Solid Day for Austin Dillon and The No. 3 Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet at Kansas Speedway

13th

21st

13th

“Nice work by everyone on the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet today. It was a lot of hard work and a long day, but we got an okay finish out of it at Kansas Speedway. We had a penalty in Stage 1 for equipment leaving the box, but the pit crew was pretty fast the rest of the day. In Stage 2, we pitted under green just as the caution came out and we had to take the wave around. We rebounded nicely, though, and spent most of Stage 3 in the top-12. The restarts were a struggle today. Our car didn’t really start handling well until about 20 laps into a run, so that’s something we’re going to have to do some work on. This team will keep digging.”-Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick And The No. 8 BetMGM Chevrolet Team Lead Laps at Kansas Speedway Before Unscheduled Pit Stop

30th

2nd

15th

“Our entire Richard Childress Racing team started today pretty optimistic after qualifying second and starting on the front row at Kansas Speedway. We led some laps in Stage 1 and felt like our BetMGM Chevrolet was really strong. Unfortunately, things started to take a turn when we had a tire go down and made contact with the wall. We ended up going a few laps down, and even though we kept taking the wave around bad luck continued to strike. It just wasn’t our day. We’ll take this and learn from it like we always do. Our time is coming and this team doesn’t give up.”-Tyler Reddick

NASCAR CUP SERIES

KANSAS SPEEDWAY

ADVENTHEALTH 400

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES

MAY 15, 2022

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:

POS.   DRIVER

2nd     KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1

7th      ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 ADVENT HEALTH CAMARO ZL1

8th      RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 DILLONS / LOUISIANA HOT SAUCE CAMARO ZL1

9th      ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1

13th    AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS / TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1

16th    WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1

18th    NOAH GRAGSON, NO. 16 CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1

19th    COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 GARNER TRUCKING, INC CAMARO ZL1

20th    TY DILLON, NO. 42 CHEVYLINERS.COM CAMARO ZL1

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: 

POS.  DRIVER

1.        Kurt Busch (Toyota)

2.        Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)

3.        Kyle Busch (Toyota)

4.        Denny Hamlin (Toyota)

5.        Christopher Bell (Toyota)

The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next Sunday, May 22, at Texas Motor Speedway with the NASCAR All-Star Open at 5:30 p.m. ET, followed by the NASCAR All-Star Race at 8 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 2nd

SO CLOSE FOR KYLE LARSON TODAY. KYLE, EIGHT LAPS TO GO AND YOU’RE BATTLING SIDE-BY-SIDE WITH KURT (BUSCH). YOU ENDED UP GETTING INTO THE WALL. DID HE GIVE YOU ENOUGH ROOM OR WERE YOU JUST TRYING TO USE EVERYTHING YOU HAD?

“I mean, we were racing for the win there. He never got into me, so I’m trying to squeeze throttle to get position on him and just got tight. That was fun racing with Kurt (Busch). You know, the last half of the race I was trying hard the whole time. I about spun out in front of him there at some point in the third stage and then we just kept fighting through it. 

Thanks to my team for building me a war machine. I hit the wall a lot today and just struggled, like people could put air on me and get me really tight and I hit the wall. We’ll work on that and figure it out, but happy with my car. It was hard to hold off Kyle (Busch) and then I knew when Kurt got by, I knew it was going to be really hard to hold him off. I did my best but came up one spot short.”

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 ADVENT HEALTH CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 7th

“We started off pretty good and pretty early on in the race, we realized we were capable of a top-10 car. The first stage was good. We had a lug nut not get engaged on the left rear during the green flag stop in stage two, which we got lucky to even get it back on. We were able to cycle back around to about where we should have been, so that was fortunate. 

From there, there was just a lot of ups and downs. We would restart upfront and then we’d restart in the back; and I can’t even remember what all happened exactly. We had a lot of speed in our No. 1 Advent Health Chevy Camaro. It’s cool to be that fast. I hit a tire on pit road late and that dented in the left front fender; and that ultimately made us too tight to fight for a top-five.”

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 DILLONS / LOUISIANA HOT SAUCE CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 8th

“All-in-all, a really good day and another top-10 for our No. 47 Dillons / Louisiana Hot Sauce Camaro. After starting in the back from our issues in practice yesterday, I’m really happy with the result. We were solid on pit road. We made some good adjustments to get our car better. I felt like I was really strong at points, but we were around an eighth-place car. The top-five were really, really fast, and I didn’t have anything for them. 

I’m really happy with where we ran. We didn’t make any mistakes and brought home another top-10. That was our goal coming in, to try and keep that momentum going.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 9th

“We had a fast No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 today. Greg (Ives, crew chief) and the crew did a good job at keeping me in it and giving me what I needed to stay up front. Super proud of my guys and the hard work they put in each week to continue to learn about the new car and give me what I need to be competitive. The pit crew did a great job on pit road, getting me track position and making solid stops. We will go back to Charlotte and look over all the notes from today’s race and try to get better for Texas next week.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS / TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 13th

“Nice work by everyone on the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet today. It was a lot of hard work and a long day, but we got an okay finish out of it at Kansas Speedway. We had a penalty in Stage 1 for equipment leaving the box, but the pit crew was pretty fast the rest of the day. In Stage 2, we pitted under green just as the caution came out and we had to take the wave around. We rebounded nicely, though, and spent most of Stage 3 in the top-12. The restarts were a struggle today. Our car didn’t really start handling well until about 20 laps into a run, so that’s something we’re going to have to do some work on. We’ve got some work to do but this team will keep digging.”

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 FOCUSFACTOR CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 32nd

“Our FOCUSfactor Chevy was decent today. We started out pretty good, but a little on the free side. The guys made good changes and made a pit call to get us in the top 10 and stage points at the end of stage one. Unfortunately, we had the issue with our tire and getting the right rear off. That kind of ended our day after going multiple laps down. We’ll refocus and head to Texas for the All-Star race.”

STAGE ONE

• Tyler Reddick, No. 8 BetMGM Camaro ZL1, led the field to the green from a front row starting spot; his seventh top-10 starting spot of 2022 and his first in six-career NCS starts at Kansas Speedway. 
• The field saw a variety of pit strategies during a caution on lap 61. Crew Chief Dave Elenz called Erik Jones to pit road for two tires, giving the No. 43 FOCUSfactor Camaro ZL1 the win off pit road; advancing 11 spots ahead of the restart. 
• With a 13-lap dash to the end of Stage One, Ross Chastain powered his No. 1 Advent Health Camaro ZL1 to a runner-up finish in the Stage, leading Chevrolet to four of the top-five and six of the top-10. 
• Other Camaro ZL1’s earning stage points at the conclusion of the 80-lap Stage included

3rd      Chase Elliott, No. 9 UniFirst Camaro ZL1

4th      Tyler Reddick, No. 8 BetMGM Camaro ZL1

5th      William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1 

8th      Erik Jones, No. 43 FOCUSfactor Camaro ZL1

10th    Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1

• Three Chevrolet drivers recorded laps led in Stage One, including Tyler Reddick (24 laps; second-most); Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (3 laps); and Kyle Larson (3 laps

STAGE TWO

• Following a cycle of pit stops at the conclusion of the Stage, Ross Chastain led the field to the green from the front row to start the 85-lap Stage Two. 
• William Byron powered his No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1 to the lead at the beginning of the Stage, becoming the eighth leader of the day. 
• Out in a strong lead, Byron suffered a flat left rear tire, forcing the No. 24 Chevrolet team to come down pit road under green for a four-tire stop; rejoining the field two-laps down. 
• With 41 laps to go in the Stage, Chase Elliott was scored as the leader, preparing to bring his No. 9 UniFirst Camaro ZL1 to pit road when the caution flew. Making a four-tire, fuel and air pressure adjustment stop under the caution, Elliott restarted in the 10th-position with 29 laps left to go in the Stage. 
• At the conclusion of Stage Two, Chase Elliott recorded his second top-five Stage finish of the day, bringing his No. 9 UniFirst Camaro ZL1 to the line in fifth. 
• Joining Elliott in the top-10 of Stage Two included: 

6th      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 

7th      Ross Chastain, No. 1 Advent Health Camaro ZL1 

• With 165 laps in the books, 10 different drivers had held the lead, including six Chevrolet drivers: William Byron (25 laps; third-most); Tyler Reddick (24 laps); Chase Elliott (10 laps); Ross Chastain (4 laps); Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (3 laps); Kyle Larson (3 laps). 

FINAL STAGE/POST-RACE QUICK NOTES

• Kyle Larson and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 team was second off of pit road, giving the team a front row restart position with 65 laps to go. 
• Larson ultimately crossed the finished line in the runner-up position, giving the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet team its seventh top-10 finish of 2022. 
• Ross Chastain finished seventh; Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished eighth; and Alex Bowman finished ninth to give Chevrolet four top-10 finishes. 
• With 13 races in the books, Chevrolet has recorded 36 top-five’s and 63 top-10’s, continuing to lead all manufacturers. 

RICHMOND, VA (May 15, 2022) — Josh Hart and the TechNet Top Fuel dragster team showed their resiliency and mental toughness battling through two days of tricky qualifying conditions. Friday and Saturday as rain showers moved through the Richmond, Virginia area delaying qualifying times and shuffling track temperatures. The team gave each qualifying run their best effort but did not see the results they were looking for. They moved into race day at the No. 13 qualifier on the strength of his final qualifying pass, 3.842 seconds. Hart knew that at NHRA national events like the Virginia Nationals the key is to get into the show because anything can happen on race day.

Josh Hart and TechNet Top Fuel dragster, photo by Auto Imagery

“We didn’t have the results we are accustomed to in qualifying,” said Hart, after three rounds of qualifying. “We missed the tune-up just a little and unfortunately the track wasn’t very forgiving for anyone. The good news is I have an amazing team of talented people led by Ron Douglas, so we have a solid gameplan for race day.”

In the first round Hart faced veteran Clay Millican who he dropped a close semifinal race to at the Arizona Nationals. The second-year driver held a 1-2 record against Millican going into today’s race.  When both cars launched Millican went into immediate smoke and Hart took off on a smooth, quick run. His winning time of 3.801 seconds was his quickest run of the weekend and a testament to his team’s work ethic. The round win evened his head-to-head record with Millican and advanced the young driver to at least the quarterfinals for the fourth time this season.

TechNet Top Fuel team, photo by Auto Imagery

After two days of showers the sun remained out throughout the day today keeping track temperatures on the rise. In the quarterfinals facing the most recent Top Fuel race winner, Mike Salinas, Hart and his TechNet team had lane choice and confidence. Hart was the first off the line with a reaction time advantage and both race cars experienced tire smoke. Each driver battled to regain momentum and Hart’s race car didn’t cooperate as he pedaled the TechNet dragster to no avail. Following the run the team deduced that the pan pressure sensor was tripped and aborted the run. Salinas got to the finish line first, ending Hart’s chances of consecutive semifinal appearances.

“I could not be more proud of this TechNet team,” said Hart. “We struggled in qualifying and came out swinging today in the first round with our backs against the wall. That was a great win for us over a tough team. In the second round I bet I pedaled that TechNet dragster 10 times but with that pan pressure sensor active it didn’t matter. We have a couple weeks off and then we are right back at it.”

Seven races into the season Hart and the TechNet team continue to be one of the most competitive teams on the circuit. In a tough Top Fuel category Hart will head into June sitting seventh in the Camping World points just one round behind his closest competitor. 

Qualifying Results

Q1: 4.181 sec, 203.28 mph; Qual. 14

Q2: 8.666 sec, 82.51 mph; Qual 15

Q3: 3.842 sec, 256.45 mph; Qual. 13

Bonus Points: 0

Race Results

First Round

Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., TechNet dragster, 3.801, 326.87 mph def. Clay Millican, Drummonds, Tenn., Parts Plus dragster, 9.786, 80.10 mph 

Second Round

Mike Salinas, San Jose, Calif., Pep Boys/Scrapper Racing dragster, 6.686, 204.39 mph def. Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., TechNet dragster, 8.512, 87.59 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel

1. Brittany Force                          605

2. Mike Salinas                            526

3. Steve Torrence                        524

4. Justin Ashley                            468

5. Austin Prock                             367

6. Clay Millican                            365

7. Josh Hart                                 345

8. Doug Kalitta                             316

9. Tony Schumacher                    295

10. Shawn Langdon                     269

RICHMOND, VA (May 15, 2022) — Justin Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Shot came out of their hauler at Virginia Motorsports Park ready to make a run for the points lead. Their first two qualifying runs locked them solidly into the top half of the field and his first pass was the second quickest of the session earning the 2020 Rookie of the Year two qualifying bonus points. The team stepped up their efforts on Saturday morning posting an even quicker 3.700 second pass at 325.85 mph. In the final qualifying session after a lengthy rain delay Ashley and his Mike Green tuned Phillips Connect Toyota dragster threw everything at the track making a run for the top spot but they overpowered the conditions and moved into race day as the No. 6 Top Fuel team on the property.

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

In the first round Ashley pulled up beside veteran and multiple time world champion Tony Schumacher. The 2022 Winternationals winner was looking to avenge a first round loss to Schumacher at the NHRA Arizona Nationals earlier this season in their first meeting. Ashley was able to pick his lane and the three-time winner got the jump off the starting line with a strong .049 reaction time. Unfortunately, his Phillips Connect Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Shot which also has backing from Auto Shocker, Lucas Oil, and KATO Fastening Systems overpowered the race track. The immediate loss of traction combined with Schumacher’s unblemished run combined to end Ashley’s race day in the first round.

 “We learn something every race,” said Ashley. “The team is doing great and one round of racing certainly doesn’t affect our attitudes and expectations moving forward. We’ll be ready for the New England Nationals.” 

While his race day was not as successful as hoped Ashley knows that sometimes competition results pay dividends in different forms. The qualifying runs and bonus points contributed to positive takeaways for the third-year driver. The team also gained valuable information heading into the busy stretch run of the summer. 

“I love having Dustin Davis, Mike Green and Tommy DeLago leading this team,” said Ashley. “Those are three smart guys who will take everything we learned this weekend and make this team even better. We are heading into a stretch of racing where we will be at the track almost every weekend and I can’t wait. We have a lot of positive things happening with this Phillips Connect Vita C Shot team.”

Ashley will hold onto his strong position, fourth place, in the NHRA Camping World point standings as the series moves to Epping, New Hampshire, for the New England Nationals in June. 

