All posts by ARP Trish

Chevrolet Racing

CORVETTE DPs AT SEBRING: Another Podium Sweep in the Works?

CORVETTE DPs AT SEBRING: Another Podium Sweep in the Works?
1-2-3 finish in 2015 capped Chevrolet’s first overall victory at Sebring in 50 years

· Barbosa, Fittipaldi and Action Express Racing defending race winners

· Wayne Taylor Racing, Visit Florida Racing started 2016 with Rolex 24 podiums

· Thirty victories for Corvette DP program since launch in 2012

DETROIT (March 16, 2016) – Corvette Daytona Prototype teams return to Florida this weekend for another chance at history as part of the 64th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida. Recreating the magic from last year’s race will be top of mind for the four Corvette DP teams entered as they try to put Chevrolet on the top of the podium for the second straight season. Continue reading CORVETTE DPs AT SEBRING: Another Podium Sweep in the Works? →

Erica Enders

Pro Stock champion Erica Enders chases first Gatornationals victory

Pro Stock champion Erica Enders chases first Gatornationals victory
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 15) — Elite Motorsports/Mopar Dodge driver Erica Enders has already amassed an impressive résumé in her illustrious career, from winning back-to-back Pro Stock championships in 2014-15 to going to victory lane 21 times, including at the prestigious U.S. Nationals last season.

A win at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals has eluded her so far, but she gets another chance at victory this weekend at Gainesville Raceway.

“It would be really cool to get a Wally at the Gators,” Enders said. “I’ve been to the finals twice and haven’t won yet, but I really want to win there. It’s a tall order right now, but we’ll certainly go in with a positive attitude and a winning mentality. You never know what could happen.”

Enders raced to the final round in Gainesville early in her Pro Stock career, losing to Tom Martino in 2006. She also reached the Gatornationals final in 2014, her first season with Elite, before falling to Allen Johnson.

Her tenure at Elite has netted two championships and 15 victories, including nine last year (a single-season record for women).

A switch to Dodge, compounded by NHRA-mandated changes to fuel-injected engines, has put Enders and her Elite team in development mode early in 2016, but improvements are coming.

“All of the new changes are a huge challenge,” Enders said. “We haven’t quite gotten a handle on it yet, but our test session was very productive. We feel like we learned a bunch and we have it pointed in the right direction now. Time will tell, but it definitely was encouraging.”

Enders tested this week at Osage Casino Tulsa Raceway Park — not far from Elite’s headquarters in Wynnewood, Okla. — as crew chiefs Rick and Rickie Jones continue to fine-tune the new Dodge Dart.

“We’ll keep working on our race car, we’ll keep getting better,” Enders said. “It would be awesome to have a Gatornationals trophy. It’s one of the most prestigious races on the tour, and there’s a lot of history there. It’s one of my favorite races. We’ll go do our best and let God do the rest.”

Chevrolet Racing

CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Speeding Toward More History

CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Speeding Toward More History
Corvette Racing with nine Sebring class wins and last four Triple Crown victories

First event for Corvette Racing since dynamic 1-2 finish at Daytona
Garcia, Magnussen part of GT Le Mans-winning Corvette in 2015
This year’s Sebring marks the 60th anniversary race for Corvette brand

DETROIT (March 15, 2016) – Sebring and Corvette. They go together like America and apple pie. In fact, they have for 60 years now – America’s longest-running endurance race and America’s sports car. The relationship continues in 2016 as Corvette Racing returns to Sebring International Raceway for this weekend’s 64th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida.

Corvette Racing is the defending winner in IMSA’s GT Le Mans class. It was the second leg of a Triple Crown season for the team, which became the first in 15 years to win the world’s three biggest endurance races in the same year: Sebring, the Rolex 24 At Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Continue reading CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Speeding Toward More History →

Casey Currie

Casey Currie Gets a Top 3 Finish at the Mint 400

Casey Currie Gets a Top 3 Finish at the Mint 400
CORONA, California (March 15, 2016) – Last weekend, Casey headed out to Las Vegas for the Great American Off Road Race, the Best in the Desert Mint 400. It was a family affair with Casey running with his uncle, John Currie – and the Currie family showed up strong finishing with a podium finish. They had a fast vehicle all day, but had to overcome some adversity and push hard to the finish, but with great team work and Casey’s talented driving, he was able to bring home a 3rd place in this grueling race.

