Fitzgerald on the car this weekend. They’re going to be the sponsor for Juan Pablo (Montoya) at the Indy 500, so it’s a big deal for these guys and they sell awesome trucks. I want to thank Chevy, too, that I was awesome today. I had the fuel mileage I needed. I had the power and reliability and the whole deal. So, thank you, Chevrolet. Also Verizon. Verizon is always hooking us up. They give us the best technology in these cars, so thank you, guys. I love this, it’s awesome.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Barber–Josef Newgarden Race Winner

Post-Race Report Event 05: NHRA SpringNationals Royal Purple Raceway Houston April 21-23

DeJoria continues run of opening round success
Race Recap: After picking up her first round win of the season in Las Vegas, DeJoria was looking for more in Texas, her adopted home state.

DeJoria started out qualifying strong with a solid pass that earned her two bonus points. The Tequila Patrón team closed with an even better run that earned her the ninth starting spot.

DeJoria and her foe, Tim Wilkerson, were the last nitro pair to see the track. The Tequila Patrón Camry was straight and true down the track giving DeJoria her second straight opening round win after Wilkerson encountered immediate issues. In the quarter-finals, DeJoria was able to get the jump on her opponent, Courtney Force, but was unable to make a clean pass yielding the round win to Force. Continue reading Post-Race Report Event 05: NHRA SpringNationals Royal Purple Raceway Houston April 21-23

Erica Enders suffers red-light disqualification in opening round race versus husband

Erica Enders suffers red-light disqualification in opening round race versus husband
HOUSTON (April 23) — Two-time world champion Erica Enders threw away what was the quickest and fastest pass of the 30th annual NHRA Spring Nationals by leaving the starting line nine-thousandths of a second early in a Round 1 loss to her husband Richie Stevens.

The automatic disqualification negated a stellar 6.523-second blast at 213.37 mph that would have delivered an easy win over Stevens’ 6.589 at 210.64 mph. It left the Cypress, Texas native more than a little perturbed.

“There was no showing off there,” Enders said, quelling talk she was trying too hard to best her husband. “That was just a simple A to B run. I was set up to be conservative on the tree so we weren’t showing our hand against someone we can easily outrun by six or seven hundredths of a second. Continue reading Erica Enders suffers red-light disqualification in opening round race versus husband

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Bristol Postponed

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
FOOD CITY 500
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
APRIL 23, 2017

BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY RACE POSTPONED TO MONDAY
Persistent Rain Results in Rescheduling of Food City 500

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Persistent rain in ‘Thunder Valley’ throughout the day on Sunday has forced the postponement of the Food City 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.

Chevrolet SS driver, Kyle Larson, No. 42 Credit One Bank Chevy will lead the field to green as the pole sitter. Larson was awarded the top starting spot by virtue of being the leader in the Owner’s Point standings when qualifying at Bristol Motor Speedway was also canceled due to rain on Friday.

Chase Elliott, No. 24 Mountain Dew/Little Casers Chevrolet SS, will make it an all-Chevy front row by starting second when the Food City 500 commences on Monday, April 24th at 1 p.m.

Live coverage will be available on FOX, PRN, Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 90 and NASCAR.com.

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CHEVROLET SS:

HOW MUCH DOES IT STINK WE WON’T BE RACING AT THE SCHEDULED TIME TODAY? HOW MUCH DOES THAT AFFECT YOU?
“It doesn’t matter. We are close to home so it will be fine. Our car was good in practice and I don’t think the track will be too different. We should be alright.”

HOW WILL YOUR STRATEGY CHANGE ON A GREEN TRACK TOMORROW AND WITH THE MOST LIKELY ADDITION OF A COMPETITION CAUTION?
“I don’t know with the stages and all that. I’m sure we will all pit probably because it has shown a lot of tire wear on the left side so I’m sure everybody will pit. We will see if people take two or four or whatever, but it kind of just depends on what position you are in at that point if you are going to take two or four (tires).”

Sixteen-time Funny Car champion John Force: ‘I feel right’

Sixteen-time Funny Car champion John Force: ‘I feel right’

Photo credit: Gary Nastase / Auto Imagery
BAYTOWN, Texas (April 22) – After 16 championships and 148 victories in a glorious career, PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil Funny Car driver John Force knows when things are right.

After Saturday’s two qualifying sessions for the NHRA SpringNationals at Royal Purple Raceway, things are right.

Force is qualified in the No. 3 spot for Sunday’s final eliminations after a solid pass of 3.890 seconds at 325.53 mph in the second session – an elapsed time that broke the track record (but was topped by daughter and teammate Courtney Force on her next pass). Continue reading Sixteen-time Funny Car champion John Force: ‘I feel right’

2017 begins anew in Houston for AAA Texas Funny Car driver Robert Hight

2017 begins anew in Houston for AAA Texas
Funny Car driver Robert Hight

Photo credit: Ron Lewis Photography

BAYTOWN, Texas (April 22) – Even though the NHRA SpringNationals is the fifth race of the 2017 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, AAA Texas Funny Car driver Robert Hight feels like the season started Saturday at Royal Purple Raceway.

Hight made two terrific runs during the final two qualifying sessions, snaring the No. 4 for Sunday’s final eliminations.

Hight hasn’t started the season like he wanted, and John Force Racing swapped his and John Force’s Funny Car teams three races ago. Crew chief Jimmy Prock and co-crew chief Chris Cunningham continue to work on development of Hight’s Chevrolet Camaro SS, and Saturday’s runs were proof the team is moving in the right direction. Continue reading 2017 begins anew in Houston for AAA Texas Funny Car driver Robert Hight

Monster Energy driver Brittany Force happy with No. 5 qualifying effort for NHRA SpringNationals

Monster Energy driver Brittany Force happy with No. 5 qualifying effort for NHRA SpringNationals

Photo Credit: Gary Nastase and Auto Imagery
BAYTOWN, Texas (April 22) – Brittany Force heads into Sunday’s NHRA SpringNationals at Royal Purple Raceway – the fifth stop on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule – the No. 5 qualifier in the Top Fuel category.

Force turned in a time of 3.743 seconds at 327.27 mph – both best-career runs at the track – in her Monster Energy dragster, in one of two complete qualifying runs she made. She also made a pass of 3.808 at 323.27 mph in her final run, though she was relegated from fourth to fifth by Steve Torrence.
Continue reading Monster Energy driver Brittany Force happy with No. 5 qualifying effort for NHRA SpringNationals

Two-time series champ Troy Coughlin logs impressive first-round victory in Pro Mod

Two-time series champ Troy Coughlin logs
impressive first-round victory in Pro Mod
HOUSTON (April 22) — JEGS.com Pro Mod racer Troy Coughlin used his best pass of the weekend to rack-up an impressive first-round victory Saturday evening at the 30th annual NHRA Spring Nationals. Racing in the J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, Coughlin screamed to a 5.789 at 251.77 mph to erase Khalid alBalooshi’s shutoff 10.699 at 82.60 mph. Continue reading Two-time series champ Troy Coughlin logs impressive first-round victory in Pro Mod