Qualifying Results

Q1: 3.725 sec, 327.82 mph; Qual. 2

Q2: 3.700 sec, 325.85 mph; Qual. 4

Q3: 9.131 sec, 67.03 mph; Qual. 6

Bonus Points: +2 (2^nd quickest in Q1)

Race Results

First Round

Tony Schumacher, Lakeway, Tex., SCAG dragster, 3.792, 319.52 mph def. Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by Vita C Shot, 8.368, 76.72 mph def. 

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel

1. Brittany Force                          605

2. Mike Salinas                            526

3. Steve Torrence                        524

4. Justin Ashley                           468

5. Austin Prock                             367

6. Clay Millican                            365

7 Josh Hart                                   345

8. Doug Kalitta                             316

9. Tony Schumacher                    295

10. Shawn Langdon                     269

Derani, Nunez co-drive No. 31 Whelen Engineering DPi-V.R to another podium finish

LEXINGTON, Ohio (May 15, 2022) – The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R claimed its second consecutive third-place finish in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition and third podium finish in as many years at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course to pace the Cadillac contingent in the Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio.

After starting fifth in the 2-hour, 40-minute race on the 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course, co-drivers Pipo Derani and Tristan Nunez inherited third place following the lone full-course caution midway through the race and held the position. In 2021 and ’20, the Action Express entry was runner-up at Mid-Ohio. “I think we got the maximum we could out of the car and we delivered,” said Derani, the reigning DPi champion. “Unfortunately, not quite there, but I think we have to be proud of our job finishing as the best Cadillac. The team was flawless all weekend and we’ll take another podium.” The No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R, which earned its third pole start of the season with Sebastien Bourdais behind the wheel, controlled the pace through the first 1 hour, 15 minutes.  Bourdais exited the seat on a pit stop during the caution and Renger van der Zande took the green flag on the restart. Battling the second-place Acura in the winding back section of the track, the cars made light contact in Turn 6, which sent the No. 01 Cadillac off course. Van der Zande quickly recovered, but the opportunity for the second victory this season slipped away. “I think Seb did a fantastic job putting it in the lead. When I got in I struggled with the tires on the restart. I tried to keep the position in first but lost control of the car by a little touch,” van der Zande said. “It’s tough to keep a fast car behind when dealing with low grip. It’s a shame. I think we had a good shot at winning with a good car and a good strategy. We are onto Detroit next, which is an important one for Cadillac.” Bourdais and van der Zande combined to lead a class-high 61 f the 121 laps and finished fifth overall. The No. 10 Acura went on to win the race. Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn teamed to finish fourth in the No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R, while Richard Westbrook and Tristan Vautier co-drove the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R to sixth place. Cadillac teams return to competition June 3-4 for the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic on the 2.35-mile, 14-turn temporary street course on Belle Isle in Detroit. The No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R won the 2021 race from the pole. The USA Network will telecast the 100-minute race live at 3 p.m. ET Saturday, June 4.

Cadillac Racing results and quotes

No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.RPipo Derani, Tristan NunezFinish: Third Start: FifthPipo Derani: “We have to be proud. The 31 Whelen Engineering team did a fantastic job this weekend. I think we got the maximum we could out of the car and we delivered. Unfortunately, not quite there, but I think we have to be proud of our job finishing as the best Cadillac. The team was flawless all weekend and we’ll take another podium.” Tristan Nunez: “It all kind of fell in our laps toward the end. Once again, we were the strongest Cadillac, which is good. And good for points. We go to our home turf next race and hopefully we’ll have better overall pace, which I think we will. Cadillacs are always strong at Belle Isle. Looking forward to getting to Detroit and banking some more strong results.” No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.REarl Bamber, Alex LynnFinish: Fourth Start: FourthEarl Bamber: “Tough race for us today. Our team had two really quick cars. We had an issue with the stop, which put us behind the 5 car. We recovered back to fourth, but I think third was on the table. Now, we look forward to Detroit, which is a good rack for Cadillac, and we need to score big points there.” Alex Lynn: “Not the day we dreamed of today. I thought we had a chance at third and could’ve stole a podium. In the end, Fourth place is important points for the championship. We will regroup and improve and come back for Detroit.” No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.RRenger van der Zande, Sebastien BourdaisFinish: Fifth Start: FirstRenger van der Zande: “I think Seb did a fantastic job putting it in the lead. When I got in I struggled with the tires on the restart. I tried to keep the position in first but lost control of the car by a little touch. It’s tough to keep a fast car behind when dealing with low grip. It’s a shame. I think we had a good shot at winning with a good car and a good strategy. We are onto Detroit next which is an important one for Cadillac.” Sebastien Bourdais: “It was a more eventful run than we wanted. We did not get a the start we wanted being in the safety car map. At that point, we lost the lead and wasn’t looking great. Fortunately, we got a couple of lucky breaks and put big pressure on the 10 car to retake the lead. We seemed to be under control with how fast the car was. The yellow came at the wrong time for us. Renger did everything he could to keep them behind. Unfortunately, it did not pan out for us. It was a good weekend for us, so obviously disappointed we did not come out with more points. We will keep digging and hope for better days.” No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.RTristan Vautier, Richard WestbrookFinish: Sixth Start: SixthTristan Vautier: “My stint on the qualifying tires was really hard. I lost the rears early on, and I was struggling throughout my stint. I think the track kind of came to us near the end, so it’s a shame that we couldn’t put it together. I was a trying weekend for us. We would have liked to have a solid result out of it, so our eyes are on Detroit.” Richard Westbrook: “We salvaged the most of it. I lost downforce and then run wide through Turn 1 and that really damaged the front splitter. Then it was just a case of bringing it home. I feel so bad for the guys. We had a good car in traffic, but when you go through the dirt in Turn 1 you give everything up. We worked so hard this weekend to get a decent car for the race and it looked like we had one.”

(5/14/2022 – Alex Nieten) Hanford, CA… Dominic Scelzi summed up his 2022 Peter Murphy Classic victory at Hanford’s Keller Auto Speedway with just six words.

“Better to be lucky than good,” Scelzi said to open his victory lane interview.

The reigning NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Car champion found himself in the right place at the right time with just nine laps to go when Justin Sanders and Corey Day collided in turn four while battling for the lead, taking each other out of contention.

The incident gifted the lead to the Red Rose Transportation/Whipple Superchargers No. 41 piloted by Scelzi, who started the race from 12th, and he went on to sweep the NARC portion of the Peter Murphy Classic after claiming the opener at Tulare on Friday and Saturday’s finale in Hanford. The victory was Scelzi’s fourth NARC triumph at Keller Auto Speedway, making the three-eighths mile the winningest track on his NARC resumé.

And perhaps the most meaningful statistic to Scelzi is that he became the first driver in the Peter Murphy Classic’s eight year history to win the $11,000 NARC finale twice after he claimed last year’s edition, too.

“I would not be here if it wasn’t for Peter,” Scelzi said. “He dug me out of the darkest spot of my career as a young kid. He made me keep going, and I will forever be thankful for that.”

The race was brought to green by Justin Sanders and Kerry Madsen. Sanders darted ahead as Max Mittry ripped the topside around Madsen into the runner-up spot.

Sanders opened up a commanding lead early on as Corey Day began to charge toward the front. First Day and Colby Copeland nearly got together dueling for fourth with Day coming out on top. Then Day made quick work of Madsen and Mittry and set his sights on a distant Sanders who navigated traffic.

The race’s first yellow flew on lap 11 when Madsen spun in turn one. D.J. Netto inherited the fifth spot that Madsen had held as a result.

On the restart with 20 laps remaining Day got an excellent jump and squeezed to Sanders’ inside entering turn one. The two drifted high exiting turn two with Day completing the slider and immediately setting sail.

Behind them, Scelzi made a couple moves to power into fourth after restarting in sixth. The No. 41 machine prepared by Jimmy Carr made Scelzi’s life easier as he charged from row six throughout the race’s opening half.

“When we pushed out onto the racetrack before the feature, I saw Jimmy walk past my car and he was wearing my shirt, so I knew we were going to be pretty good,” Scelzi joked.

“It’s been amazing,” Scelzi added. It’s been incredible. He’s changed my entire life… He made a driver out of me. He taught me how to win races and how to race.”

Scelzi climbed onto the podium by passing Colby Copeland on lap 14, and shortly after disaster struck for the leaders.

Day, who had built a considerable lead, drifted high out of turn two and off track down the backstretch on lap 21. As a result, Sanders had a huge run into turn three and threw a slider, clearing Day but drifting slightly above the rubber that was starting to develop in turn four. Day stayed in the rubber and dove under Sanders, but Day’s right rear hit Sanders’ left front, sending Day on a wild slide down the front stretch and breaking Sanders’ front end. Both of their nights were done.

Their troubles were Scelzi’s good fortune as he took over the top spot.

“I felt like we were, honestly, as good as the 14 (Day) and 57 (Sanders) and we closed in on both,” Scelzi explained. “But as it started getting abrasive I felt like there was no way. I wasn’t really paying attention to how Sanders slid Corey, but I was probably half a straightaway back trying to conserve tire, hoping maybe they’d get too antsy and lose a tire. When I saw them start racing I just said ‘okay I’ve got one or two laps to get right there and hope something happens.’ And when it did I was just far enough away to miss it.”

After Scelzi inherited the lead, he drove away unchallenged on the ensuing restart to claim his 17th career NARC win with a 1.3 second advantage over Copeland.

“We got lucky tonight, but nobody’s going to give a crap in two days,” Scelzi said. “Whether we got lucky or not, we won. We got the check. We got the trophy. We got the wine. We got everything.”

Copeland’s runner-up in Larry Anaya’s Fire Protection Management No. 16A kept his perfect top-two streak alive. He’s raced in three of the four NARC races this year with finishes of first, second, and second.

“Second is obviously great with this kind of competition,” Copeland said. “Larry (Antaya) and Jim (Vanlare) gave me a great car, just need to do a little fine tuning to keep up with Dominic.”

Completing the podium was the 2019 champion D.J. Netto in his Netto Ag/Penny Newman Grain No. 88N.

The balance of the top-10 included Mitchell Faccinto, Kalib Henry, Max Mittry, Craig Stidham Willie Croft, Bud Kaeding, and Chase Johnson

FUJITSU GENERAL USA FEATURE (30 laps): 1. Dominic Scelzi 41 2. Colby Copeland 16A 3. D.J. Netto 88N 4. Mitchell Faccinto 21 5. Kalib Henry 17 6. Max Mittry 2X 7. Craig Stidham 36 8. Willie Croft 29 9. Bud Kaeding 69 10. Chase Johnson 24 11. Mitchel Moles 01 12. Robbie Price 21P 13. Michael Faccinto 56 14. Garen Linder 22 15. Dylan Bloomfield 11 16. Nick Parker 115 17. Corey Day 14 18. Justin Sanders 57 19. Joel Myers Jr. 83V 20. Shane Golobic 17W 21. Kerry Madsen 83JR 22. Landon Brooks 5V 23. Kaleb Montgomery 3 24. Tim Kaeding 42X

HOOSIER TIRE LAP LEADERS: Sanders 1-11, Day 12-21, Scelzi 22-30

ARP FAST QUALIFIER (31 Cars): Kerry Madsen 13.623

BROWN AND MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS HEAT ONE (8 laps): Faccinto, Myers Jr., Brooks, Madsen, Henry, Bloomfield, Forler, Faria

KIMO’s TROPICAL CAR WASH HEAT TWO (8 laps): Netto, Stidham, Day, Kaeding, Johnson, Moles, Kent, Shaw

DIRT.TRAVEL CLUB HEAT THREE (8 laps): Copeland, Sanders, Croft, Scelzi, Golobic, Linder, Aton, Foland

KAEDING PERFORMANCE HEAT FOUR (8 laps): Faccinto, Mittry, Montgomery, Kaeding, Price, Parker, Strole

SUNNYVALLEY “POWERED BY BACON” POLE SHUFFLE: Mittry/Brooks: Mittry, Mittry/Netto: Mittry, Mittry/Madsen: Madsen, Madsen/Day: Madsen, Madsen/Sanders: Sanders

STARR PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SEMI (12 laps): Bloomfield, Parker, Moles, Linder, Faria, Aton, Forler, Shaw, Kent, Foland Jr., Strole

Race-Long Leader Jacob Allen Ran Out of Fuel on Final Restart

MECHANICSBURG, PA – May 14, 2022 – One yellow flag is what changed it all in Saturday’s Morgan Cup finale at Williams Grove Speedway.

Hanover’s Jacob Allen was poised to complete a storybook week, sweeping a swing through his home state of Pennsylvania with first-career wins at Lincoln Speedway and now Williams Grove. It was the perfect ending to a perfect week in Posse-land, but then the Shark Racing #1A started sputtering as the Newman Racing Engines powerplant starved for fuel with only two to go.

Allen had controlled the first 28 laps of the 30 lapper and was pursuing a perfect night with a QuickTime, Heat win, and Dash victory when disaster struck as the caution flew moments prior to the white flag waving. It was at that moment that Allen knew he had no shot of hanging on.

“I knew immediately when the caution flew that I wasn’t gonna make it,” Allen told DIRTVision afterward. “I feel like if we stayed green that I could’ve limped it home, but I still don’t know if I could’ve survived for the win. It’s just the name of the game. We’ll come back next time with a different strategy and we won’t run out.”

While Allen went from hero to zero, behind him in the right place at the right time was fellow Pennsylvanian, Brent Marks.

The Myerstown Missile, in fuel conservation mode himself, fought off a bad vibration and non-existent brakes to seize control of the lead with the white flag waving. He survived the final mile with ease and took the Murray-Marks Motorsports #19 to victory lane with $17,500 and the Morgan Cup trophy awaiting him.

Although he’s Pennsylvania’s “truest Outlaw,” Marks’ victory goes on the scoreboard for the Posse with the rivalry tied at 1-1 with another seven races scheduled this year in The Keystone State. Saturday marked his ninth career win with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the 14th of his career at Williams Grove Speedway.

“It’s great to win any of these World of Outlaws races, but these higher-paying ones feel even better,” Marks said. “There’s no doubt we got extremely lucky, but we had to be in that position to get it done. I can’t thank my guys Fud [Dennis Christ] and Heath [Moyle] enough. We destroyed a car on Wednesday, built this thing on Thursday, and here we are in victory lane.”