It all kicked off Thursday night on Fremont street with the Driver Meet & Greet on Fremont Street. As always, Casey had quite a presence with his Jeep and team on full display. The next day was tech and contingency in Las Vegas, then he headed down to Stateline, Primm, Nevada to get setup for an early morning race. He knew that his Hammers Jeep was in great running condition and ready to take on the race at daybreak.

It was 4am when Casey and his team started lining and warming up for the race. At 6 am the green flag dropped and he was off. Casey’s King of the Hammers Jeep stayed up front the whole race until he had a front end mechanical fail that caused him to lose over 45 minutes while he limped the Jeep back to his pit and had his team fix the issue with the spare they had available. Once Casey was back up and running he was determined to make back the front. And he almost did. Casey was able to push hard and reduced the 45-minute deficit to only 5 coming in third after an incredible final drive.

After the race, Casey said, “That was an incredible day of racing – to be up front all day until we had a mechanical issue, then to lose 45 minutes to fix it and race back to finish 3rd only 5 minutes behind the leader was quite an accomplishment. Also, to do this with my dad and uncle always makes this special. But a big thanks to my sponsors, especially BFG for taking care of my main pit, and my on-point team. It was their help that put me back in a position to gain all that time back and take third. This was a team effort and I can’t wait for the Mint 400 2017!”

Casey is back into full race mode now. With King of the Hammers, and the Mint 400 under his belt, he heads to the first rounds of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series in Chandler, Arizona on March 19th and 20th. Then it is a fast turnaround as he heads north from Arizona to beautiful Moab, Utah for the 50th anniversary of Easter Jeep Safari.

Uncategorized

Allen Johnson — Gatornationals Preview

ALLEN JOHNSON
MARATHON PETROLEUM CO./J&J RACING DODGE DART
EVENT PREVIEW: 47th ANNAUL AMALIE MOTOR OIL NHRA GATORNATIONALS
GAINESVILLE RACEWAY
MARCH 18-20, 2016

Allen Johnson Taking East Coast Race Debut As Clean Slate

GREENEVILLE, T.N. (February 22, 2016) – The debut East Coast race brings Allen Johnson and his Marathon Petroleum Corporation/J&J Racing Dodge Dart GT to Gainesville Raceway this weekend for the 47th annual AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals. With early exits at the first two events of the season, the Marathon team is ready to move forward while learning all they can about the new fuel injection systems and translate it into round wins.

“Gainesville is one of my favorite tracks,” said Johnson. “This race is kind of the coming out race for us on the East Coast and there’s a lot of Pro Stock fans out there.”

Johnson and his team plan to spend several days testing at Brandenton Motorsports Park in Florida before they make the trip to Gainesville.

“We’ve still got a learning curve to go through and get the car a little better with driveability but we’re all working on it as hard as we can. I think three days of testing in Bradenton before Gainesville will be really good.”

Johnson explained that although that he has had many highs at Gainesville Raceway, including wins in 2013 and 2014, his favorite memory would be debuting the Dodge Dart at this event.

“Winning the first race out with the Dart has to be my most favorite memory,” reminisced Johnson. “It was pretty awesome.”

Team Jegs

Team Jegs–NHRA–Gainesville

Team JEGS Pre-race Notes:
Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals
Team JEGS Pre-race Notes
Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals
Gainesville Raceway, Gainesville, Fla. (March 17-20)
Six-time NHRA world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. has returned to the Pro Stock class on a full-time basis in 2016. He is racing a new Rick Jones Race Cars-built Dodge Dart as a member of the Elite Motorsports team.

Jeg Coughlin Jr.
Last season, Coughlin took a breather from the Pro Stock class but returned at midseason for a brief stint with Elite Motorsports. In three events, he raced to a runner-up and a semifinal.
Coughlin is racing as a teammate to two-time NHRA Mello Yello champion Erica Enders. They are both racing Dodge Darts for the Elite team.
The NHRA Pro Stock class has an entirely different look this season thanks to a number of major rules revisions. Electronic fuel injection has replaced carburetors, and as a result the cars will no longer have big hood scoops. Pro Stock engines are now limited to a maximum of 10,500 rpm, and the wheelie-bar length has been shortened.
After the first two events of the season in Pomona, Calif., and Phoenix, Coughlin enters the Gainesville event ranked No. 6 in the NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock points standings.

