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BERGERON’S BACK

Pro Series Sprint Car Champ Gets 358 Modified Victory at USA Int’lPoints difference now at 75, Tucker will clinch championship next week at Charlotte May 19, 2021 – He’s a multi-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Series Sprint Car iRacing World champion, and now the winner of the first-ever DIRTcar 358 Modified race contested on the DIRTcar eSports Tour. Alex Bergeron showed an impressive display of resiliency Wednesday night at USA International Speedway, holding off defending Tour champion Kendal Tucker for over half the race to pick up his first Tour victory of the season with the VP Racing Fuels 358 Modifieds. “We did what we had to do – protect the line there in [Turns] 3-4 and got the win. Pretty happy about this,” Bergeron said. This win comes as a bit of redemption for the Team ABR leader after a costly penalty nixed his win in the 360 Sprint Car race last week, handing the victory over to Tucker. But this week was a different story – both drivers battled hard, but clean, and put on a show for the DIRTVision presented by Drydene audience. While Richard Murtaugh Jr. led the field around the big 3/4-mile for the first 18 circuits, Bergeron was forced to wrestle the lead away from him in a big slide job-fest that lasted several laps and involved most of the top-five. Once Bergeron grabbed the lead, his competition was in trouble. Tucker was his biggest thorn-in-the-side through the rest of the race, clinging right to his rear bumper, just waiting for a mistake to be made by the leader. But a mistake never showed from the ABR #12. Bergeron led the final 22 laps to pick up his first $250 check of the season and first since January 6 of Season 2. “I always had great restarts, and made the most out of it,” Bergeron said. “We just had to stay really patient and try not to make any mistakes out front – it’s always easy to make mistakes when you’re leading.” Tucker crossed the stripe in second, extending his streak of top-two finishes to a whopping eight in his eight starts this season. Now sitting an even 75 points ahead of Bergeron in the standings, Tucker will hoist his second consecutive DIRTcar eSports Tour trophy next week after the Big Block Modifieds wrap up the season in the 10th and final race of Season 3 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. VP Racing Fuels Feature (40 Laps) – 1. 12-Alex Bergeron [1]; 2. 00-Kendal Tucker [2]; 3. 33-Evan Seay [6]; 4. 000-Kevin Dedmon [13]; 5. 85-Tyler Schell [8]; 6. 22-Mason Hannagan [9]; 7. 48-Dylan Yeager [4]; 8. 17-Brett Rowles [16]; 9. 717-Bobby Rafferty [17]; 10. 13-Matt Remick [18]; 11. 10-Ryan Gregoric [19]; 12. 033-Richard Murtaugh Jr. [3]; 13. 018-Tyler Jackson [14]; 14. 013-Shane Andrews [21]; 15. 46-Jonathan Nause [24]; 16. 115-Boddie Parker [15]; 17. 78-Justin Bishop [22]; 18. 26-Sage Luther [12]; 19. 71-Claude Jr Fournier [23]; 20. 2-Chance Carr [11]; 21. 1-Jesse Enterkin [10]; 22. 72-Joseph Grabianowski [20]; 23. 127-Blake Matjoulis [5]; 24. 44-John Ruggiero Jr. [7] STREET STOCK LIMBO: Kilgore Bests Jackson in Low-Groove Battle at Williams GroveJackson takes 43-point lead into final race next Wednesday at The Dirt Track at Charlotte The two biggest forces in the Chevy Performance Street Stock League have battled neck-and-neck all season long, and it came to a boiling point on Wednesday night at Williams Grove Speedway – just one week out from their epic championship finale. With points, pride and money on the line, Carl Kilgore hung tough out front of points leader Tyler Jackson through 20 defensive laps on the very bottom of the track, enduring relentless pressure from behind to win his fourth Feature of the season. “I love it when this place gets around the bottom,” Kilgore said. “It’s a hit-your-mark kind of place and we just hit ‘em every lap.” With both drivers making up the front row for the initial start, Kilgore, of Greenville, MS, had to get a great start to get the jump on Jackson and win the battle heading into Turn 1. Which, he did, setting him right up for a non-stop defensive battle on the bottom over the next 20 circuits. Jackson, of Rockford, IL, did all he could to try and pry the top spot from Kilgore’s hands, but could only muster a few thwarted pass attempts by the checkered flag. Digging harder every lap, Jackson tried and tried to get even lower than Kilgore on the track but could not do so without hitting the inside wall. In the final laps, Jackson knew he had to try something quick. He drove his Osman Racing #25 in deep and gave Kilgore a few taps on the quarter-panel to try and break the defending race winner loose, but was unsuccessful in the end. “He