Following an hour-long rain delay, racing resumed at 11:00 pm on Saturday with air density, fueling, and weight becoming crucial factors in the program. While Allen ultimately ran out, it was on the mind of Marks as well and may have won him the race.

“I tried to save as much as I could under yellows by staying totally off the throttle and leaning the engine out as much as possible,” Marks noted on his fuel conservation. “I was running out near the end of the Dash and with how fast the pace was tonight I knew we should be worried. The track turned out to be pretty sporty after the rainstorm, and we did just enough to make it all the way.”

For Marks, he now owns wins from each of the three World of Outlaws trips to Williams Grove – Morgan Cup in May, Summer Nationals in July, and National Open in October.

For Allen, he barely missed out on earning back-to-back wins for the first time in his career, which would’ve given him three World of Outlaws victories in the last six weeks.

“Sometimes the cards just don’t fall your way,” Allen added.” It’s life, though, it goes on. I’m proud of myself and I’m proud of this team. I’m thrilled with how fast we are lately. Being competitive nightly with the World of Outlaws is such a surreal feeling.”

The drama didn’t end with Allen’s fuel light as Carson Macedo crossed the finish line in second place, but failed to meet the post-race minimum weight requirement and thus was disqualified. The wild turn of events took the Jason Johnson Racing #41 from taking over the championship lead to being back down to third and behind by -42 points.

Assuming the runner-up result by default was Sheldon Haudenshild aboard the NOS Energy Drink, Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing #17. He was joined on the podium for the first time in 2022 by third-place finisher Rico Abreu, continuing to show speed since welcoming renowned Crew Chief Ricky Warner to the #24 team.

Rounding out the top-10 at Williams Grove was Donny Schatz in fourth, Logan Schuchart in fifth, David Gravel in sixth, Brad Sweet in seventh, Spencer Bayston in eighth, James McFadden in ninth, and Giovanni Scelzi in tenth.

UP NEXT (Fri-Sat) – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will head to New Jersey and Ohio next week. Three races in five nights will take the Series to Bridgeport Motorsports Park on Tuesday. May 17, then Attica Raceway Park on Friday, May 20, and finally Sharon Speedway on Saturday, May 21. Fans can BUY TICKETS HERE, or watch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.

NOS Energy Drink Feature Results (30 Laps) – 1. 19-Brent Marks [4][$17,000]; 2. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [2][$6,000]; 3. 24-Rico Abreu [3][$3,500]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [8][$2,800]; 5. 1S-Logan Schuchart [9][$2,500]; 6. 2-David Gravel [7][$2,300]; 7. 49-Brad Sweet [10][$2,200]; 8. 5-Spencer Bayston [11][$2,100]; 9. 83-James McFadden [21][$2,050]; 10. 18-Giovanni Scelzi [18][$2,000]; 11. 48-Danny Dietrich [24][$1,600]; 12. 27-Devon Borden [26][$400]; 13. 5C-Dylan Cisney [13][$1,200]; 14. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [16][$1,100]; 15. 67-Justin Whittall [23][$1,050]; 16. 1A-Jacob Allen [1][$1,000]; 17. 11-TJ Stutts [14][$1,000]; 18. 39M-Anthony Macri [15][$1,000]; 19. 19R-Matt Campbell [6][$1,000]; 20. 44-Dylan Norris [25][$]; 21. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [20][$1,000]; 22. 69K-Lance Dewease [17][$1,000]; 23. 99M-Kyle Moody [19][$1,000]; 24. 6D-Ryan Smith [22][$1,000]; 25. 15H-Sam Hafertepe [12][$1,000]; 26. 41-Carson Macedo [5][$1,000]. Lap Leaders: Jacob Allen 1-28, Brent Marks 29-30. KSE Hard Charger Award: 27-Devon Borden[+14]

NEW Championship Standings (After 19/78 Races): 1. Brad Sweet (2,638); 2. David Gravel (-24); 3. Carson Macedo (-42); 4. Sheldon Haudenschild (-82); 5. Logan Schuchart (-102); 6. Spencer Bayston (-132); 7. Donny Schatz (-144); 8. James McFadden (-162); 9. Jacob Allen (-224); 10. Brock Zearfoss (-324).

DINWIDDIE, Va. (May 14, 2022) – David Janac, in his Janac Brothers Ford Cobra Jet, secured the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown No.1 qualifying position Saturday at the Virginia NHRA Nationals. Through a rain riddled two days of qualifying, Janac’s 7.711-second pass at 178.92 mph from Friday afternoon held up through two qualifying rounds before Mother Nature took over.

“We’re plenty excited about that No. 1 qualifier. We’re on a learning curve with this car, so we put together something we thought the car would do and everything went fantastic. Everything went great and we were really happy with that run,” said Janac who will line up against Lee Hartman and his Carrier Service Group Dodge Drag Pak in the first round. “I think we’ve got good data to be competitive tomorrow. It’s going to come down to being able to go from A-to-B. That’s going to be our focus and if we can do that without making mistakes, I think we’ll be in good shape.”

No. 1 qualifier David Janac, photo by Auto Imagery

A monster match-up in the first round of eliminations is the duel against David Barton in his Saw Mill Auto COPO Camaro and Mark Pawuk in his DSR Empaco Equipment Dodge Drag Pak. The pair have faced each other in both previous Factory Stock Showdown 2022 events. Both times Barton defeated Pawuk on a holeshot. 

“Wish we had a third qualifying session here at Virginia Motorsports Park, but Mother Nature had other plans tonight,” Pawuk said. “I’ve had some bad luck against David in the past. A couple of red-lights and luck on his side, really. I think it’s our turn to get the win-light tomorrow, just have to make sure the driver does his job.”

With his win at the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, Bill Skillman and the Ray Skillman Ford Cobra Jet now have the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown Bounty Program target on their backs worth $1,000. 

Anthony Troyer and his Troyer Brother COPO Camaro will be the first to have a chance at the $1,000 bounty when he lines up against Skillman in the first round. Skillman earned the No. 3 spot with a 7.788-second pass at 178.40 mph while Troyer qualified in the No. 14 position with a 7.889 at 174.39.

Eliminations at the Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park for the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown will begin Sunday at 1:30 p.m. 

First Round Matchups: 

No. 1 David Janac vs. No. 16 Lee Hartman

No. 2 Aaron Stanfield vs. No. 15 Donald Belles

No. 3 Bill Skillman vs. No. 14 Anthony Troyer

No. 4 Stephen Bell vs. No. 13 David Davies II

No. 5 Ricky Hord vs. No. 12 Jesse Alexandra

No. 6 Lenny Lottig vs. No. 11 Scott Libersher

No. 7 David Barton vs. No. 10 Mark Pawuk

No. 8 Daniel Condon vs. No. 9 Warren Walcher

JFR DRAGSTERS QUALIFY TOP TWO AT VIRGINIA NHRA NATIONALS; BRITTANY FORCE EARNS SECOND NO. 1 OF THE SEASON

DINWIDDIE, Va. (May 14, 2022) – It was a battle between the John Force Racing Top Fuel dragsters on day two of the Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park. Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team would prevail setting the track record ET for their second No. 1 of the season. Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team would have to settle for No. 2. In Funny Car, Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS would improve to No. 10 while John Force and the PEAK / BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevy would end up No. 12. Coming into the day already in the No. 1 spot, Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac team had been shifted down to No. 7 before they laid down a blistering 3.669-second pass at 334.98 mph to set the track ET record and take back the No. 1 position. In their final qualifying try, with nothing really to prove, Force and her David Grubnic and Mac Savage tuned Flav-R-Pac dragster set the track record ET for the third time when they blasted to a 3.654 at 333.33. “That was outstanding for this Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac team, improving and improving with each run,” said Force who has a bye in the first round. “Now the hard part is doing that tomorrow (during eliminations). That’s going to be the tough one, but as long as we can make some consistent runs all day tomorrow, I think we should be good. I have confidence in this team and confidence in myself in getting down this track. This is one of the best tracks we’ve been one. It’s smooth and it felt fast, so we were really happy with it.” After making a clean bassline run on Friday afternoon, Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / RMT team brought their A-game to temporarily set the track ET record and earn the No. 1 spot with a career best 3.672-second run at 326.87 mph. Prock would end the second qualifying session in the No. 2 spot and hold on despite shutting off early in the third session to coast to an 8.596 at 76.77. “It’s been a great weekend in Richmond so far. This Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team is really coming along nice. I watched the team service, and they look like a well-oiled machine, the crew chiefs have that confidence in their eyes,” said Prock who will face Lex Joon round one. “I’m excited for tomorrow. We ran a career best this afternoon. It was an impressive run. To top it off, the JFR dragsters are sitting No. 1 and 2 rolling into Sunday, giving us a chance to meet in the finals.” Robert Hight and the Auto Club team improved in their second qualifying run despite running into tire smoke. Hight pedaled his way to a 5.623-second pass at 135.41 mph and would stay No. 12. In the final session, Hight would improve once again improve despite not making a clean pass at 4.017 at 270.64 to settle into the No. 10 position. “Bit of a rough start to the weekend but only tomorrow matters,” said Hight who will race Tim Wilkerson round one. “Tomorrow everything is different, the weather, the conditions, everyone will be in the same situation and I’m confident this Auto Club team will be ready to go. We’ll just get out there and try to turn on some win lights to end up in the winner’s circle.” John Force and the BlueDEF Chevy ran into trouble early both session on Saturday afternoon and evening. Force would first coast to an 8.273-second pass at 84.82 mph and then to an 8.459 at 85.99. The PEAK team would drop to the No. 12 spot off their 4.094 run at 323.58 mph on Friday. “Well tomorrow is race day, it’s when it matters. We’ll be ready to go,” said Force who runs J.R. Todd to open eliminations. “Those dragsters are running well, Brittany with Flav-R-Pac and Prock out there with Montana Brand. Conditions will be different tomorrow, it will be warmer, humid. So it will be something new from what we’ve seen all weekend. We’ll just have to get out there and go some rounds and see how it goes.” Eliminations at the Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park are slated for Sunday at noon. The Virginia NHRA Nationals television coverage will continue on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with a second qualifying show Sunday at 9:00 a.m. ET. Finals coverage will air Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET.   -30-

AUSTIN PROCK, 26, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist DragsterQualifying:2nd; 3.672-seconds; 326.87 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+2 (2nd quickest Q2)BRITTANY FORCE, 35, Monster Energy DragsterQualifying:1st; 3.710-seconds; 335.82 mphBonus Qualifying Points: +9 (quickest Q1, Q2, Q3)JOHN FORCE, 73, PEAK / BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:12th; 4.094-seconds; 323.58 mphBonus Qualifying Points: 0ROBERT HIGHT, 52, Auto Club of Southern California Chevy Camaro SSQualifying:12th; 8.517-seconds; 384.37 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES GMR GRAND PRIX INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE RECAP MAY 14, 2022