During his professional career, which began in late 1997, Coughlin has earned 15 top-10 finishes in the NHRA Pro Stock class.
Coughlin is a five-time NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Pro Stock champion. He earned season titles in 2000, 2002, 2007, 2008, and 2013. As a Sportsman driver, he claimed the NHRA Super Gas championship in 1992.
Coughlin’s best elapsed time in a Pro Stock car is 6.484 seconds and his best speed is 214.62 mph, both recorded in Gainesville in 2014.
During his career, Coughlin has won the Pro Stock title twice in Gainesville. He claimed his first win in 2001 by beating Mark Osborne in the final round and then stopped Jason Line to win his second title in 2008. Coughlin was also a runner-up in Gainesville in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2013.

In 15 career appearances at Gainesville Raceway, Coughlin has a round-win record of 28-12 in Pro Stock competition.

Jeg Coughlin Jr.
In his 15 Gainesville races, Coughlin has qualified in the top half of the Pro Stock field 12 times, including No. 1 at the 1998 event.
Last season, Coughlin accomplished a longtime goal with his first national event double. Racing at the JEGS NHRA Northern SPORTSnationals in Columbus, he won the Super Gas and Stock titles. In Stock, he drove a Dodge Challenger Drag Pak to the title.
Including Gainesville Raceway, Coughlin has won at least one NHRA national event at 24 different facilities. The only current venues on the NHRA tour where he has not won are the tracks in Norwalk, Ohio, and Epping, N.H.
Coughlin is one of just 16 professional racers to win 500 elimination rounds in NHRA competition, a feat he accomplished at the 2013 Topeka race. The only other Pro Stock drivers with 500 wins are Warren Johnson, Bob Glidden, and Greg Anderson.
Coughlin is the only driver to win national event titles in seven different categories: Pro Stock, Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, and Top Dragster.
Coughlin is the only professional racer in history to win a national event title from all 16 starting spots. During his Indy win in 2000, he qualified No. 16.
With 58 career Pro Stock wins, Coughlin ranks fourth all-time among Pro Stock drivers. Only Warren Johnson (97), Bob Glidden (85), and Greg Anderson (79) have won more titles.
In 359 career Pro Stock races, Coughlin has reached the final round 100 times, recording 58 wins. Including his 18 Sportsman victories, he has won a total of 76 times, good for ninth place on NHRA’s all-time wins list. During his career, he has appeared in 124 final rounds, 100 as a professional and 24 as a Sportsman racer.

Troy Coughlin Sr.
During his Pro Stock career, Coughlin has competed in 359 events and recorded 578 round-wins while incurring just 285 losses. He has red-lighted only 20 times and failed to qualify just 16 times.
The Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals will mark the first race in the 10-event 2016 NHRA J&A Services Pro Mod Racing Series. Reigning series champion Troy Coughlin Sr. will begin his title defense behind the wheel of his turbocharged JEGS.com C7 Corvette.

The JEGS.com Pro Mod Corvette is tuned by noted turbocharger expert Steve Petty. With a top speed in excess of 259 mph, Troy is one of the fastest drivers in the Pro Mod class. He has also recorded a personal-best elapsed time of 5.766 seconds.
Last year, Troy won his second NHRA Pro Mod series championship. Although he did not win an event during the season, he managed to come from behind to win the title by 14-points over veteran Mike Janis.

Last season, Troy was one of just three Pro Mod racers, along with Mike Janis and Danny Rowe, who qualified for all 10 events. His best finish was a runner-up in Atlanta.

Troy won his first NHRA national event title at the U.S. Nationals in 1991 when he drove his Pro Stock-style Olds to victory in Super Gas. He defeated Mary Ann Jackson in the final. His first Pro Mod victory came at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in New Jersey in 2005 when he drove his supercharged Mustang to a win over Zach Barklage in the final round.

Troy is one of the few Pro Mod competitors who have raced all three current engine combinations: turbocharged, supercharged, and nitrous-oxide assisted.

Before moving to the Pro Mod class, Troy enjoyed success in the NHRA Pro Stock class, recording two wins in 12 final-round appearances. He also won the $50,000 top prize at the 2000 Winston No Bull Showdown at Bristol Dragway, a special non-points event for Pro Stock competitors.

Troy Coughlin Sr.