left a little crack open down there and I figured I’d shove it in there and see what happened, but he did a good job of cutting back down,” Jackson said. Kilgore was able to hold it together and drive back around to the stripe to collect another $100 prize check. Coming into Wednesday night, Jackson sat a comfortable 48 points ahead of Kilgore in the standings, on the back of three Feature wins since the start of the season. With Kilgore’s fourth win of DIRTcar eSports Season 3 Wednesday, he shaves five points off Jackson’s lead heading into the final race at Charlotte. And while 43 points in one race is a lot to make up, considering Jackson’s finishes this season, Kilgore’s not out yet. A big wreck, technical difficulties or one bad miscue somewhere in the qualifying events does have the potential to ruin Jackson’s lead. Kilgore has the scenario in the back of his mind, but isn’t going to let that distract him from getting a fifth win next Wednesday night on DIRTVision presented by Drydene. “We’re gonna give it our all, but we’re here for the $100-to-win though,” Kilgore said. UP NEXT The Chevy Performance Street Stock League puts a cap on its second season of action next Wednesday night, May 26, with a final stop at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. Catch all the action live on DIRTVision with a FAST PASS subscription. Chevy Performance Feature (20 Laps) – 1. 021-Carl Kilgore [1]; 2. 25-Tyler Jackson [2]; 3. 69-Keith Hackney [9]; 4. 003-Thorne Zimmerman [3]; 5. 17-Brett Rowles [8]; 6. 225-Nathan Lemons [7]; 7. 077-Holden English [5]; 8. 71-Daniel Stiffler [13]; 9. 26-Sean Stevens [10]; 10. 48-Kyle Vaughn [4]; 11. 21-Jim Reavis [14]; 12. 546-Randy Axner [15]; 13. 111-Jaron Valley [21]; 14. 73-Scott Reid [17]; 15. 46-Jonathan Nause [11]; 16. 5-Jason Metoxen [20]; 17. 002-Clifford Bellomy [12]; 18. 92-Payton Gries [18]; 19. 717-Bobby Rafferty [6]; 20. 79-Dean Reynolds [22]; 21. 38-Ryan Carlisi [24]; 22. 84-Mike Watt [16]; 23. 27-Christopher Reckner [23]; 24. 11-Trevor Depriest [19]
DIRTcar Racing is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, and NAPA Auto Parts (SDS). Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear (SDS), Bassett Racing Wheel, Bell Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, Bicknell Racing Products (SDS), Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux (SDS), Cometic Gasket (SDS), COMP Cams, Drydene, Fast Shafts, Fox Factory, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, K1 Race Gear, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Mulit FireX, Quarter Master, Schoenfeld Headers, Summit Racing Equipment, Velocita USA, Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum), and Xceldyne. Along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.

TRIPLE PLAY

Iowa and Wisconsin Officially Open World of Outlaws Summer SlateEight Races in Ten Days Begins with 34, Dubuque & Beaver DamWEST BURLINGTON, IA – May 19, 2021 – The summer months are the most grueling when it comes to the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.Look no further than the first official week of summer for proof of that. In a span of ten days next month, The Greatest Show on Dirt will race eight nights at five tracks in four states. It’s crucial for not only the championship chase, but also for perfecting your setup and building momentum into the laundry list of Crown Jewel events.That demanding slate all begins with a triple-header through Iowa and Wisconsin on June 17-19.Thursday, June 17 at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, IA (BUY TICKETS)
Friday, June 18 at Dubuque Fairgrounds in Dubuque, IA (BUY TICKETS)
Saturday, June 19 at Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, WI (BUY TICKETS)Each of the three tracks highlighted in this June triple-header will be hosting their first and only appearance for the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars in 2021. Meaning it’s extra important for teams to be prepared from the jump, and it’s extra important for fans to get out and see the winged warriors in person.On Thursday, June 17, the Outlaws return to 34 Raceway in West Burlington, IA for the sixth time in Series history. In five events dating back to 2008, five different winners have found victory lane at the 1/3-mile. Among those winners are Tony Bruce Jr., Joey Saldana, Craig Dollanksy, Donny Schatz, and Parker Price-Miller. Wayne Johnson is also a former winner at the track with a 2015 NSL triumph to his credit.On Friday, June 18, a new track graces the schedule with the Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway in Dubuque, IA welcoming the World of Outlaws for the first time ever. The 3/8-mile bullring has never