Power Grabs Points Lead After Crazy Day at IndianapolisTeam Penske driver leads Team Chevy with third at GMR Grand PrixINDIANAPOLIS (May 14, 2022) – Team Penske’s Will Power may not have turned his Friday pole position into a victory, but his third-place finish in Saturday’s GMR Grand Prix moved the driver of the No. 12 Verizon 5G Chevrolet into the championship lead of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES heading into the Indianapolis 500. Power was the highest-finishing Chevrolet driver in a wild, wet and wacky rain-shortened race around the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. The event ran 75 of the scheduled 85 laps and featured eight full-course caution periods. Power led a group of four Team Chevy drivers to finish in the top-10 Saturday: · Fifth: Conor Daly, No. 20 BitNile Chevrolet, Ed Carpenter Racing· Sixth: Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 McLaren Vuse Chevrolet, Arrow McLaren SP· Seventh: Callum Ilott, No. 77 Dynamic Edge Chevrolet, Juncos Hollinger Racing Colton Herta (Honda) was the race winner. The next race for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 29. TEAM CHEVY QUOTESWILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON 5G CHEVROLET, TEAM PENSKE – FINISHED THIRD: “Cars were dropping like flies! It was such a hard choice on whether to get the slicks, which could have been the best strategy out there – or go for the wets. It’s so crazy, this place. When you look around, it can be completely raining on the frontstretch and you go around to the back and it’s completely dry. It was really anyone’s guess at what was going to happen. We got to the point where it was too wet, we were going to get caught out and we needed to take wets.”MORE ON TIRE CHOICES: “This is an Indianapolis-type day! I’ve had races here where we’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting for it to rain, and it just doesn’t rain. The cell just stops there. There must be some kind of vortex in the Speedway here that just doesn’t allow weather!” CONOR DALY, NO. 20 BITNILE CHEVROLET, ED CARPENTER RACING – FINISHED FOURTH: “I truly don’t think I’ve ever been through anything like that! It was raining, then it was sunny, then it was raining again and then you couldn’t see anything! Once we got off the wet tires at the start and onto the reds, we lost so much grip. It felt like something got on the tire, it was like they had gone off immediately. As soon as we put on the next set of reds, we were flying again. I didn’t forget how to drive in the first stint and remember in the second, it was so weird! I really wanted a trophy from here, but this is a great way to start the month. We wanted to rebound here, we knew we had a fast car, had a great qualifying, we executed all weekend, which is exactly what we wanted.” FELIX ROSENQVIST, NO. 7 McLAREN VUSE CHEVROLET, ARROW McLAREN RACING SP – FINISHED SIXTH: “That race had so many swings. We had a perfect race at the beginning. We went one lap longer than Herta and Pato, so we were in the best fuel and tire situation. Everything looked really good but then on the restart, there was contract in front of me and I couldn’t avoid it. Pato was able to keep going but I stalled. Then we were a lap behind but we were able to get that back. Finally, on the last stint, we nailed the stint and we went from 18th to 6th in the course of about ten laps. That  CALLUM ILOTT, NO. 77 DYNAMIC EDGE CHEVROLET, JUNCOS HOLLINGER RACING – FINISHED SEVENTH: “It’s our best finish so far this year. It was a bit of an up-and-down race. We had to find our feet a little bit at the beginning. I managed to start making way through and had some good running in the mixed conditions. We were kind of a bit late on one of the calls to box for wets. We dropped a couple of places but managed to make a couple back. I couldn’t see anything at the end. It was more about survival and hanging on at that point. There was so much water and spray everywhere. For the team, for Juncos Holinger, Chevy and our single-car team, a top-eight result is a big reward in this race. What an amazing result. Let’s try and get some more.” TATIANA CALDERON, NO. 11 ROKIT CHEVROLET, AJ FOYT RACING – FINISHED 15TH:”  “It was pretty crazy with the rain. It stopped and then it stopped and then it rained at the end. The team did a great job on the pitstops. We had the right strategy and made the right decisions. I’m very thankful for that. Unfortunately on the last restart, we got hit from behind so I think we could have finished a little higher up. Nevertheless, I’m happy I’m fighting people and making some overtakes. I had a lot of fun.” PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 McLAREN VUSE CHEVROLET, ARROW McLAREN RACING SP – FINISHED 17TH: “Today was probably the craziest race I have been in in IndyCar. I feel like the team deserved so much more today. I really, really do. Nobody was quicker than us with rain tires and we were really strong in the dry as well. We put ourselves in a position to challenge for the win after spinning but we made a gamble and didn’t make the right tire choice. Mother nature brought more rain and made it impossible to drive on slick tires. That’s how racing goes sometimes. It was a fun and entertaining race but the outcome was disappointing.” SCOTT McLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 SNAP-ON CHEVROLET, TEAM PENSKE – FINISHED 18TH:RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 BUILDING TOMORROW CHEVROLET, ED CARPENTER RACING – FINISHED 23RD:“Not the result we needed! The start was the first time ever in the rain with an Indy car for me, second ever car race in the rain. It started out pretty well, we got a few spots at the start. Then we had a great pit stop and got a few more people. On the slicks, it was pretty good and I was very happy. Then people got to shoving each other a lot, into the grass, which I was a victim of a few times. One time I got all the way off and got hit, which broke the undertray of my car. We basically finished the race just to finish and get what points we could. It was a bummer, I think we could have really challenged, every call we made on the radio was the right call. I think we could have really powered to the front, but, on to the next one!” JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 6 ARROW McLAREN SP CHEVROLET, ARROW McLAREN RACING SP – FINISHED 24TH: “Despite the result, it was a really good day for the No. 6 Arrow McLaren SP team. I told them we had a really good car and that I hadn’t used it well all weekend because I have just been behind the car. The extra laps during the race, I started to get more comfortable and started passing people. I was much more comfortable than last year. My engineers have done a really good job with the car. I’m really encouraged for the Indy 500. It’s a shame that at the end, I couldn’t really see anything. The aeroscreen was all fogged up and I couldn’t see. Overall, it was a good race and we should have had a good result.” JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 PPG CHEVROLET, TEAM PENSKE – FINISHED 25TH:  KYLE KIRKWOOD, NO. 14 ROKIT CHEVROLET, AJ FOYT RACING – FINISHED 26TH: “Unfortunately we ended the INDY GP a too early. I think we finished 53 of the 85 laps we were supposed to run. We had quite a good race up until that point. The weather went the opposite direction of what our strategy was. We were running second there and went off strategy there and then put on the wrong set of tires too early and unfortunately that didn’t work out for us. Then when it cycled back and we lost a lap or maybe two and then got hit hard by another competitor and that ended it up for us. Indy 500 is next.” DALTON KELLETT, NO. 4 K-LINE INSULATORS CHEVROLET, AJ FOYT RACING – FINISHED 27TH:  “We had contact that ended our race a little early, which is too bad. We had a good race going. We weren’t really where we wanted to be in terms of qualifying and pace, so it was good to see that we were able to race well and be up there. We could make some moves and be in a better spot than where we started out. I’m happy with that, at least. Obviously we wanted to complete the race and get a good finish. There are some good positives to take from this and bank those for the next road-course race at Road America after Detroit. Now we’re on to oval mode. I’m looking forward to being back here in a couple of days and get in our Indy 500 car.” Will PowerPress ConferenceTHE MODERATOR: I asked Conor, where do you begin with a day like this? But where do you begin? It was a crazy day for everyone. Simon, we’ll begin with you coming in second today. Crazy day.SIMON PAGENAUD: You tell me. Oh my God, that was nuts. The weather, we should have a button just to spray some water on the track I think because the racing was phenomenal.Strategy was also the name of the game today. Choosing the right time at the right time. Waiting for the rain. Not sure it was coming. It was coming. Then just amazing. Amazing succession of events.Just really proud of my team. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to show results, but the potential has been there the whole time, so I’m really proud that today we were able to show all the hard work that has been done in the background by Mike Shank and everybody at Meyer Shank Racing.I’m just very proud of my guys, my whole team. The pit stops were great. We keep pushing. We’re going to keep pushing. Yeah, just super awesome.I just wish I could repeat the story. I was hoping I could catch back up to Will with that win, but I just couldn’t see. I don’t know about you, Will, but I couldn’t see anything. I couldn’t drive. I was just surviving at the end.I’m very thankful that INDYCAR let us race. That is something to me in these conditions it shows a different set of skills, and it’s treacherous, but that’s our job to go out there and give the best we can. And I’m thankful that they let us race in these conditions. Yeah, to me it was awesome racing today.THE MODERATOR: For Will. Yeah, go ahead.WILL POWER: At the end there, man, you could not see a thing. There was a spray in front of me. I don’t know how it was behind the one car, but just the two car, I couldn’t imagine being back in tenth, man.You don’t know if someone is braking early or you are kind of looking to the fence to get a reference, you kind of lift early. You don’t want to lift too early because no one can see from behind.Yeah, pretty crazy day. One to stay on your toes and know when to pick the right tire and definitely not overdo it. Yeah, real happy with third with a day like that. Just survival.THE MODERATOR: Good points today. It’s not about points, but it kind of is at the end of the day.WILL POWER: Yeah, it is, and those sort of days you’re thinking points when you see Palou out and you see Newgarden out and a couple of the main contenders that you are going to be fighting. You start thinking a little bit that way, yeah.WILL POWER: I’m not having issues with the spark plugs and brakes, and what else went wrong? The car is not starting. They were pretty good results right there. (Laughing).THE MODERATOR: We’ll see what happens when you leave the team.WILL POWER: Just changed my whole mentality.WILL POWER: It’s good because I’m kind of the lone guy. I’m the older guy, and you have the two young blokes, good mates. I’m just getting the work done. Actually, it’s been a good thing from me. I put my head down and do the work.WILL POWER: Not screwing around with Josef in the office. It’s working out good.THE MODERATOR: I’m glad you guys are friends. (Laughing).Q. Elaborate a little bit on the Aeroscreen. Conor said the thing that surprised him was the water seemed to kind of pool right in the middle of the vision, and he said he thought that at speed it would have blown away, but it didn’t. What were some of the surprises you saw in the first rain test of the Aeroscreen?WILL POWER: Actually, I didn’t have much problem with the rain. The worst part for me was when it was half wet. We’re on drys, and you have kind of that gritty just dirt on top of water. That was when I struggled to see a little bit, but in the full wet, I mean, the biggest problem for me was the spray from the cars.There’s really nothing can you do about that with open-wheel cars. It’s just going to be a lot of spray. Honestly, it was on the edge of whether we should have been running right at the end there. It was starting to get a bit of aquaplane.WILL POWER: Did you have any moments going around?WILL POWER: 12, man, going around that one. It was wide open. Just like suddenly –WILL POWER: I was lifting, and it still was doing a bit of that. I was like, oof, probably should go red here.Q. For both of you guys real quick, did you get less wet in the cockpit because of the Aeroscreen, or do you feel as wet as you have ever been in a rain race?WILL POWER: You have less for sure. At the end when it was really raining, you started to get some dribbles in, but not terrible. I really got nothing on my visor. A lot less wet, yeah.Q. For both. We’re coming off the Barber race where I think it was the record or one near record podium age. Now we have two veterans on the podium here. Was the rain part of that, or is it just the track, your prowess here? What was the key to you guys on the podium?WILL POWER: I would say experience definitely counts in these races to not get caught out or put yourself in a bad situation, so yeah, it’s no surprise to me to see Simon up there. It’s cool to have both of us on the podium together again at this track.Q. For Will. You mentioned points, and you thought it was a good points racing day. Have you always thought points behind the wheel, or is that something you shifted over the years more long-term than short-term?WILL POWER: Yeah, honestly it’s not that good to think about points, but sometimes you have to be smart about it if you’re — you know Palou is going to be the guy and, obviously, Newgarden as well. It’s just one of those days where if you can finish in the top six, you’re going to get a good chunk of points on those guys.If I had the car to win and the chance to win without big risk, I would definitely have gone for it. If it had been a constant condition, it would have been a different story, but it was just too easy to get caught out by a patch of water. It’s just a day to be smart and finish.Q. A couple of things. I’m looking at a screen right now. There’s a dozen safety vehicles down in turn one trying to clear standing water so they can run the Lights race. Was it starting to puddle up out there, or was it okay for most of the race?WILL POWER: It actually wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t terrible at the end. Only going around when you go around out of 10 to 12. That was the only place where you were actually starting to get aquaplane.Q. Then I guess my other question: How difficult was it, especially when you saw guys out there on slicks and you knew that you weren’t sure they were going to go. McLaughlin, O’Ward, these guys are out there on slicks. You’re trying to go green again. They kept spinning under yellow. Were you shocked that they were even trying it?WILL POWER: Palou, no. He can hold to a car.WILL POWER: Very impressive. At the end of the day, it blew my mind that Palou kept hanging out. I thought maybe they red-flagged this, and he gets that second position. That was smart. He was going to hang on as long as he could because if it goes green again and he survives turn one, two, and there’s a crash, he is in the same position. Yeah, he is someone that can hang on to a car like no one else.Q. That one restart where we did have the slicks on, that was impressive that he didn’t just —WILL POWER: I didn’t see how he went through, but was he pretty good speed?WILL POWER: Coming on the straightaway.SIMON PAGENAUD: Crazy, man. I was happy to be on rain tires. (Laughing).WILL POWER: Yeah, yeah, big time.SIMON PAGENAUD: I didn’t want to be him.Q. Was this stressful or fun? How would you rate it?SIMON PAGENAUD: Both. I think it goes together. I think it’s even more rewarding when it’s stressful and when you make yourself come out of a tricky situation. So definitely one of my most — like right now I feel like that is one of my most rewarding finishes just because of how tricky it was to make all these decisions and discuss with the team the entire race.Definitely the driver had to be a big part of the strategy today and the calls, and then you have to have your team behind you to support that. That was really cool for all these reasons.Q. The pit stop on I think it was around lap 56 everyone in the commentary booth and up here we were all wondering, are you going to switch to reds or wets? Everyone went for slicks. How close was it in terms of your — presumably it’s the driver’s call at that stage rather than the team’s, right?WILL POWER: No.WILL POWER: Yeah.WILL POWER: The rain tire they almost need an intermediate. It’s too soft for — a bit more than damp conditions just destroys the tire. They finally felt good at the end there.WILL POWER: When it was really, really wet. We need something in between.Q. Did you have very bad pit stop for the first time this year, Will, at one point when and you Rossi went in and you emerged behind way down the group? You got in in fifth and came out in kind of, like, tenth out of the group.WILL POWER: No, I don’t think so. No. I don’t think we had — oh, yeah, we did have — something happened on one of the stops. I do remember, yeah. Maybe we did have WILL POWER: What do you mean? Oh, yeah.WILL POWER: We did actually have one. Yeah. (Laughing).Q. My apologies if this was asked earlier. Back at the open test everyone was talking about the sealer this or sealer that. Was there any issue with the sealer on the track with rain at all, or was everything okay?WILL POWER: It was fine. No differences in grip in the wet.WILL POWER: It felt fine to me.WILL POWER: You mean on the front straight there? It seemed like it was –WILL POWER: Yeah. Conor DalyPress ConferenceTHE MODERATOR: Let’s begin with the driver of No. 20, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet, Conor Dailey. Seventh career top five finish in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season for his career. You could write a whole book on what happened today, right, amongst everybody?CONOR DALY: Yeah. Where do I start?THE MODERATOR: Exactly.CONOR DALY: I don’t remember the last rain race that I did. I actually walked up to Ric Peterson with SPM. I was, like, ‘heck, I think the last time I had a rain race was with you in Detroit in 2015, and we led a lot of that race.’ I was, like, I’m ready. I’m excited.Then it dried out very quickly. Difficult first for us. I don’t know what happened on the first set of reds, but they were used reds, and we just went straight backwards. Car was an absolute handful, and I have no idea why.Then it kind of forced our hand, and we put on new reds, and it was right back to the great car that it was. So I think we did second fastest race lap, and we were just hauling getting back making up some of the ground that we lost. Then, obviously, the skies opened up a little bit so, that made for an interesting rest of the afternoon.Q. Conor, first race with the Aeroscreen in the rain. A lot of drivers saying they couldn’t see. Was that more from just the rooster-tail effect than the actual Aeroscreen?CONOR DALY: No, I’ve never seen anything like that before. It was like the water just stayed in the center of the screen, and I don’t know why, but even as you went faster, which you would hope it would clear, it didn’t. Again, I can’t say anything.Obviously, this is very much a scientific test run. Obviously, we have a lot of data to go through with the series, and I’m sure Jay Frye will look at it as well. And he hates when I talk about the Aeroscreen, but I’m just describing what I saw. That’s all. It was challenging.Thankfully, we had a great spotter in Packy Wheeler, who was literally guiding me into turn one. I couldn’t see the brake zone or the cars in front of me or the end of the pit wall, but I could look out the side of the Aeroscreen, so I was looking right and left to go straight, which was neat.Q. (Off microphone).CONOR DALY: Look, I used to race in the rain all the time, so we had a visor that you can work with, but this is a new era, so obviously there are things that we can figure out. We go from here.I do think it was tough. It was definitely hard to race like that because you don’t want to, obviously, end up on the wrong side. Even under yellow. I couldn’t see the cars in front of me under yellow. I had to be guided into pit lane, and that’s concerning. Hopefully we can figure that out, but hopefully we also have very shiny weather for the rest of the year.Q. When you said the tires, did you make any adjustments to the car outside of the norm, or is it literally just the tires weren’t agreeing with the car?CONOR DALY: I really don’t know because Firestone obviously makes a great tire, and sometimes when you put on the used reds, I don’t know if you pick up something on it. It’s something.I’ve had that happen before in other races kind of randomly, but it might just be kind of like the luck of the draw. You might have run over something that — it felt like we had a left rear that was going flat, but it wasn’t. Very strange feeling. Literally, as soon as you put on another set of tires, everything was perfect. There’s only one variable there that we changed, and that’s tires.Q. What are your emotions inside the car knowing you were fourth. You’re top five. Then, oh, no, what’s going on? Is it hard to keep your calm?CONOR DALY: I thought it was just another day in the office, but I never give up in this series, and I tell the team that. I said, it doesn’t matter if the day is going bad, but I will always be fighting until the end.Same in Barber. Same in any track. This is what I love to do. I want to be competitive. I want to beat these guys and girls that we’re racing against, and we obviously beat the majority of them today.It was something that worked out in the end, and we’ve seen crazy stuff like this before. I remember Sebastian Bordais starting last and winning races, and people going all over the place spinning, being a lap down and winning races. That’s the fun of INDYCAR.Q. With the rain this last race, leading the most laps and top five today for you, do you feel a momentum now? Now you’re going to the race that you led the most laps last year. Do you feel it within the team now?CONOR DALY: I think the team has done a great job this year. We know we had some areas where we wanted to improve, and I think we have. Obviously, the old big one is next, and I’m very excited about that one, honestly.This was a day that helps us for sure. There’s a lot of momentum. And, honestly, it’s a shame because all of our BitNile folks are not here this weekend, so we might have to ban them from the rest of the races, I don’t know, because we had a wildly good day today. Hugely thankful for their support. Honestly, Chevrolet right now is doing a great job and really proud to be under that banner as well.Q. Is that one of the most physically demanding races that you have ever done?CONOR DALY: No. My left elbow is bleeding. I don’t know why. I don’t know if I hit it on something or I had a couple of moments where the wheel was doing a lot of different things, but, yeah, I was okay today. It was not too hot and then in the rain you’re going a lot slower, so it wasn’t too bad today.Q. In terms of, obviously, next week we go into the practice for the Indy 500, how much does this give you confidence going into the month of May given that ECR have been so good kind of at the 500?CONOR DALY: We know we’re excited, and I think everyone at Chevrolet is excited about the next couple of weeks. I think we got the right horses underneath us, and we have a great team, and, yeah, let’s just roll on the next week.