All told, Troy has 10 NHRA national event wins in 25 final-round appearances in Pro Mod, Pro Stock, and Super Gas competition.

Troy is a former National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) Pro Street champion. While racing his Pro Street car, he also won the $50,000 Big Dog event at Piedmont Dragway in Greensboro, N.C.
The Coughlin family, including John, Troy, Mike, Jeg Jr., and Troy Jr., has combined for 109 NHRA national event victories since 1990. They have won in 10 different eliminators: Pro Stock, Pro Stock Truck, Pro Mod, Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Top Sportsman, and Top Dragster.

Uncategorized

Reigning world champion Troy Coughlin Sr. ready for his second Pro Mod title defense

Reigning world champion Troy Coughlin Sr. ready for his second Pro Mod title defense
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 14) — For the second time in his wildly successful drag racing career, Troy Coughlin Sr. will defend a hard-earned Pro Mod championship when the NHRA J&A Services Drag Racing Series kicks off at this weekend’s 47th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.

Coughlin made a late-season charge to clinch his second Pro Mod title at the final race of the year last October in Las Vegas. The championship matched the one he claimed in 2012, with the two titles bracketing a pair of runner-up finishes. Continue reading Reigning world champion Troy Coughlin Sr. ready for his second Pro Mod title defense →

Honda Racing

Honda Racing– Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
1.8-mile temporary street circuit – St. Petersburg, FL
Weather: Sunny, mild, 80 degrees F

Ryan Eversley Paces Acura Results in St. Petersburg with Pair of Top-10 Runs
• Eversley earns third top-10 finish in first four races of 2016 season
• Peter Cunningham earns season-best results with strong late-race efforts
• Sixth-place run on Sunday is best of Pirelli World Challenge Season for Acura TLX-GT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – (March 13, 2016) – The RealTime Racing Team used a pair of powerful Acura TLX-GT machines to overcome some bad luck and post its best results of the young Pirelli World Challenge season Sunday in St. Petersburg, FL.

Ryan Eversley found the key to the race weekend early in qualifying for Saturday’s race. Unfortunately, that key was lodged in his tire, causing a flat that dropped him to 16th on the grid. Driver/owner Peter Cunningham gridded 18th on the tight 1.8-mile St. Petersburg course, but the pair of Acuras was able to take advantage of long green-flag runs to move up to 10th and 13th, respectively, at the finish. More importantly, Eversley posted the sixth-fastest lap time of the race, which enabled him to start Sunday’s race in the top three rows.

“I’m not normally excited to finish 10th in a race, but we started on the second-to-last row and worked our way up through guys that were on the podium at the last event,” said Eversley. “Our car was easy to drive and I didn’t feel like I was abusing the tires or the brakes. I was catching Nissans and Porsches toward the end of the race, and they looked like they were struggling.” Continue reading Honda Racing– Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix of St. Petersburg →

Gary Scelzi Motorsports

Gary Scelzi Motorsports–Scelzi Earns Career-Best World of Outlaws Result at Thunderbowl

Scelzi Earns Career-Best World of Outlaws Result at Thunderbowl

Inside Line Promotions – TULARE, Calif. (March 14, 2016) – Dominic Scelzi registered his career-best World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series finish at Thunderbowl Raceway last weekend.

Scelzi followed Friday’s rainout by capping the weekend on Saturday with a 13th-place result on the fast oval.

“It wasn’t what we hoped for, but in all reality it was a good night,” he said. “We’re improving every time we hit the track.”

Saturday’s event began with Scelzi qualifying eighth quickest in his group despite going out early on a track that improved throughout time trials.

“The track got faster throughout qualifying,” he said. “We were second quick for a while. As the track got faster we ended up eighth in our group. It was a big confidence boost to lay down a couple of good laps for where we went out.” Continue reading Gary Scelzi Motorsports–Scelzi Earns Career-Best World of Outlaws Result at Thunderbowl →

Wood Brothers

Wood Brothers Racing–Blaney Scores Second-Straight Top-10 With 10th Place Finish At Phoenix

Blaney Scores Second-Straight Top-10 With 10th Place Finish At Phoenix

March 13, 2016

Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team backed up their sixth-place finish at Las Vegas a week ago with a 10th place finish in Sunday’s Good Sam 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

It was the first back-to-back top-10 finish for the Wood Brothers team since Ricky Rudd scored a pair of ninth-place finishes at Kansas and Charlotte in the fall of 2005.