hosted The Greatest Show on Dirt, but several different sanctioning bodies have contested events at the Iowa facility before. Dubuque is another track where Oklahoma City’s Wayne Johnson has won before, scoring a Sprint Invaders win in 2019.”I love getting out to new tracks,” said David Gravel, who is second in the championship standings. “We go to some places like Knoxville, Eldora or Williams Grove where everyone has all these massive notebooks and we all have agendas on what to expect and then how to react. But, when we go to these new places, you have to throw everything out the window. Obviously you can compare it to other tracks, but it’s all an even playing field when the night begins. You really see which driver and crews can adapt the best.”On Saturday, June 19, Beaver Dam Raceway in Beaver Dam, WI hosts the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars for the 29th time. The 3/8th-mile oval debuted on the schedule in 1996 and has been a winning track for legends like Kinser, Haudenschild, Blaney, Schatz, and others over the years.When it comes to Beaver Dam, Brad Sweet has been the man to beat lately, and quite frankly, he’s been unbeatable. The two-time and defending Series champion has won three consecutive World of Outlaws events at Beaver Dam, and four total in his career. With one month remaining until start of summer, Sweet and his Kasey Kahne Racing #49 lead the standings by 68 points.”Anytime you can go to a place where you’ve won multiple times, you get the little boost of confidence,” Sweet noted. “Especially with our crew right, I’ve got great chemistry with Eric, Joe, and Andrew, we all know what to expect out of each other. We’ve really hit on something at Beaver Dam. It’s a fun little race track, and hopefully we can keep that streak alive.”The real grind begins following that triple-header as the “Summer of Money” gets underway with THE SHOWDOWN.Teams will get a one-day break following Beaver Dam, using Sunday as a travel and maintenance day. On Monday & Tuesday, June 21-22, the Huset’s 50 offers two nights of racing and a finale paying $30,000-to-win. Another one day away from the track ensues before three more nights at the Jackson Nationals on June 24-26 brings around a $50,000-to-win prize. If any driver can sweep both finales, they’ll take home an extra $100,000.Through 24 of a scheduled 83 events, Sweet is leading the standings in pursuit of his third-consecutive World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series championship.However, on his heels are six hungry drivers, all within 200 points of the coveted top spot.Trailing The Big Cat is David Gravel (-68) in the Big Game Motorsports #2, Carson Macedo (-92) in the Jason Johnson Racing #41, Aaron Reutzel (-140) in the Roth Motorsports #83, Sheldon Haudenschild (-142) in the Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing #17, Donny Schatz (-144) in the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15, and Logan Schuchart (-194) in the Shark Racing #1S.Fans who can’t make it to the track can catch all of the action on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.Photo – Trent Gower
The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), NOS Energy (Official Energy Product), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts all World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.

chevy racing–indycar–practice

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES INDIANAPOLIS 500 PRACTICE SESSION INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY OVAL DAY 2MAY 19, 2021 CHEVY TEAMS AND DRIVERS HAVE TWO DAYS OF PRACTICE UNDER THEIR BELTS FOR 105TH RUNNING OF INDIANAPOLIS 500From qualifying prep to running in “trains” for race prep, incident-free day yielded positive results for Bowtie brigade INDIANAPOLIS (May 19,2021) – Day two started at 11 am as the NTT INDYCAR Series and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway allowed a one-hour window for RC Enerson and the No. 75 Top Gun Racing Chevrolet to complete the Rookie Orientation Program. (ROP). In the time allotted, Enerson accomplished all the required tasks and is able to prepare for qualifications for the May 30th 500-mile race. The remainder of the afternoon the Chevrolet powered teams went through their specific plans in preparation for qualifications on Saturday and Sunday, May 22 & 23 as well as the race.  When Happy Hour ended at 6:15 p.m., Ed Carpenter Racing’s Conor Daly, No. 47 US Air Force Chevrolet, and Ed Carpenter, No. 20 SONAX Chevrolet were second and third respectively on the time chart. Both turning laps in excess of 226 mph. Practice will continue tomorrow, Thursday May 20 at noon concluding at 6:00 p.m.  