Four Toyota Top Fuel Dragsters Qualify Top-10

RICHMOND, Va. (May 14, 2022) – With weather a threat throughout the three qualifying sessions, the three GR Supra Funny Cars were able to get down the race track and all posted qualifying times to position themselves in the top-five for Sunday’s race. Ron Capps led the way the number two qualifier followed by Alexis DeJoria (number three) and J.R. Todd (number five). Toyota Top Fuel dragsters of Steve Torrence (number three), Justin Ashley (number six), Doug Kalitta (number seven) and Shawn Langdon (number eight) all posted times within the top-10 cars.

Toyota Post-Qualifying Recap

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series

Virginia Motorsports Park

Race 7 of 22

TOYOTA TOP FUEL QUALIFYING POSITIONS

Name	Car	Qualifying Position	First Round Opponent
Brittany Force	JFR Top Fuel Dragster*	1 – 3.669334.98 mph	BYE
Steve Torrence	Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	3rd – 3.683	S. Palmer
Justin Ashley	Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	6th – 3.700	T. Schumacher
Doug Kalitta	Autodesk Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	7th – 3.703	L. Pruett
Shawn Langdon	CMR Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	8th – 3.724	D. Foley
Antron Brown	Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	12th – 3.828	M. Salinas

(*non-Toyota driver)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING POSITIONS

Name	Car	Qualifying Position	First Round Opponent
Matt Hagan	Smithfield Dodge*	1st – 3.853331.45	BYE
Ron Capps	NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota GR Supra	2nd — 3.864	M. McIntire
Alexis DeJoria	Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	3rd – 3.896	B. Tasca III
J.R. Todd	DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	5th – 3.926	J. Force

(*non-Toyota driver)

TOYOTA QUOTES

RON CAPPS, NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Ron Capps Motorsports

FC Qualifying Result: 2nd

How do you feel about your qualifying position?

“Just an unbelievable job. We were fighting weather a little bit here and you know, there are things you can count on in life. This Toyota GR Supra is such a great car to drive and to have Guido (crew chief) and our NAPA team with no pressure it seemed on them and that really calmed me as a driver. But to go out there and fire a shot like that, it’s not like we just threw something at the dartboard. Guido is good about being consistent. Team Toyota and Team NAPA, this is just a fun car to drive right now.”

DOUG KALITTA, Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Kalitta Motorsports

TF Qualifying Result: 7th

How do you feel about your qualifying position for tomorrow?

“We made three good, solid runs so I’m excited for tomorrow. The track here is really, really smooth. They’ve really prepped it nice. It should be a little warmer, but looking forward to getting up there and getting this Mac Tools Toyota into the winner’s circle.”

How are these strong runs helping your momentum with the team.

“It definitely is. Just going down the track and the more data we get, the better we get. Really proud of all of my guys here.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.  

Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 43 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants.  By 2025, Toyota’s 14^th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.  With the more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, more than a quarter of the company’s 2021 North American sales were electrified.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

May 14, 2022

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging Mustang are set to start 26^th in Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway.

Burton took that spot with a lap at 174.362 miles per hour in Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session.

The DEX Imaging Mustang picked up speed in qualifying after being 25^th fastest in practice, with Burton posting his best speed of 172.579 mph on the fourth of his 18 laps run.

He was 10^th best among drivers in speeds on a 10-consecutive-lap run. He averaged 170.049 mph on his fourth through his 13^th lap.

Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 is set to get the green flag just after 2 p.m. (3 p.m. Eastern Time) with TV coverage on FOX Sports 1.

Stage breaks are scheduled for Laps 80 and 165 of the 267-lap race. 

Three Camaro ZL1’s Claim Top-10 Starting Spots

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-20 QUALIFYING RESULTS:

POS.   DRIVER

2nd     TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 BETMGM CAMARO ZL1 

3rd      KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1

8th      ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 

11th    ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 ADVENT HEALTH CAMARO ZL1 

13th    WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1

14th    CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 UNIFIRST CAMARO ZL1 

15th    JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1 

17th    TY DILLON, NO. 42 CHEVYLINERS.COM CAMARO ZL1 

19th    DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL1 

20th    COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 GAMER TRUCKING INC. CAMARO ZL1

TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL QUALIFYING RESULTS: 

POS.  DRIVER

1st      Christopher Bell (Toyota)

2nd    Tyler Reddick (Chevrolet)

3rd     Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)

4th      Austin Cindric (Ford)

5th      Kurt Busch (Toyota)

·       Following Group A and B practice sessions, Tyler Reddick was third-fastest overall, clocking in a best lap of 30.845 seconds/175.069 mph in his No. 8 BetMGM Camaro ZL1.

·       The conclusion of round one of Group A qualifying saw Tyler Reddick on the top of the leaderboard with a lap of 30.388 seconds/177.702 mph. Also advancing to the final round of qualifying and a chance for the pole position was Kyle Larson, who was fourth in his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1.

·       Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1, was second-fastest in round one of Group B qualifying with a lap of 30.340 seconds/177.983 mph to advance to the final round. 

·       In the final round of qualifying, Tyler Reddick secured a front row starting spot for his No. 8 BetMGM Camaro ZL1 team, recording a lap of 30.192 seconds/178.855 mph. 

·       Other Chevrolet drivers that captured a top-10 starting spot include Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 (3rd), and Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 (8th). 

·       This will mark Reddick’s seventh top-10 starting spot of 2022; and his first in six-career NCS starts at Kansas Speedway. 

·       Larson’s third-place qualifying run gives the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 their ninth top-10 starting spot in 13 races this season. 

·       FS1 will telecast the NASCAR Cup Series Wise AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway live at 3 p.m. ET tomorrow, Sunday, May 15. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 BETMGM CAMARO ZL1, Qualified 2nd:

“Any car you drive here, you can’t really drive it flat across (turns) three and four, especially that high. I’m just so used to it getting a little tight landing into three. I just lifted a little bit too much and as soon as I got there, I kind of hated myself for lifting as much as I did. I could have run a little faster lap through three and four. But all-in-all, our No. 8 Bet MGM Chevrolet has been great.” 

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES GMR GRAND PRIX INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTE MAY 14, 2022

Power Grabs Points Lead After Crazy Day at IndianapolisTeam Penske driver leads Team Chevy with third at GMR Grand PrixINDIANAPOLIS (May 14, 2022) – Team Penske’s Will Power may not have turned his Friday pole position into a victory, but his third-place finish in Saturday’s GMR Grand Prix moved the driver of the No. 12 Verizon 5G Chevrolet into the championship lead of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES heading into the Indianapolis 500. Power was the highest-finishing Chevrolet driver in a wild, wet and wacky rain-shortened race around the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. The event ran 75 of the scheduled 85 laps and featured eight full-course caution periods. Power led a group of four Team Chevy drivers to finish in the top-10 Saturday: · Fifth: Conor Daly, No. 20 BitNile Chevrolet, Ed Carpenter Racing· Sixth: Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 McLaren Vuse Chevrolet, Arrow McLaren SP· Seventh: Callum Ilott, No. 77 Dynamic Edge Chevrolet, Juncos Hollinger Racing Colton Herta (Honda) was the race winner. The next race for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 29. TEAM CHEVY QUOTEWILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON 5G CHEVROLET, TEAM PENSKE – FINISHED THIRD: “Cars were dropping like flies! It was such a hard choice on whether to get the slicks, which could have been the best strategy out there – or go for the wets. It’s so crazy, this place. When you look around, it can be completely raining on the frontstretch and you go around to the back and it’s completely dry. It was really anyone’s guess at what was going to happen. We got to the point where it was too wet, we were going to get caught out and we needed to take wets.”MORE ON TIRE CHOICES: “This is an Indianapolis-type day! I’ve had races here where we’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting for it to rain, and it just doesn’t rain. The cell just stops there. There must be some kind of vortex in the Speedway here that just doesn’t allow weather!”

Sebastien Bourdais earns third pole of season in No. 01 V-Performance Academy DPi-V.R

LEXINGTON, Ohio (May 14, 2022) – Cadillac claimed its third pole start in five IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races as Sebastien Bourdais recorded a best lap of 1 minute, 10.439 seconds in the No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R on the 2.258-mile, 13-turn Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

The No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R will lead the field to the green flag for the 2-hour, 40-minute Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio on Sunday, May 15. The will air live on USA Network and stream on Peacock starting at 2 p.m. ET. IMSA Radio will broadcast the race at IMSA.com along with XM 207. “We had to push really hard really early on the green flag because it was drizzling and I wasn’t sure the lap was going to be good enough, but I nailed a good one,” said Bourdais, who presented Cadillac Racing its first pole in five races at Mid-Ohio since 2018. “The boys did a really good job of giving us some fast cars we got that Cadillac up there. We’re definitely hoping for a clean start and keeping the Cadillac up front throughout the race.” Earlier this season, Bourdais reset the track records in qualifying on the pole at Sebring International Raceway and the streets of Long Beach, California. He and co-driver Renger van der Zande went on to win at Long Beach. Last May, the No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R set the race record lap time of 1:12.188 (112.605 mph). The sister No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R will start on the outside of Row 2 as Alex Lynn posted a best lap of 1:10.995. Tristan Nunez registered a best lap of 1:11.053 in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R and will start fifth. Tristan Vautier drove the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R to a best lap of 1:11.083 and will start sixth. The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, co-driven by reigning DPi champion Pipo Derani, has finished second the past two years at Mid-Ohio – by a combined margin of less than one second – in the 2-hour, 40-minute races. Derani and Nunez enter the race off a third-place finish May 1 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Cadillac DPi entries have won two of the four IMSA races this season, including podium sweeps at Sebring and Long Beach, and collected eight podium finishes overall.

Cadillac Racing from the cockpit No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.RRenger van der Zande, Sebastien BourdaisBourdais drove in the qualifying session (start first, 1:10.439): “We had to push really hard really early on the green flag because it was drizzling and I wasn’t sure the lap was going to be good enough, but I nailed a good one. The boys did a really good job of giving us some fast cars we got that Cadillac up there. We’re definitely hoping for a clean start and keeping the Cadillac up front throughout the race.” No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.REarl Bamber, Alex LynnLynn drove in the qualifying session (start fourth, 1:10.995): “I think overall it was a positive day for us getting P4. Congrats to the sister car for pole position. I think we made big improvements on our side of the garage. We are in a nice position for tomorrow and both myself and Earl are looking forward to a fun race.” No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.RPipo Derani, Tristan NunezNunez drove in the qualifying session (start fifth, 1:11.053): “I’m not happy with the result; you always want to be further up the grid for the race, especially at a track like this where track position is so key. But the car is quick and I think we had the car for a top three, but unfortunately with the traffic in trying to get a lap I think I might have lost my quick lap with tire life. For me, personally, I’m just feeling more and more comfortable with this car. It’s confidence-inspiring for me to go into this race. I’m feeling really good about tomorrow. We made it happen last race by ending up on the podium from the back and I have no doubt that we can do even better than that tomorrow.” No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.RTristan Vautier, Richard WestbrookVautier drove in the qualifying session (start sixth, 1:11.083): “It’s tight. What’s hard is the balance of the car is not out of the window and we’re very close. It’s just frustrating to be P6. I cannot look back and say here’s where I lost it. I feel like I got the most out of it, so that makes it tough. Execution is going to play a lot in the race. We’ll focus on that and try to find a bit more speed.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES

KANSAS SPEEDWAY

ADVENTHEALTH 400

TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT

MAY 14, 2022

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 BetMGM CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway. Press Conference Transcript:

TYLER, YOU GUYS COMING OFF OF A REALLY, REALLY GREAT SHOWING AT DARLINGTON. FIRST TIME THERE FOR THE NEXT-GEN CAR, SURE YOU GUYS LEARNED A LOT. WHAT CAN YOU TAKE FROM THAT RACE LAST WEEK GOING HERE TO KANSAS?

“Certainly, just seeing where our pace is on some of the higher speed tracks. Darlington may be just a little bit shorter than a mile and a half, but you know you’re still carrying a good amount of speed around that place. Got the be comfortable with your car running up by the wall. That carries over into a place like Kansas. For me, it was good to have the speed there for Darlington. We did the tire test there and we did the tire test here at Kansas. Both times was pretty happy with what we had for pace out of our vehicles. We will see what happens later today. It’s a little bit warmer than when we did the tire test here, but I definitely feel good about where we left the tire test. Should be a challenging day trying to get everything that you can out of the qualifying lap with all of the different lines that I think are going to come into play.”