Blaney qualified 12th for the 500-kilometer run at Phoenix, where he’d never before raced a Sprint Cup car.

He stayed inside the top 15 for the majority of the race, and had worked his way into the top 12 when the caution flag flew with six laps remaining.

That set up an overtime finish. The Motorcraft/Quick Lane team opted to pit for fresh right-side tires, and Blaney was able to muscle his way into 10th place at the finish.

“That wasn’t bad,” Blaney said in his post-race comments. “We fought really hard all day. We got a lot better throughout the day.”

“The guys did a great job with two tires at the end. I thought about staying out, but we wouldn’t have been on the first two rows I don’t think so we had to come in and get two. I think it picked us up one spot.

“It was a good day and a good job by everybody on this Motorcraft Quick Lane team and a top-10 car is all I could ask for.”

With his Phoenix finish, Blaney moves from 14th to 12th in the Sprint Cup standings, just 11 points out of the top 10. He also continues to lead what is shaping up to be a tight battle with Chase Elliott for the top spot in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year contest.

For team owner Eddie Wood, watching the rookie Blaney and his rookie crew chief Jeremy Bullins at work is a pleasure.

“I’m just so proud of everyone on this Motorcraft/Quick Lane team,” Wood said. “They backed up their finish from Las Vegas. Ryan did a really good job staying with it all day. I didn’t want to see that last caution come out, but it wound up working out in our favor.”

Wood also is enjoying the rookie contest between the two young drivers.

“I’ve known Ryan and Chase since they were little boys,” he said. “Seeing them race for Sunoco Rookie of the Year is a lot of fun. It looks like it’s going to be a great battle between them from week to week.

“I’m excited to move on to California and do it all again next week.”

Chevrolet Racing

CHEVROLET’S KEVIN HARVICK WINS AT PHOENIX

CHEVROLET’S KEVIN HARVICK WINS AT PHOENIX
Team Chevy Earns Sixth Consecutive Win at PIR

· Chevrolet’s Kevin Harvick won the Good Sam 500 at PIR
· Eighth career victory at PIR for Harvick
· Win was sixth consecutive victory for Chevrolet at the 1.0-mile track
· Chevrolet has now gone to winner’s circle twice in 2016 (Jimmie Johnson, Atlanta; Kevin Harvick, Phoenix)

Avondale, Ariz. (March 13, 2016) – Kevin Harvick earned the victory in the Good Sam 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) in an exciting overtime finish. The driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS pulled his car into Victory Lane at the 1.0-mile track for a record-setting eighth time in his NSCS career, and has now won five of the last six races at the Arizona venue. A gutsy call by crew chief, Rodney Childers, to stay on-track while most of the leaders pitted, resulted in the closet margin of victory in PIR history. Harvick took home the win by 0.010 seconds ahead of Carl Edwards (Toyota).
Continue reading CHEVROLET’S KEVIN HARVICK WINS AT PHOENIX →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Phoenix–Post Race

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
GOOD SAM 500
PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
MARCH 13, 2016

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 JIMMY JOHN’S CHEVROLET SS – RACE WINNER
YOU WON BY A HUNDREDTH OF A SECOND, THE CLOSEST FINISH IN NASCAR SPRINT CUP RACING HISTORY. HOW DID YOU HOLD OFF CARL EDWARDS?
“Well, I knew he was better through (Turns) 3 and 4. That was not the car that I wanted to see behind me. I knew I could beat him down there and I tried to protect the bottom in (Turns) 3 and 4 and I just missed the bottom with all the rubber build-up on the tires and everything. But, all in all, I knew I was going to be on defense down there. I got up too high and wasn’t able to stay on the bottom like I wanted to and then he got into me, like he should have, and I needed to get a good run off the corner and I was going to have to get into his door and it worked out, just barely. I just want to thank Jimmy John’s, Busch, Chevrolet, Mobil 1 and everybody at Stewart-Haas for everything that they do.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Phoenix–Post Race →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–St. Petersburg–Post Race Recap

CHEVROLET RACING IN THE VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG
STREETS OF ST. PETERSBURG (FLORIDA)
POST RACE RECAP
SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2016