TEAM CHEVY LINEUP:JR Hildebrand, No. 1 ABC Supply/AJ Foyt RacingJosef Newgarden, No. 2 Shell Fuel Rewards Team Penske Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Pennzoil Team PenskeDalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators/AJ Foyt RacingPato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SPFelix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SPCharlie Kimball, No. 11 Tresiba/AJ Foyt RacingWill Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team PenskeSebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT/AJ Foyt RacingSimona De Silvestro, No. 16 Rocket Pro/Paretta AutosportEd Carpenter, No. 20 SONAX Ed Carpenter RacingRinus VeeKay, No. 21 Bitcoin Ed Carpenter RacingSimon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team PenskeSage Karam, No. 24 DRR-AES Indiana Dreyer & Reinbold RacingConor Daly, No. 47 U.S. Air Force Ed Carpenter RacingMax Chilton, No. 59 Gallagher CarlinRC Enerson, No. 75 Top Gun RacingJuan Pablo Montoya, No. 86 Arrow McLaren SP
ED CARPENTER, NO. 20 SONAX ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET AND CONOR DALY, NO. 47 US AIR FORCE ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLETPRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:THE MODERATOR: Welcome to day two at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway practicing for the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500. We have Conor Daly and Ed Carpenter. THE MODERATOR: Worried about no tow or just kind of working on your race car right now.ED CARPENTER: Yeah, I was surprised, too, because we were out there thinking there was going to be a group, and everyone started doing Q sims, and I was like, hmm, I guess we’ll just wait.Ed, you’ve got your guys together. How important is that to replicate the speed when it’s spread across all the drivers on your team?ED CARPENTER: I mean, the speed charts don’t necessarily mean a ton. Those are more representative of just getting a bunch of cars in front of you with the right gap and putting up a time. The majority of the running we’re doing, working in traffic, they’re 2:17s.I mean, it’s nice for the team, depending on the time sheets. But I think more importantly we’re all feeling pretty good and making progress with the cars. Soon we’ll find out what we have for speed, too.Q. Also there’s been a little bit of disappointment in the garage with the decision today by the mayor that it’s going to be June 7th before the mask thing is lifted. You could have probably had more people in here for race day. What are your reactions to it?ED CARPENTER: I don’t know, I thought we were following CDC guidelines. I guess that’s all I’ll say.ED CARPENTER: Yeah, but I don’t know. That’s all I’m going to say.ED CARPENTER: It is confusing.ED CARPENTER: I thought the internet had all the truths. That’s where I got it from.Q. But the prospect of the fact that there could have been more people —ED CARPENTER: All joking aside and me taking jabs, I’m super excited that we do have the ability to have the fans that we have here. It’s great having fans in the garage area with us. I don’t want to say we took for granted the fans being back there, but it really is nice. You get to know people over the years, and it’s great to see that they’re still with us.Q. For the two ECR guys, Rinus’s win, what kind of a boost did that give the team coming in here?CONOR DALY: I mean, I think the team has done an incredible job, obviously. Both of our cars were fast last weekend, which is great, and I think our cars have a lot of speed here, as well. I know my own journey with the team has probably been a little bit more difficult, but I think we’ve definitely rounded a nice corner for sure recently, and I think they’ve done a lot for me personally because I think my style has required a little bit more work with this generation car.I think it’s great. I mean, if the team is winning, that’s great. Know what I mean? I think it’s good for Ed, it’s good for all of our partners, it’s good for everyone involved. I would also like to have a trophy, though, too. I think that’s why we keep trying every day, we keep showing up and ready to do the job.ED CARPENTER: We’ll get you a trophy.Q. You could take his from him. He’s younger.CONOR DALY: No, he’s a young lad, he deserves it.Q. Ed, he had said that he felt the team was pretty excited for the Indy 500. He felt that the win last week would have elevated the team to another level.ED CARPENTER: I mean, I think anytime you win a race, it’s so hard to win races in this series, so anytime a driver or car on your team wins a race, I think it does lift everyone up. You don’t get to celebrate the Indy GP as long as you do some other races because we’re just turning the page and getting ready for the 500, but I think it makes it easier for the guys that come in to work excited about spending most of their hours out here for the rest of the month, and they deserve it. They’ve done a fantastic job.Q. That was the first win since 2016 for you —ED CARPENTER: Yep, it had been a while.Q. What does that do for your program?ED CARPENTER: You know, I think it tells us we’re doing the right things and using our resources in the right way, using our people in the right way, and the next step is just being consistent week in, week out, every type of circuit.Historically we’ve been pretty good at the Indy road course, so I think we expect to be strong here, but we just have to maintain a level of consistency.Q. Have you seen anyone out there that’s young that you’re just like, whoa, look at that guy?ED CARPENTER: I think there’s a lot of good cars right now. So much of it’s dependent on where you are in line, I think, can change the way you look quite a lot right now. But I think there’s more cars looking good than not, so it’s hard to really say.Q. Conor, can you just say some things about America and —CONOR DALY: Well, I didn’t know if anyone would ask me a question up here, but it feels good to be up here with these three incredibly talented gentlemen.I mean, our car has been great, so our car looks incredible yet again, U.S. Air Force, honoring the Red Tails, super cool scheme. It’s been fun so far.Yeah, so I mean, to be fast two days in a row, we want to keep that going. I think it’s — I’ve been in the opposite position before where you’re driving around and saving your life all day and you’re like, how on earth am I 28th. So to be driving around and kind of more towards the sharp end is just a really nice feeling. I’m just really pumped to have the car that we’ve got and the team support that we’ve got right now.