TYLER YOU WERE TELLING US EARLIER, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THE PEDAL CAR?

“Well, I didn’t do much. My son, Beau, loves the thing. He is always trying to get in it and reach the pedals. He isn’t quite big enough to touch the pedals in it yet, but he always likes sitting it and playing around with it. It’s sitting in his room, so if I get another one hopefully me and him can maybe race each other in them. That’s the motivation today.”

A LOT OF PEOPLE COMPARE THIS TRACK TO VEGAS, BUT YOU COMPARE IT TO HOMESTEAD. IS THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN RUN THE WALL HERE AND FIND THAT SIMILARITY?

“Well, I’ve compared it to Homestead at some point?”

INAUDIBLE

“Well, the three tracks are kind of similar. Oh yes, I did say that. When he mentioned Vegas it kind of got me thinking, because yes you do need to be comfortable running high like at Homestead for this track. In a lot of ways with how much grip that this place has throughout the run and the lack of fall off, you need to be comfortable running the wall like you do at Homestead. I feel like you don’t have to be quite as close to the wall to still get some of the aero effects and be running a good lap and a good time. It is a lot like Vegas in some ways too. The temperatures are going to kind of warmer than we had at Vegas today. Who knows what happens Sunday, weather wise and everything like that? As it cools off, maybe more lanes open up and the bottom catches up and the middle catches up. Today will be really interesting to see who goes where in practice early and where the track state is at going into qualifying. I truly expect a few different strategies of running low, middle or high in qualifying and seeing how that plays out will be interesting today.”

SINCE YOU DID THE TIRE TEST, HOW WILL THIS TRACK RACE DIFFERENT THAN WHAT PEOPLE HAVE SEEN IN THE PAST?

“I don’t think it will be very different. I think it will be more of, I mean I think it will be somewhat comparable to like 2018 Cup racing a little bit and closer to the Xfinity racing. What we saw at Vegas for a race will be very similar in a lot of aspects of how the cars race around each other that we will see a little bit in practice today. It will be a lot like Vegas, but everyone is more comfortable with the cars now a little bit. We’ve learned a little bit more information about the cars, so I think there will be a little bit more aggressive side by side racing. I think a lot of the same trends will be there.”

THIS TRACK IS KNOWN FOR BEING WINDY. HOW DIFFERENT DOES THIS CAR REACT TO THE ELEMENTS LIKE THAT, THE WIND, COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS CAR?

“You know, I don’t think I know yet. Certainly, the craziest wind related race that I’ve been a part of was this race here in the fall last year. It was, I don’t even know how to explain it. It was the craziest think I’ve ever done. You get to the middle of Turn 2 and you just get sideways and you think you’re going to crash. You get to the middle of 3 and 4 and it would take off plowing into the corners. It was really wild how much the wind affected that car last year. A little bit smaller spoiler, I think, will help that to some degree. I think the wind gusts could play a role. I don’t know. I didn’t think it was that windy when I was out there a minute ago, but this place the wind can pick up and get gusty, really get blowing. There’s not many places that we go to that the wind moves like it does here. Maybe Vegas a little bit, but the wind will certainly play a role in the balance of the car if it really gets going I feel like above 20 miles per hour or so.”

LOOKING AHEAD TO THE END OF THE MONTH AT CHARLOTTE. COMPARED TO ALL THE OTHER TRACKS ON THE SCHEDULE, GIVEN THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT TRACK AND THAT RACE TO NASCAR, HOW IMPORTANT IS IT THAT THAT RACE PUTS ON A GOOD SHOW WITH THIS CAR GIVEN THE RECENT HISTORY OF LACKLUSTER, NOT VERY COMPETITIVE RACES IN THE COKE 600?

“Well, the few that I’ve participated in you know the weather didn’t really help us much with cooler temperatures with that 550 package that we had with that last car. Just a lot of on throttle time and not really having to search around the racetrack for grip. I believe that the resin and compound has all been scrubbed away from the track. It was when we did our test in the fall and it really helped the track just widen out and we were running all over it pretty quickly in our test. I think the potential is certainly there, but you just never know. I’ve seen a lot of stand out performances by drivers just being on it more than their competition on nights and really putting out statement performances. I think with the length of the race, how challenging the car is to drive, a lot of character and bumps at Charlotte, I think you’re really going to have to really work at it all night long inside the car. It’ll be a challenging race. I think, based off of how the test went, it has the possibility to be a really good event.”

TYLER, A LOT OF GOOD RUNS THIS YEAR. ALSO, A LOT OF HEARTACHE ALONG THE WAY, BUT HOW CONFIDENT DO YOU FEEL THIS WEEKEND KNOWING THAT YOU’RE RUNNING SO GOOD THIS YEAR?

“Very confident. I also have confidence from doing well at this tire test and being very happy with where our car was. Finding out a few more things that we’ve been able to learn and pick up on that we think’s going to be better, so practice for us just like everybody is really important. Really excited to see what our on-track performance is like and how our car drives. Confidence and expectations are high, these types of tracks have been fun for me. They have been good for us as a team too. We are in a good place, we just going to see where we shake out here in that 15–20-minute practice session and go from there.”

WITH A LOT OF OTHER SPORTS IN PLAYOFFS RIGHT NOW AND SEEING SOME GAME SEVEN 

SITUATIONS COMING UP, WHAT’S THE MOST PRESSURE THAT YOU’VE FELT RACING IN A CAR? I DON’T KNOW IF IT’S YOUR CHAMPIONSHIP RACES, OR IF IT IS SOMETHING EARLIER IN YOUR CAREER WHERE YOU KIND OF WONDERED HOW MUCH FURTHER YOU WERE GOING TO GET IN RACING.

“In regards to game seven type moments, getting to the final race and battling for a championship or those final restarts of a race kind of like what we had at the end of Darlington, I feel like those moments are almost the most calm and I guess easy to approach mentally and go do for me. It’s more of those maybe game five, game one, game two moments where I feel that real pressure of we really got to get up and go at it. By the time we get to the end of the race, the end of the season, like in the Xfinity championship runs by the time we got to Homestead it was just about getting there. We had the confidence, both teams, if we just got there we would be fine. That’s just a product of having a lot of great people around and all believing in one another. Everyone having the same goal, dream. Those moments for me, having been very stressful, they’ve almost been moments that I look very forward to and I have a lot of fun doing.”

DOES THAT SURPRISE YOU?

“That it is those earlier ones? Yeah, I don’t know. Even this year, you know in that first round of the playoffs, well last year, the first race was the most stressful. The second one didn’t go very well either, but it was more annoying than anything. By the time we got to Bristol all of the pressure really seemed to be off. We had one task and that was to try to go out there and win and run up front. It made it pretty easy, when you have so much in front of you still and those playoffs start in each round. That first race is just stressful because there’s so many unknowns. You don’t know what’s going to happen. Something could derail your comfortable point cushion you have, so I feel like those moments when there’s a lot of uncertainty after multiples races after those for me are where more of the stress comes from. By the time we get to that final objective it’s pretty straightforward.”

OBVIOUSLY, YOU ARE KNOWN FOR RUNNING THE TOP LINE AT A LOT OF TRACKS. WHAT IS IT LIKE TO RUN HERE AND WHAT WAS IT LIKE IN THE TEST AND HOW DIFFERENT WAS IT WITH THIS CAR?

“I think as we’ve gone down this path of learning about what this car can take, I actually feel like more now than before it’s even more important to not hit the wall. I mean, the steel body if you hit it with the 550 package it was a pretty big detriment. You would lose some downforce, some side force, but you could run the rest of the race. It wouldn’t end your day if you were able to get to pit road soon enough or didn’t hit it that hard. With this car, you don’t have to worry about the body in a lot of aspects of what happens on the racetrack. It’s the suspension underneath it and just if we put a lot of load on these toe links to begin with going through the corner so it doesn’t take a lot to cause them to bend or begin to fail. Some things have to bend right? If the toe link doesn’t bend and something else bends, then it’s better the toe link than something else. If you do bend it, you have that option to come to pit road and maybe lose a lap. If you’re lucky you’ll only lose a lap fixing it, replacing it. I think the risk versus reward is even higher now with the way this car is. I think that’s a good thing. I like that, because more times than not I can run up there and not hit the wall. So, it may seem like I am up there a lot, but I am not making a lot of the huge mistakes and knocking it down that often. It’s a comfortable place for me to be.”

NOT COUNTING ATLANTA, I THINK THIS IS ONLY THE SECOND NORMAL MILE AND A HALF TRACK WE’VE HIT THIS YEAR. YOU HAVE KANSAS THIS WEEK, TEXAS FOR THE ALL-STAR RACE NEXT WEEK AND THEN THE COKE 600. GIVEN THAT WE HAVE FOUR MILE AND A HALF RACES IN THE PLAYOFFS, HOW MUCH EXTRA IMPORTANCE DO YOU GUYS PLACE ON THESE NEXT THREE WEEKS?

“These next three weeks for a lot of reasons are extremely important. They kind of let you know what gains you have made from the west coast swing. Fontana in a lot of ways is a two-mile track, but it races a lot like a mile and a half with the speeds you carry through the corners. Seeing where we’re at and where everyone else has made gains or losses from that west coast swing to now and in this stretch is really important. We have a lot of races in the playoffs with these types of racetracks. It’s important to be good here. There was a time, certainly, where we would put importance on one track over the other and for us as we’ve needed to get better it’s been more about being consistent week in and week out. Not really picking favorites and not having tracks that we don’t look forward to going to, but certainly it’s easy to get motived and easy to get excited coming to a place like this. We do, generally, have a lot of fun racing on them.” 

Richard Childress Racing at Kansas Speedway … In 92 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has one win with Kevin Harvick in 2013. The victory was Harvick’s first at Kansas and it came in dominating fashion with Harvick winning the pole and leading the most laps in the race. In 2021, Austin Dillon claimed a pair of 10th-place finishes at Kansas while Tyler Reddick scored a seventh-place finish in the spring event at the 1.5-mile speedway. Richard Childress Racing has five top fives and 26 top-10 finishes entering this weekend’s race at Kansas.  Introducing the Next Gen … NASCAR’s Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, which officially debuted in 2022, is a collaboration of the brightest engineering minds in racing. With technology at the forefront, Richard Childress Racing has played a unique and critical role in helping to bring this new on-track identity to life, working closely with OEMs, other teams and NASCAR to build and test the initial prototype.  Follow Sunday’s Action at Kansas … The AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway will be televised live on Sunday, May 15 beginning at 3 p.m. ET on FS1 and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

(5/13/2022 – Alex Nieten) Tulare, CA… The Peter Murphy Classic continues to bring out absolute best out in Dominic Scelzi.

It’s the race named after his friend who encouraged him to keep trying through the days he wanted to quit racing. It’s the race that same friend has worked so hard to grow into one of California’s premier events. And it’s the race where Scelzi continues to make his way into victory lane to honor his friend.

The Fresno native slid past Shane Golobic with seven laps to go and held off a hard charging Colby Copeland to win the NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Car Feature at Tulare’s Thunderbowl Raceway on the opening night of the Peter Murphy Classic and take home a $3500 check. The triumph marked some impressive milestones.

It was Scelzi’s fifth straight sprint car victory in the Peter Murphy Classic after sweeping all four in 2021, his 16th career NARC Fujitsu Feature victory and first of 2022, and he joined Brent Kaeding, Jason Meyers, and Kyle Hirst as the only drivers to win three consecutive NARC races at the Thunderbowl.

“Last year we had an amazing year,” Scelzi said. “Now everyone’s gotten better. Everyone’s worked their butt off. Nobody wants to come in here and run second or third, us included. We’ve been doing a lot of second and thirds this year. I felt like that was a hell of a race. Last year it was pretty great to get the eleven grand here, and it’s great to start off one-for-one so far.”

The field was led to green by Sunnyvalley Bacon Dash winner, Bud Kaeding, with Golobic on his outside.

The opening lap of the race was halted by a pair of yellows as Michael Faccinto spun in turn four, and then on the next attempt a pileup on the backstretch including Justin Sanders, D.J. Netto, Robbie Price, and Nick Parker brought out the caution. All drivers were okay.

On the next complete restart Golobic rolled his NOS Energy Drink/Elk Grove Ford No. 17W under Kaeding to lead lap one. Behind Golobic, Kaeding, and the fourth-starting Scelzi battled for the runner-up spot until the race’s first red flag flew for a flipping Burt Foland Jr. Foland was unharmed. The length of the early cautions necessitated an open red for teams to refuel.

A quick yellow for Corey Day again slowed the pace on the restart attempt.

Once the race resumed again Kerry Madsen and a charging Mitchell Faccinto passed Kaeding to take the third and fourth spots, but then Madsen slowed with an issue on lap eight to bring out another caution.

The race finally got into an undisturbed rhythm with less than 20 laps to go. Golobic distanced himself as Scelzi had to fend off challenges from Faccinto and Kaeding. Behind them 13th-starting Colby Copeland clawed his way into fourth in the Antaya Motorsports/Fire Management Protection No. 16A.

“The racetrack turned out great,” Scelzi said of his mid-race battles. “I was really bummed early with how wet it was and the ruts, but it actually turned out really good. There was a top and a bottom.”

Scelzi managed to get away from Faccinto and began to track down Golobic as traffic thickened inside 10 laps to go. In one set of corners a move on a slower car cost Golobic momentum, and Scelzi pounced.

Scelzi looked to Golobic’s inside down the front stretch as they crossed the line with seven circuits to go. Golobic protected, and the two nearly touched. Golobic drifted high in turn two, but Scelzi kept his Whipple Superchargers/Red Rose Transportations No. 41 glued to the bottom and caught the moisture out of turn two, launching him down the backstretch. Then in turn three Scelzi threw a slider, making slight contact with Golobic’s left front as they exited turn four.

“I don’t think we were better than Shane. I think we were equal,” Scelzi noted. “He just got to a lapped car at the wrong time.”

Scelzi drove away after making the move. A late yellow and red bunched the field back together, but Scelzi went unchallenged as he cruised to a 1.285 second victory over Copeland who passed Faccinto and Golobic on a late restart.