Juan Pablo Montoya Scores Second Consecutive Victory on Streets of St. Petersburg
· Simon Pagenaud gives Team Chevy 1 – 2 finish in opening race of 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series Season
· Chevrolet IndyCar drivers claim three of top-four finishing positions and six of top-10 to kick off 16-race season
· Victory is fifth consecutive win for Chevrolet on the Streets of St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (March 13, 2016) – Juan Pablo Montoya has a pattern that works on the Streets of St. Petersburg. Starting fourth for the second consecutive year brought the driver of the No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet to a repeat appearance at the top of the victory podium for the opening round of the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season. Continue reading Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–St. Petersburg–Post Race Recap →

Honda Racing

Hunter-Reay, Honda Produce Podium Finish at St. Petersburg

Hunter-Reay, Honda Produce Podium Finish at St. Petersburg
• Hunter-Reay scores third-place finish in IndyCar season opener
• Young guns Daly, Rossi star in rookie runs
• Aleshin, Sato also record top-six finishing positions; contact costs Rahal

Ryan Hunter-Reay opened the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series for Honda with a third-place finish Sunday at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, as the 2012 series champion briefly led, hung tough with the leaders through the 110-lap temporary street circuit contest and avoided dramas that delayed other potential Honda contenders.

Series rookie Conor Daly also starred, as clever pit strategy from his Dale Coyne Racing team moved the young American driver to the front of the field for 15 laps mid-race, then he continued to battle with eventual race winner Juan Pablo Montoya until the final round of scheduled pit stops. Just after exiting the pits, Daly was forced up onto the curbing, damaging a front wing and leading to an unscheduled, additional pit stop for repairs, dropping him off the lead lap and to an unrepresentative 13th-place finish.

Series returnee James Hinchcliffe, Takuma Sato and Graham Rahal were all victims of contact from other competitors to spoil their respective races. Hinchcliffe and Sato were hit from behind on the opening lap, and while Sato was able to recover to finish sixth, Hinchcliffe was caught up in a multi-car collision on Lap 57 that ended his chances of a top-10 result.

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–St. Petersburg–Post Race

CHEVROLET RACING IN THE VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG
STREETS OF ST. PETERSBURG (FLORIDA)
POST RACE DRIVER QUOTES
SUNDAY, MARCH 13, 2016

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 2 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, RACE WINNER: HOW WAS THE VIEW FOR YOU FROM THE COCKPIT?
“It was good. Our Verizon Chevy was great and it’s exciting with this new paint scheme and to come out and win with it. I want to thank everybody on the team and all of our supporters because they do an amazing job. No, it’s all good, it’s just awesome. You know, we started the year last year like this and I thought this morning that we had a really good car and it paid off.”

THE DISAPPOINTMENT YOU HAD LAST YEAR IN NOT WINNING, HAS IT TURNED INTO NEW FOUND DETERMINATION FOR THIS YEAR?
“No, last year we did what we had to do and it just didn’t happen. This year, we came here not thinking about it and just tried to be as fast as possible and see what it does.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–St. Petersburg–Post Race →

World of Outlaws

World of Outlaws–David Gravel Wins at Thunderbowl, Scores First of the Season

David Gravel Wins at Thunderbowl, Scores First of the Season
Reigning champion Donny Schatz does not race in feature for the first time since 2012
TULARE, Calif. – March 12, 2016 – David Gravel claimed his first World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series victory of the season Saturday night at Thunderbowl Raceway as he held off Shane Stewart through the 35-lap feature.

The win was the first series win for Gravel since he won the National Open at Williams Grove Speedway in 2014 and the first for him with his new team, CJB Motorsports.

“It’s awesome to win this early in the season,” Gravel said. “Running second last week and now a win is great. The track was narrow but I had to take advantage of our track position. I didn’t want to give up a win there – you never want to give up wins. I tried to be aggressive when I was supposed to be aggressive and be passive when I was supposed to be passive but it worked out.” Continue reading World of Outlaws–David Gravel Wins at Thunderbowl, Scores First of the Season →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–St. Petersburg–Qualifying

CHEVROLET RACING IN THE VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG
STREETS OF ST. PETERSBURG (FLORIDA)
QUALIFYING RECAP
SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