BETH PARETTA, SIMONA DE SILVESTRO, LAUREN SULLIVAN, ANDRA BUZATU FROM PARETTA AUTOSPORT, NO. 16 ROCKET PRO/PARETTA AUTOSPORT CHEVROLET,  PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT: 
THE MODERATOR: Good morning. Thank you for coming to meet the Paretta Autosport team, a female-dominant team attempting to make this year’s 105th running of the Indianapolis 500. We’re going to start off with a quick video presentation so you can meet the team.As you can see scrolling across the screen, those are many of the ladies associated with Paretta Autosport this year. We will start with meeting team owner Beth Paretta.BETH PARETTA: Thank you, Katie. I realize that it’s exactly four months since I was sitting here to announce the team. It was January 19th. So here we are on May 19th, a very special day for a lot of reasons.We’ve done a lot in four months. There was a lot of stuff that was done before that day of the announcement, but really excited to finally be here and for you to actually meet the faces that comprise Paretta Autosport, both on the commercial side, the competition side and the support that we’ve been getting through our technical partnership with Team Penske, which has been amazing. Very excited to be here today, and thank you for being on Zoom for those looking at us remotely. We couldn’t get our message out and tell the story without all of you, so thank you for your time and the way that you have very kindly covered this story.Hopefully it’s resonated with people to be more than another team, another entry, trying our best. We’re trying to do a lot more and trying to provide opportunity and hopefully some inspiration, both for kids and for women everywhere to push and work hard to also know that anybody might be possible for yourself. Very happy to be here.You saw the names on the team, but if we can just kind of cycle through quickly, I don’t know if you can go back through that or if there’s a way to pause them. But Simona, myself, but we’ve got the competition team, Ayla Agren, Caitlyn Brown, Andra Buzatu, Madison Conrad, Linda Conti, Sara Durant, Amanda Frayer, Mallorie Muller, Chelsea Pechenino and Lauren Sullivan, Runa Amin — this is the commercial side. Runa Amin, our intern; Barbara Burns, PR; Maria Grady, our photographer, Belicia Montgomery, business operations; Heather Pirowski on partnerships, and Linda Rosenberg in marketing.This is also on the competition team, the support from Team Penske. Clint Cummings, Casey Eason, Chris Fry, Jefferson Hodges, Michael Nelson, Tom Novins, John Picchinotti, Raul Prados, our race engineer; Gary Prall, Sean Rinaman, who is our amazing pit coach who’s been training the women in pit stops; Vance Welker, our crew chief; and that’s it alphabetically.So although this is female forward, I want to make sure that everybody understands that this is with the support and help and guidance and mentorship from some very amazing and experienced men who have worked in racing for many years, who have been part of this process from the beginning and teaching some of our women that are new to INDYCAR some of the ways of working around this car and working around this racetrack.I also want to give a big thank you to Rocket Pro TPO, our primary sponsor, Money Lion, our two main sponsors, who have been amazing. Not only have they been supportive but they are leveraging our story to also highlight some of the women’s forward initiatives on the business side for each of their companies. So it was a really great fit for both of those, Money Lion, talking about financial literacy for women. We’re talking about education and careers which lead to independence for women, financial literacy, so Money Lion is doing that. And Rocket Pro TPO, females in the mortgage industry who are business owners.So it’s wonderful to align with like-minded companies.Also a big thanks to everybody at Chevrolet for the Chevy power that will be hopefully making Simona go very fast here at the speedway in car No. 16. That’s it. That’s kind of — you’ll meet everybody individually afterward, but just want to show you some of the important people sitting next to me, too, to summarize their journey for the past four months.Simona?SIMONA DE SILVESTRO: Yeah, well, for me it’s definitely pretty special to be back at the speedway. I think you know that Beth has kind of put this opportunity together for me and as well for all the other women. I think it’s quite special.For sure I think our association with Team Penske is just incredible. I’ve learned so much just over the last like — the test day and yesterday, as well, so just kind of getting confidence out there, and the car feels really good, so from that point of view, I’m really excited to be here because I think we have the tools to do something great, and everyone is really learning really quickly from everyone. Me myself, as well, I haven’t been in an INDYCAR for six years, so it’s great to have great teammates around me and everyone from Team Penske really kind of helping us out on that side.For sure, like Beth said, having Rocket Pro TPO and Money Lion kind of coming on board and telling this journey together, I think