“We got him (Golobic) in lapped traffic,” Scelzi said of what ultimately made the difference. “He didn’t do anything wrong. Sometimes it’s just better to be running second.”

Copeland’s runner-up result marked his second straight top-two finish with NARC after winning the season opener last month.

“That yellow there definitely saved me,” Copeland said. “It let me gather my marbles a little bit and it worked out good for us. Dominic was just in his own league tonight.”

Golobic’s third-place run was his seventh consecutive top-five finish at Tulare with NARC. While it was a strong effort, he couldn’t help but be a little disappointed after leading laps and the contact with Scelzi.

“Yeah I think there was a little contact on the left-front,” Golobic commented. “He kind of put me in a spot where I had to make a decision to try and circle around him and hope for the best. And it wasn’t going to happen so I lifted. Had I made a decision sooner to maybe diamond it might’ve been better.”

Completing the top-10 was Mitchell Faccinto (from 15th), Craig Stidham (from 19th), D.J. Netto, Bud Kaeding, Chase Johnson, Michael Faccinto, and Mitchel Moles

FUJITSU GENERAL USA FEATURE (30 laps): 1. Dominic Scelzi 41 2. Colby Copeland 16A 3. Shane Golobic 17W 4. Mitchell Faccinto 21 5. Craig Stidham 36 6. D.J. Netto 88N 7. Bud Kaeding 69 8. Chase Johnson 24 9. Michael Faccinto 56 10. Mitchel Moles 11. Garen Linder 22 12. Willie Croft 29 13. Landon Brooks 5V 14. Robbie Price 21P 15. Billy Aton 26 16. Max Mittry 2X 17. Nick Parker 115 18. Logan Forler 2L 19. Geoffrey Strole 09S 20. Tim Kaeding 42X 21. Kaleb Montgomery 3 22. Steven Kent 37 23. Kerry Madsen 83JR 24. Corey Day 14 25. Burt Foland Jr. 4 26. Justin Sanders 57

HOOSIER TIRE LAP LEADERS: Golobic 1-23, Scelzi 24-30

SWIFT METAL FINISHING HARDCHARGER: Craig Stidham 19th to 5th

ARP FAST QUALIFIER (28 Cars): Justin Sanders 12.612

BROWN AND MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS HEAT ONE (8 laps): Scelzi, Croft, Sanders, Madsen, Mittry, Aton, Kent

KIMO’s TROPICAL CAR WASH HEAT TWO (8 laps): Netto, Price, Faccinto, Copeland, Kaeding, Foland Jr., Myers Jr.

DIRT.TRAVEL CLUB HEAT THREE (8 laps): Moles, Montgomery, Golobic, Faccinto, Stidham, Forler, Strole

KAEDING PERFORMANCE HEAT FOUR (8 laps): Johnson, Day, Brooks, Kaeding, Parker, Linder

SUNNYVALLEY “POWERED BY BACON” TROPHY DASH (6 laps): Kaeding, Golobic, Moles, Scelzi, Sanders, Faccinto

DINWIDDIE, Va. (May 13, 2022) – Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team now own track records at 15 of the 19 facilities on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series schedule. Force set both ends of the Virginia Motorsports Park track record on their way to the provisional No. 1 spot Friday at the Virginia NHRA Nationals. Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team sit No. 7, John Force with his PEAK / BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SS are No. 4 and Robert Hight has the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevy Camaro No. 12. After battling Mother Nature for much of the day, Brittany Force rocketed the Flav-R-Pac dragster to a 3.710-second pass at 335.82 mph. Force is now the elapsed time record holder at 11 tracks and the speed record holder at eight and owns nine of the top 10 quickest runs in Top Fuel history. “This Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team, we were just excited to get a run in. The weather cleared up and David Grubnic had a goal set and we hit that mark,” Force said. “We’re happy about that. It was a good, solid run and we’re hoping for two more, or at least one more run tomorrow. It was great to make that run here at Virginia Motorsports Park. It’s been since 2019 that we were here last, so to be able to come out here for the fans who waited out the rain and make that run and put a show on for them, that was great. We just want to keep improving and see what we can do on race day.” John Force pedaled the BlueDEF Chevy to a 4.094-second pass at 323.58 mph to land in the No. 4 spot. The PEAK / BlueDEF Chevy lost traction mid-track but the 16-time champion got the tires hooked back up to set-up for a decent run. “Well that worked out. Especially with how conditions look for tomorrow, we needed to make sure we got a run in and had a decent position. So, this PEAK Chevy is in, and we’ll just have to see how tomorrow goes,” Force said. “We’re coming off the win and that gives you some confidence but it’s a new weekend and we have to put in the work to be consistent.” Austin Prock handled the Montana Brand / RMT dragster to a clean 3.780-second pass at 328.38 mph to land in the No. 7 spot. “It was a good start to the weekend. Just trying to make a nice clean A to B pass to get set up for Sunday. We had all the clutch settings reeled way in to try to get a good baseline for when it’s hot on Sunday, when it counts. We did exactly that. Sitting around wasn’t too bad today. I’m just happy to be back at the racetrack. Two weeks off, a weekend off, is a long time away from doing what you love to do.” Sitting second in the points standings, Robert Hight and the Auto Club Chevy had to shut-off early to coast to an 8.517-second pass at 84.37 mph to end up No. 12. “Obviously not what we wanted to do. Hopefully things clear up for tomorrow and we get another chance at it, but if we don’t, we’re in and I’m confident we will be fin on race day,” Hight said. “I’m not worried, I know we can go out there and get the job done. Jimmy Prock, Chris Cunningham and this whole team, we’ll pull together, and we’ll see how it goes.” Qualifying at the Virginia NHRA Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park continues Saturday at 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. Eliminations are slated for Sunday at noon. The Virginia NHRA Nationals will be televised on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) beginning with a qualifying show Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET and a second qualifying show Sunday at 9:00 a.m. ET. Finals coverage will air Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET.   -30-

AUSTIN PROCK, 26, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist DragsterQualifying:7th; 3.780-seconds; 328.38 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0 BRITTANY FORCE, 35, Monster Energy DragsterQualifying:1st; 3.710-seconds; 335.82 mphBonus Qualifying Points: +3 (quickest Q1)JOHN FORCE, 72, PEAK / BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:4th; 4.094-seconds; 323.58 mphBonus Qualifying Points: 0 ROBERT HIGHT, 52, Auto Club of Southern California Chevy Camaro SSQualifying:12th; 8.517-seconds; 384.37 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES

GMR GRAND PRIX OF INDIANAPOLIS 

ROAD COURSE AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING RECAP

MAY 1, 2022

WILL POWER PUTS CHEVY ON POLE FOR GMR GP AT INDY ROAD COURSE

NTT P1 AWARD IS 64^TH OF POWER’S CAREER

INDIANAPOLIS – Team Chevy completed the first step of the month of May with five drivers earning spots in the Firestone Fast Six and Team Penske driver Will Power capturing his 64^th NTT P1 Award. The driver of the No. 12 Verizon 5G Chevrolet will lead the field to green for Saturday’s GMR Grand Prix on the Indy Road Course.

Today’s pole is the first for Power this season and his sixth on the Road Course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. On Saturday, Power will go for his sixth victory on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course layout as Chevrolet looks to collect its 100^th win with the 2.2 little twin turbocharged direct injected V6 purpose-built engine used exclusively in the NTT INDYCAR Series.

The remaining four Team Chevy drivers in the Firestone Fast Six will start as follows:

Josef Newgarden, No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet               3^rd

Conor Daly, No. 20 BitNile Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet        4^th

Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet                 5^th

Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 VUSE Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet  6^th

Alex Palou will start second alongside Power.

Chevrolet and the NTT INDYCAR Series continue the 2022 season at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 14 from the Indianapolis Road Course. The race will air live on NBC, the Peacock streaming service and SiriusXM IndyCar Nation (Channel 160). Live timing and scoring will be available at racecontrol.indycar.com.

TEAM CHEVY QUOTES

WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON 5G CHEVROLET, TEAM PENSKE – POLE WINNER:“That is the fun of this series. It’s so tight. When you get a pole these days, you know you’ve done a really good job. The team has done a great job. I’m super stoked. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a pole on a road course. Yeah man, I worked hard for that one!”

YOU’RE THREE SHORT OF MARIO ANDRETTI’S RECORD OF CAREER POLES: “I feel so privileged to get so close to him. I never thought I’d get there. Yes, three away… he’s an absolute legend of the sport. It would be such an honor to match or surpass him. To be up there with names like Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt is something I wouldn’t have imagined when I started my career.”

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 PPG CHEVROLET, TEAM PENSKE – QUALIFIED THIRD: “It was a good day here at the GP of Indy and qualifying day at IMS. We qualified P3 and our teammate Will Power is on the pole, which is fantastic. I feel a little bad because I felt like our car was capable of winning the pole. We missed it by literally half-a-tenth so I’ll put that on me. I didn’t get everything out of the car. It was really capable and everyone did a great job. The strategy was right. Now we can focus on tomorrow. We’ve got two cars in the top-three. We’ll see if we can race from there with PPG and Team Chevy.”

CONOR DALY, NO. 20 BITNILE CHEVROLET, ED CARPENTER RACING – QUALIFIED FOURTH: “In the previous run, we had just given up a little bit out of Turn 13 and we finally nailed it. We were up on our best lap. The tires are going off pretty quick here so you have to nail it on that first lap. We tried to get a little too much from it. You’re fighting for a tenth-of-a-second around here. Being two-tenths off Will Power for a pole position at Indianapolis, he’s one of the best to do it here. It feels great. This team has done a lot of work and I don’t think they’ve gotten the credit they deserve so far this year. We’ve not had a great start to the season but there’s a lot that hasn’t been their fault or our fault at all as a group. This is where we want to be moving forward and it’s a great way to start May, for sure.”

PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 McLAREN VUSE CHEVROLET, ARROW McLAREN RACING SP – QUALIFIED FIFTH: “We had a very good day today. We didn’t quite get it done in the Firestone Fast Six. We were as quick as anybody on fresh reds but we missed it a little bit on used reds. I think we could have been a bit faster but in the end, we didn’t have enough for pole. I’m happy that we are starting toward the front, that’s important in IndyCar. I’m also happy to have Felix up there with me. We are going to look to have a good race tomorrow.”

FELIX ROSENQVIST, NO. 7 McLAREN VUSE CHEVROLET, ARROW McLAREN RACING SP – QUALIFIED SIXTH: “It’s a good qualifying streak for the No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet. It’s always frustrating when your last lap isn’t good, I screwed it up in the last corner. It felt like we were really good on the new tires but we took a lot of life out of them. I think we had a little bit more today but it was another solid qualifying, which is what we need. It will be fun.”

CALLUM ILOTT, NO. 77 DYNAMIC EDGE CHEVROLET, JUNCOS HOLLINGER RACING – STARTING SEVENTH: “I knew it was going to be close, so it’s a bit of a shame but overall that was a much more rewarding run. I tried everything. We made a mega effort. I just drive at the end of the day, and that’s what I’m paid to do. Where we’ve come from, it’s more about putting it together and building the team together. It’s the small differences in getting it right. We’ve got a good road-course guys. These guys put together a mega effort to make it happen but there’s still a lot more to come. I think we’ve only just started the development. Hopefully we can do a bit more later on.”

FIRST TEST WITH THE TEAM AT INDY LAST YEAR AND RUNNING A SPORTS CAR RACE IN THE FALL: “You can get an idea about how to race around here in a GT car, although it’s massively different. That was a long race and this one will be more of a sprint. We’ve got a lot to learn. The race pace is something we need to improve quite a bit. The first stint at Barber was really good, so we’ll see here.”

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 SNAP-ON CHEVROLET, TEAM PENSKE – QUALIFIED 11TH: “The Snap-On Chevy felt awesome. I just made one mistake on that first lap on red tires. That’s key and that’s everything. We did two laps there and the second lap wasn’t fast enough. It’s so tight that you can’t afford to let go of that. It’s unfortunate for Snap-On and Team Chevy but I think we have a fast car. It might rain tomorrow so we’ll see. You’re always trying to get every inch but you get punished more if you miss it. That’s the beauty of IndyCar racing. It’s so competitive I’m upset but I also know we have a fast car. It’s just a matter of putting it together. Unfortunately this time we didn’t but we’ll keep pressing on and be proud of where we’re at.”

RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 BUILDING TOMORROW CHEVROLET, ED CARPENTER RACING – QUALIFIEID 15TH: “I honestly don’t know. We were fastest on the blacks by a mile in qualifying here, right now. We went to reds and I was honestly pretty happy with the car and pretty happy with my lap. I’m very confused about being eighth right now. We’ll have to look into it. I don’t know what we did wrong. There are a few little tweaks that could have been better. I have no words for it. We should have at least passed through. There are some things we have to improve for tomorrow. I don’t know what went wrong here.”

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 6 ARROW McLAREN SP CHEVROLET, ARROW McLAREN RACING SP – QUALIFIED 23RD: “It’s hard because we didn’t do any testing. I’ve been out of this car for a year. I’ve been racing different things but everything I’ve driving the last five years has had traction control. So you get the snaps but you know the traction control is going to catch you. Here you get the snap and nothing is going to catch it. I’m a little behind the car there, but we are making steps. The car drives a lot better than last year. Everyone with the Lucas Oil car has done a great job. I screwed up my lap on reds. I could have done a better job but it’s hard. I got one lap in practice and one lap in qualifying, and that’s all the red running before the race. We’ll have 85 laps tomorrow and we’re probably going to do 70 laps on reds.”

KYLE KIRKWOOD, NO. 14 ROKIT CHEVROLET, AJ FOYT RACING – QUALIFIED 22ND: “Not our best qualifying. We were just outside the top-20 and starting alongside Scott Dixon. The car actually felt really good. I thought we had the time in it. We were a lot better on blacks than we were on reds, and I’m not sure why that is. We’re going to go to the drawing board to figure that out. There is some weather on the way for tomorrow and we’re hoping that will shake things up. We have a great group of guys here and we’ll work to get this car back toward the pointy end of the field.”

TATIANA CALDERON, NO. 11 ROKIT CHEVROLET, AJ FOYT RACING – QUALIFIED 25TH: “It was a busy day today. We had a little issue in Free Practice One so I missed a little bit of running, but we managed to make some good steps in Free Practice Two. In qualifying, I think we are closer to the pace. Hopefully we have some good weather tomorrow and we can fight for some positions. I’m starting just behind Juan Pablo Montoya, so that’s going to be quite a good race.”