Will Power Puts Chevrolet on Pole for Verizon IndyCar Series Season-Opening Race on Streets of St. Petersburg
· Five Chevrolet IndyCar drivers transfer to Firestone Fast Six for season-opening race
· Team Chevy drivers claimed top five starting positions, and six of top-10
· Will Power broke his own track record lap of 1 minute, 0.6509 seconds set in 2015 with Saturday time of 1 minute,0.0658 seconds to capture his sixth St. Petersburg pole and 43rd career Verizon P1 Award
· Power’s pole is the fourth for Chevrolet at St. Petersburg, second consecutive at St. Petersburg for the Chevrolet IndyCar Aero Kit with fully integrated 2.2 liter direct injected twin turbo charged V6 engine fueled by E85 Continue reading Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–St. Petersburg–Qualifying →

Wood Brothers

Wood Brothers Remember Pioneer Racer Bobby Johns And His One Run In The No. 21 Ford

Wood Brothers Remember Pioneer Racer Bobby Johns And His One Run In The No. 21 Ford

March 12, 2016

Among the many pieces of racing memorabilia collected by the Wood Brothers over the past seven decades is a helmet signed by 33 of the drivers who have driven the iconic No. 21 Ford now driven by Ryan Blaney with sponsorship from Motorcraft/Quick Lane.

That helmet, features the signature of Bobby Johns who died suddenly on March 7 in his hometown of Miami Fla. It has a total of 48 signatures including Edsel B Ford II, NASCAR Hall of Famers and others important to the team such as family matriarch Bernece Wood. Continue reading Wood Brothers Remember Pioneer Racer Bobby Johns And His One Run In The No. 21 Ford →

Richard Childress Racing

Richard Childress Racing–Phoenix

Austin Dillon Battles Tight-Handling Conditions En Route to Seventh-Place Finish in the Desert

“The Ruud Chevrolet was tight all day. We fought tight on exit for the majority of the race. The No. 2 team had good pit stops and put us third on the final restart, but we had to come back to pit road with 25 laps to go to get a set of fresh tires. Danny (Stockman, crew chief) and the boys didn’t give up. We ended the day with a top-10 finish, but we have some work to do. We’ll get it figured out and get back to victory lane this season.”

– Austin Dillon

Dillon Records Third Consecutive Top-10 Finish

“Today was an overall great day. We executed on all levels, made no mistakes and came home with a top-10 finish. We showed a lot of speed all weekend and were able to qualify well and race up front for a majority of the race. We even got to lead a few laps and show that we are capable of doing so. I was happy with our overall strategy from Nick (Harrison, crew chief) and Danny (Efland, engineer). We still have a lot of work to do as a company to get on the level of competition I know we are capable of being on. I’m looking forward to the last leg of the NASCAR Goes West trip.”

– Ty Dillon

Brandon Jones Earns 11th-Place Despite an Up and Down Day at Phoenix

“It was an up and down kind of day for the No. 33 E-Z-Go Chevrolet team. We ran inside the top-10 for most of the day but on that last pit stop, we just got a little too far away from what the car needed. The No. 33 pit crew had a lot of great stops, and Mike (Hillman Jr., crew chief) made awesome calls to keep us in the top 10. I think the biggest thing is getting the car to turn better. If we can make that happen, we’ll definitely be able to contend for wins. It’s nice to leave Phoenix (International Raceway) with a solid finish. I haven’t had the best of luck here in previous years. Overall, it was a decent day for us.”

– Brandon Jones

Brendan Gaughan Finishes 13th After Battling Handling Issues

“The team had a good day on pit road, but we couldn’t get the handling quite right during the race. We fought tight conditions in the middle and loose off through the turns. That’s the toughest condition in racing to fix. Shane (Wilson, crew chief) and the guys did everything we could to correct the car and gain in those 200 miles. The No. 62 team has had a couple of races in a row that didn’t quite go the way we wanted. We will re-group and finish off the west coast swing in California, a track that has always been really good for us.”

– Brendan Gaughan

Honda Racing

Honda Racing–Hunter-Reay, Honda To Start Sixth at St. Petersburg

Hunter-Reay, Honda To Start Sixth at St. Petersburg
• Rahal qualifies seventh, seeks second St. Petersburg victory
• Hinchcliffe returns with top-10 qualifying run
• A.J. Foyt Racing teammates Hawksworth, Sato advance to second round

Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay led the Honda field Saturday in qualifying for Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, advancing to the “Fast Six” final qualifying round to post the sixth-fastest time in preparation for the opening round of the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series championship. Continue reading Honda Racing–Hunter-Reay, Honda To Start Sixth at St. Petersburg →