it’s great special. I think without them we wouldn’t be here, as well, so I think, yeah, car looks pretty good, as well. Looks fast and cool. Yeah, and Chevy, to welcome me back in the family, I think it’s really special.Yeah, I think we’ll have a good month of May, and I can’t wait to go back out on track today.Lauren?LAUREN SULLIVAN: My name is Lauren Sullivan and I am the performance engineer for Paretta Autosport. I support the race engineer Raul, and I was asked to loan my skill set to this team by Team Penske. My full-time job is actually being a NASCAR wind tunnel test engineer for Team Penske, and earlier this year upper management came to me and asked if I would be interested in translating what I do on the NASCAR side over to the INDYCAR side to support Paretta Autosport, and so I of course said absolutely. This is a fantastic opportunity to translate data quality and wind tunnel testing to track-based testing and data quality.From there, the journey has been incredible and has exceeded many expectations, every expectation actually, from the men from Team Penske who have been supporting us to all the ladies I’ve been able to work with, and each experience has just gone beyond predictions and how I thought it would go. It’s just been wonderful. The energy and the excitement that is in this team is infectious, and we are here and we are ready to do what we came here to do.Watching all these ladies and myself, all of us learn a new skill set so quickly, the relentless amount of hard work and hours we’ve each put in since the start of the year to be ready for race day, and we’re ready for it. It’s cool to see it all finally come together.We’re also very aware of our unique position to the next generation, the eyes that are on us, in particular the young ladies that are out there watching this unfold, and we hope that by seeing us, you guys realize that we didn’t do anything extraordinary to be here. We are just like you, and so if you can see us, you can be us. By all of us coming together, we’re hoping to make that message very clear.One of those wonderful ladies that we have with us is Andra.ANDRA BUZATU: Good morning. My name is Andra Buzatu. I am a mechanic on the car as well as being on the pit crew.I recently got out of the military last year in September and decided to come to NASCAR Technical Institute, where I was recruited for the team.Since February, we have all been getting up at 3:30, 4:00 in the morning four days a week to be at the Penske shop by 5:00 a.m. to practice our stops. Every single day we’re learning something new, and we had quite a few women start out on the team, so the women that you see standing here are the ones that made it and are in a final part of the team.When it comes to being over the wall, we’re hoping to see a lot of us going over the wall. It will still be tentative on race day, where we are, but we have — we’ve been working very, very hard to be where we are.I think the biggest point is that we’re just another race team, and we’re here to win, and we’re here to really show that we deserve to be here. Thank you.THE MODERATOR: Thank you, ladies. Great to put some faces and names behind the Paretta Autosport story. Now that you have met the women of Paretta Autosport we’re going to open the floor for a few brief questions.Q. (No microphone.)BETH PARETTA: I’ve worked in motorsport a long time, and this is different than anything I’ve ever been part of, obviously, for all the reasons that you see.I started just as a fan watching from home. I was somebody that watched racing all the time, and I didn’t necessarily plot out that this would be where I’d find myself. It’s the most extraordinary — it’s the most extraordinary thing to be able to do for a living, in fairness, and we’ll all say that, everybody on the team, even on our toughest days and our early mornings and late nights and covered in schmutz. We love it, and we do it because we’re competitive and we do it because it’s about pushing ourselves.Many of us have individual journeys but there’s nothing like being on a team and knowing that the person standing next to you is as driven as you are. We’re all better together.Those sorts of things, these are opportunities of a lifetime, and it’s funny because all of us have worked in racing we can think back to different teams we were on and have such affectionate memories and I’m hoping that this is the start of something and we’re going to work together for many years if all goes well and if we have our partners that would like to continue this with us and see how far we can take this.A day like today is something that we’re always going to remember.Q. Beth, you had talked about this a few years ago, and you wanted an all-female team. How difficult was it to — when you first announced it to actually get here today?BETH PARETTA: Well, there were some logistics challenges at the 11th hour in 2016 that were unfortunate, and they affected a few teams that year, and we got caught up in that. It happens; it’s kind of the trials and tribulations of Indy.Yeah, I took a couple of years in between. I was focusing on the education side of things and