DALTON KELLETT, NO. 4 K-LINE INSULATORS CHEVROLET, AJ FOYT RACING – QUALIFIED 26TH: “A bit of a tough qualifying session for the team overall. We’re not starting where we want to but we’ve made some improvements in the cars. This has historically been somewhere where we have struggled. There are some things we can learn tomorrow and figure out. We have a warmup tomorrow to work on the car and go from there. That’s the gameplan. Last year was a bit of a red (tire) race with three stops so we’ll be working on some mileage to see what we have for race pace.”

POST QUALIFYING PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPTS:

WILL POWER

CONOR DALY

THE MODERATOR: Joined by the pole setter for tomorrow’s GMR Grand Prix. 64 career poles and counting. Sixth on the IMS Road Course where he has won a total of four races from pole position here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. By the way, it’s the fifth different pole winner in 2022 for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver of the No. 12. Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Congratulations, Will. 64 and counting. How does this one feel?

WILL POWER: Pretty good. It’s been a while since I’ve been on a pole on a road course. Super stoked to get that one. As usual, it was crazy close with everyone.

If you look at practice, it was six-tenths. I think it was 23 cars, so couldn’t leave anything on the table. Any time you get a pole on this series these days, you’ve done a really good job. I think the team and everyone has put it together because any time you are leaving anything on the table, one-tenth moves you a lot of spots.

Q. Literally saving the best for last. Did you know on that final lap that maybe I’ve got what it takes to win pole here?

WILL POWER: No, I didn’t. I did my absolute best and put it all together and didn’t know where it would stack up. I just knew it was not that far off my quickest time on new tires. I thought it was a pretty good time to have done on used tires. So, yeah, it was a good lap.

Q. Will, a couple of times on the podcast I’ve asked you about a pole record, and you said that you honestly didn’t know whether you had three poles left in you to catch them. Do you really believe that, especially after a day like today where you were able to come back? I mean, that was vintage Will Power out there today.

WILL POWER: Yeah, it was. I mean, no, I don’t disbelieve it. It has become incredibly hard to get poles. It’s just a different guy each week who gets it all together, so it is hard.

It’s hard to get more than two a year. Two or three you would be doing a good job. Yep, we’ll keep chipping away. Don’t really think about it all that much. I just try to do the best I can, and I know it’s there. I know there’s that record there, but honestly, I feel pretty blessed to have got so close. I never expected to get that close, but, yeah. To be amongst Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt in pole records is something I never expected.

Q. Will, I think I’ve asked you this 100 times, but I’m going to ask it 101. What is it you summoned when it comes to running the fastest lap on a weekend? What comes over you? Can you explain to people why it’s so important to be the fastest guy on the track even though everybody else is trying to do the same thing? What do you think is special that comes over you?

WILL POWER: I’m going to say to put a really good lap together in this series there is just so much that goes into it before you even get in the car or just throughout practice and everything before you even get to qualifying, and then it’s up to you to really dig deep and put it together.

But, yeah, I mean, I originally early in my days I used to say anyone can learn to do this, but after 20 years of high-level driving or more, I don’t believe that anymore. I think you have to have some sort of fire in the belly, which you see so many drivers have that in this series now. You see it in Formula 1 and in every series. Just some guys have that whatever it is in them and some don’t.

The people that don’t may be exceptional in another area, but, yeah, it’s everything about looking at data and the video and putting all that in your mind, but then when it comes down to the nitty gritty, you’ve got to put it together, and it takes a lot of everything to do that.

Q. When did you know or notice that you had that in your career? When did you notice that you could be special in that regard especially?

WILL POWER: It’s never a point. You are digging and clawing whole career trying to stay in the right. I would say when I was in Champ Car or World Series by Renault, I was very good at putting laps together. It wasn’t really any particular time that I thought —

I’m not really any faster than I was when I was 17 years ago, honestly. I’m not. I’m the same pace. You have just added so much more to your tool box of putting things together and weekends together and knowledge of the car and setting it up. The ultimate speed in you, you see it in kids as early as go-carts. You just can pick them.

Q. I wanted to ask, on that final run we saw you a bit more than one-tenth up, and then there was a little kind of twitch, and it dropped to half one-tenth up. Did you think that it all disappeared at that point?

WILL POWER: Where was the twitch? In 7?

Q. Yeah.

WILL POWER: I actually backed 7 up more to be better through 8, 9, 10, which I hadn’t been in the previous rounds. I slowed the minimum of 7 down. I probably got more of an exit, which might have been a twitch, but it was a pretty neat lap. It was pretty neat.

I can’t really fault anything on that lap. If anything, I felt like I under-drove 4 where I had struggled as well. Yeah, not really — I can’t go back to that lap and fault it anywhere.

Q. Then I wanted to ask, obviously, we saw on second lap on the reds, like in fall-off by anything up to three-tenths or whatever.

WILL POWER: Yeah.

Q. If it stays dry tomorrow and it stays hot tomorrow, is tire life going to be a major factor, or is it going to be more down to fuel?

WILL POWER: Tire life. Definitely going to be a typical race here where if you can hold to the tires a bit better, you’re going to race well.

Q. Top four all four of your races this year. Now a pole. Do you feel like you’re driving as good now as you ever have?

WILL POWER: Yeah, I’m right there. Right there. It’s so competitive these days. You can’t leave anything to chance. You can’t just rock up.

Like I said, before you ever even get to the race track let alone qualifying for the race, there’s just so much that has gone into it with simulated time, video, data, and analysis. It’s endless.

Yeah, I’m there with a lot more experience. I’m still as quick as I was. I just have so much more available if my toolbox.

Q. 64. You’re now three shy of Mario. Do you savor these now as you get them since they’re harder to come by?

WILL POWER: I do, yes. Yes, I really, really enjoy them. I know that you don’t even know if you’ll get another one, so you’ve got to be — any win or anything I get in this series now I feel very bless and happy to have got it because it’s tough. Obviously, I’m not 20 anymore either. Yep, got to keep digging.

Q. You’ve got a few rough starts to the year the past couple of years, but this year you are consistently good. Is there anything that’s different that you can pinpoint this year?

WILL POWER: Not really. I mean, man, when I look back at the previous two years, it’s just so many weird things that happened. Whether it’s a spark plug gone bad or at the 500 we had a brake issue or the car doesn’t start at Detroit. These sort of things really hampered me the last couple of years and even before that in 2021 was the same. ’20 was the same.

I just felt like if we could just put a season together of kind of not being the best, just mistake-free. Don’t have to be the quickest on pit lane. Don’t necessarily have to be the quickest on track. I feel like we could be riding the championship home.

Q. Not necessarily anything you or the team is doing differently. Just kind of working out that way?

WILL POWER: No. I’m for sure more of a mature driver. There’s no question. That’s just slowly happened over 17 years of INDYCAR, so I make less mistakes and know when to go, when not to go more than I used to. There will be a little bit of that playing into it as well.

Q. For tomorrow would you welcome the rain if it comes?

WILL POWER: It will be what it will be. I don’t mind driving in the wet. I think that the tires have been a bit iffy lately. Sometimes you get a really good set. Sometimes you don’t.

A dry race for us would be good. To start at the front, that’s what you want. A very straight forward race. Unfortunately for fans, you want a boring race. No yellows or anything. Just straight forward.

Q. Will, last year Team Penske had their issues at the 500. They spent a lot of time trying to figure out what went wrong and things like that. Put a lot more focus on it to fix it. Is it difficult to remember, hey, we still have this race to go on? We can’t focus on the big oval just yet. We still have 90 laps to run on Saturday before we look at going down this main straightaway southbound.

WILL POWER: Yeah, exactly. You don’t even give the oval a thought right now. Saturday night, that’s when you start the whole switch-over, but yeah, it’s not even a thought. We know we’ve done our homework for the oval. If we’re not quick this time, I don’t know what it would take.

Q. Is there anything you can particularly pinpoint to your success here at the road course in Indy?

WILL POWER: No. It’s a track I really enjoy. There’s nothing particular. I’ve struggled here before as well. Obviously, I’ve had a lot of good days, but definitely clicks with me. It’s quite a technical track. Very European style, which I enjoy. Yeah, nothing more.

Q. Obviously, INDYCAR have introduced these new LED light panels for the flags and stuff. What’s your thought on that?

WILL POWER: My thought? Yeah, actually, I experienced them once already. Very bright and good, yeah. Definitely a good system to adopt and hopefully that brings some more control of the yellow situations where eventually maybe they can leave the pits open or do some blue flag stuff.

Q. As you continue to rewrite the record books, I just wonder what it means inside a team such as Team Penske and what it means to Roger and Tim to have a driver of your caliber helping contribute to the history of Team Penske?

WILL POWER: Honestly, I feel so lucky to have had a career and a team like that. You are given a car week in and week out that’s capable of pole positions and race wins, so you can’t — man, I have so much appreciation for that at this late stage in my career having been in the series for so long.

I think struggling at Indy last year gives you an understanding of what some people go through all the time, and just fortunate to have a team that can have a struggle like that and go away and come back and I feel like rectified immediately just because they’re so resourceful. Just have quality people. Yep, very fortunate. Very fortunate.

Q. It’s hotter today than usual in Indy. How much of a bearing has that had on setup and keeping the tires alive?

WILL POWER: Yeah, it definitely changed the setup from this morning when it was cooler. Definitely was a lot more difficult than the two sessions. The second practice and qualifying. It changed the car quite a bit, so you had to chase that.

Q. And how important will the out lap be tomorrow, of course, not to take too much of the tire life too early?

WILL POWER: It’s going to be a tight race if it’s as hot as this tomorrow and doesn’t rain. Yeah, that always plays a bit of a part around here. I think the tires always drop off, and I think tire selection plays a big part as well. Yeah, it’s kind of tough starting up front because tire selection. You are kind of in a tough position. Especially the pole sitter.

Q. You said several things that make you sound like you’re old. You keep talking about being experienced. Also, frankly, I expected more jovial Will Power in here today.

WILL POWER: I was on the radio.

Q. Was this pole a relief or fun?

WILL POWER: It was fun. No, I was very emotional on the radio or very ecstatic. Yeah, you have to remember you have a race tomorrow. You don’t want to use up any of that. You don’t want to use too much of your mojo up just celebrating a pole position, but any time I get one these days, I’m so happy. So, so happy.

Q. Is that part of it that you have had all these poles, and you want to focus on races?

WILL POWER: I actually have focused more on races, especially this year, going into this year. Maybe the last two years. Just really perfecting how to approach a race and tire deck and all the little things that add up.

Q. It sounds like it’s more of a mental thing of not getting too excited on Saturday or Friday.

WILL POWER: I was always a bit that way. You just know how the races go. I am extremely happy. I am. It’s so difficult to get a pole these days in this series, so I am over the moon.

Even if the race doesn’t go well, I’ll come away from this weekend knowing that I added to that pole list and ticked another box for the season, you could say.

THE MODERATOR: Driver of the Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, Conor Daly, joins us after his best qualifying effort of the season starting fourth. I know you are just trying to catch your breath, Conor. How happy are you with starting fourth tomorrow, top-row finish?

CONOR DALY: It’s much nicer fighting with these guys than not. You know what I mean? As Will Power says all the time, some of the most talented drivers in the world. I truly right now.

When you have a good qualifying, especially at — this is an incredible track. I truly believe that. It’s so close. It’s insane how the gaps are so small. It’s nice to be able to just put three solid runs together.

Would have been nice to maybe be on the front row, but I just had one moment on the lap, and that’s all it takes. It’s still a great day for us.

Q. As the fastest driver most of today, were you surprised or shocked that Will was able to get it at the very end the way he did?

CONOR DALY: A lot.

Q. 64 careers.

CONOR DALY: The math is correct on that.

Q. Alex, surrounded by a lot of bow ties up front. Do you feel there’s a big difference between Honda and Chevy right now? You’re the only one in the top seven.

CONOR DALY: You’re the only one, bro.

Q. For both of you, as close as this field is and time charts and in practice, do you feel a lot of strategy is going to come into play if it stays dry?

CONOR DALY: I think it always does, right? And everyone is so close here and so competitive, so we hope to be the smartest people out there, right?

When you are this close to the front, all you need is just one lap, but whether it’s an in-lap or out-lap to kind of change your race. I hope it stays dry now that we’re starting up front. But if it’s wet, we do have less spray starting up front, so that’s nice.

CONOR DALY: Who knows?

Q. Conor, I think you qualified sixth for this race last year, eighth for the August race. What is it about the IMS Road Course that you seem to grasp so well for qualifying?

CONOR DALY: It’s a great question. The Ed Carpenter Team has a great handle on this circuit for sure. We have done a lot of work on the simulator here as well, but I’ve obviously — there’s no question I’ve struggled with this generation of car.

There’s certain places where every driver has there better tracks and their worse tracks. Apparently here I remember how to drive. I don’t know. It’s one of those things that this car here just it feels fast. You can drive it fast, and it does what I want.

So I feel like it’s been a difficult window to find at other circuits, but for whatever reason here, it suits my style more than a few other places for sure.

CONOR DALY: It is the jacuzzi, yes. That too.

CONOR DALY: Oh, man, yeah. I feel good. (Laughing).

Q. Last year your race almost ended before it really got started with the collision at turn one. Any special good luck charm or thing you’re going to try to do to keep everything away from you this year?

CONOR DALY: Who knows, man? Me and luck at this place and getting — I don’t know. It’s interesting. We’re just going to go charge down to that first corner and avoid all the other people with four tires on their car, and hopefully the people avoid me too. I don’t know. We’ll see.

You can’t hope for anything. You’ve just got to do your best to pass the guys in front of you, and I’m going to just hope that he gets a nice jump, and we can follow each other down in turn one nicely.

Q. When watch qualifying, and everybody is sliding all over the place in different spots, but then you wind up so close. That doesn’t seem like it makes any sense. You would think if everybody is slipping and sliding, you would have a big gap. How does that happen?

CONOR DALY: I think everyone is, honestly — it’s such a high level I think here that even though everyone is driving on the edge, I think everyone has realized that here you have to be on that limit to be fast.

In no way today have I ever been happy or comfortable, but that’s how you have to go fast here. You know what I mean? It’s interesting.