building that and still continuing to build my network, and in fairness, Roger Penske and his team were supportive then and we were going to work together sort of in a different alliance, so when the race for equality and change was announced last year, I reached back out to him to say, hey, what is this about and what’s your ambition with this program, and he said, let’s talk, because it was already — the seeds had already been planted. So it was a very short conversation this time.We immediately got a car and the car was secured and immediately my next call was to Chevrolet and then the engine was secured. In fairness I think because I went through that it made this a little easier because it was a known idea.I think obviously the climate has changed. I think five years ago, six years ago we might have been too early for the world.Q. Now you have Roger Penske on board with diversity efforts. Did he give you that push that got you across the finish line?BETH PARETTA: I’d say the push in the sense of the technical alliance obviously then is easier when you call somebody like a Simona De Silvestro and say hey I’m putting this team together and I have a technical partnership with Roger Penske. I don’t think there was any hesitation. I mean, not that there’s hesitation, but it’s extra. I mean, to be able to be aligned with a team that knows their way around the speedway is a little easier.In fairness, I have a good relationship with Chevrolet, so did the Penske situation help? No, I had that and I’m a known quantity in some places. But there’s no doubt that it just helps, because also when you’re calling and talking to possible potential sponsor partners, it’s one thing to back an idea, it’s another thing to back an idea that has a connection to something that’s a going concern.Q. For the others, you look around and you’ve got this team of females and it seems like something that would never be possible and yet here it is. I’m wondering how that makes you feel.SIMONA DE SILVESTRO: Well, I think for me personally, like when I look at pit lane, to me it doesn’t matter — I think they all deserve to be there. I look at whoever is changing my tire because it’s the best person to do that job, but for sure I think what Beth was able to do is just give this amazing opportunity.Everyone is learning from the best people like in the paddock, and I think that’s something that even in my career I’ve fought for. At the end of the day racing is all about being in the right place at the right moment, and right now we just have literally all the tools in our hands to really show what we can do, and I think that’s really uplifting.I think everyone involved in the program, as well, is just really — realizes that. Everyone is putting the extra work into it, and I think that’s really special to see, and for sure when we’re on pit lane, I think all the other teams kind of look at us, but we just do our job and that’s what it is, and hopefully I think it’ll just open even more opportunities to other girls out there.Also in different teams, for example, just to — if somebody is good at what they do, they should also get a shot at it.BETH PARETTA: And to be fair there are women in other teams and you’ll see them in pit lane. I don’t know if some teams have done this where they’ve actually put some of their women more forward where they might have been back at the shop, and if that’s maybe something that’s new this year for whatever reason, good. Then it worked. Because they were there all along.Q. Do you two feel part of something?LAUREN SULLIVAN: Oh, yeah, the camaraderie hits different. Being on the NASCAR side, it’s also a male-dominated field, but to come over here and be in a female-dominated team, it hits different, just because you’re so used to being one or two in a field of many other men and stuff like that.It’s a very unique experience, and it’s really cool to see and look around, especially like when we’re walking together down pit road or something like that, and it’s like, we’re doing this, and we’re doing it well. It’s exciting.ANDRA BUZATU: It’s so crazy to be with a bunch of other women that want to do what you do because on my ship I was one of the only female mechanics. The rest of them were officers, so I was the only one like down in the pits in the engine room.It’s so cool to be working alongside other women who are so driven to do what you love to do.Q. Simona, a few weeks ago Will Power was saying that — he said, Simona is going to be my favorite. The Swiss Missile, she’s going to be fast in that Penske car. I think you’re really highly respected as a racer and maybe people look at you as you just haven’t had the right opportunity. Do you feel like you’re in an opportunity now that you can really shine?SIMONA DE SILVESTRO: Yeah, definitely. If I look at my career, like INDYCAR has done so much for my career. I think it’s really put me on the map. But when I was here in 2010, 2013, I never got the call from a big team, even though I think kind of the results were okay, and it could have been a possibility.I think it just took a little bit of work, and finally I think, yeah, with Beth doing this and also Roger, I think when they called me, I think it was quite special because I feel like, okay, I’ve put a lot of work to be in this position finally, and here I am today.From that point of view I’m grateful that I stuck with it all these years to finally be here, and for sure I think this is the best opportunity for me yet in INDYCAR and here, as well, at the Indy 500 because literally everyone in the team, everyone around us really wants us to do well. They really give you everything you need and try to make you as comfortable as you can, and the car is really fast, as well.From that point of view, it’s just, yeah, putting my head down and getting it done, and hopefully this will be a really strong month of May and we’ll see where the journey goes.Q. Can you win the Indy 500?SIMONA DE SILVESTRO: Yeah. You know, I think so, if we — I think at the end of the day this place — you need a little bit of luck. You need things to go well. But I feel like we’re really putting the right amount of work into it, and at the end of the day the things I can control is doing the job. I can be as prepared as I can, the women, as well, the guys on the team, as well, my engineer. Everyone knows that, so we just have to get the work done, and hopefully on Sunday we’ll be in a good position.Q. Pit stop times, what did you guys start out at and what have you improved to?ANDRA BUZATU: Oh, man, we started off at, I don’t know, 17-, 18-second stops –BETH PARETTA: On a static car.ANDRA BUZATU: Yeah.BETH PARETTA: We could put a car right here and see how long it would take any of you to do it.ANDRA BUZATU: And I think now our average is around 5.5, five seconds.BETH PARETTA: There’s average, so there’s some sub-five.Q. Also Team Penske guys like Rick Rinaman were famous for — he was going over the wall when he was 62. The fact they’ve won the pit stop challenge so often, what’s it like getting coached by some of those guys where to shave a tenth of a second off here, a half a second there, what’s the process?ANDRA BUZATU: Sean is the best coach that we possibly could have asked for. This is his first time coaching a group of women. I mean, the process is so minute. You think we’re just taking a tire on — taking a tire off, putting a tire on, but there’s — like the angle of how you pick up the tire, the angle of how you put the gun on, it started off with the basics, and now we are so just picking apart the finest of details.It’s been a long process of just the basics down to the details. I’m super confident with how all of us stand when it comes down to pit stops.BETH PARETTA: It’s like going to the Harvard of pit schools.Q. I believe the pit stop challenge is canceled for this year, but for next year how big a goal would it be to get out there and fight for that championship?ANDRA BUZATU: I mean, that’s all we could ask for, right?Q. How oversubscribed was it like when you announced this deal? Did you get a lot of applications? What was your feel for how much enthusiasm there was behind this?BETH PARETTA: We got a ton of CVs, a ton of resumes, through the website, through my LinkedIn, every way. From a lot of men, as well, which was lovely. In fairness because it was such a short timeline, we really relied on people that we knew and had a relationship with and then kind of like one degree of separation of then using — like going to a resource like Jefferson Hodges with Team Penske who had previously worked with a bunch of the women before or knew them through the NASCAR Technical Institute. We really were pragmatic about it.Q. I wanted to ask also about — I realize why you picked the 500, but obviously with 35 cars it’s high risk coming in with a team, not because they’re individually inexperienced but just working together. Wouldn’t it have been safer to do like a Long Beach or St. Pete where you’re guaranteed to actually be on the grid?BETH PARETTA: Absolutely, and we actually considered doing a bundle of races. Part of it has to do with Simona’s day job as a Porsche factory driver so there were some conflicts with some of the dates, so we looked at that, but we decided collectively with Roger and their upper management that we would start here and then go from here.Q. So are you hinting that there are more races coming up?BETH PARETTA: (Nodding head.)Q. Simona, how quickly did you get back into the swing of driving an open-wheel car because it was completely alien what you were doing down in Supercars to come here.SIMONA DE SILVESTRO: Yeah, actually to be honest, I felt at home pretty quickly. I think if I think about my career and all that, I always felt the most comfortable in open-wheel car to be honest. That’s I think how my driving style is. Also growing up in Europe and all that and just having driven these type of cars for such a long time, I felt pretty quickly at home.For sure here at the speedway definitely the first few laps it’s pretty quick because I hadn’t been here for six years, but yeah, I felt pretty comfortable pretty quickly, and I think that has a lot to do just with the team, as well, taking it really step by step and having also with the other drivers like people to kind of lean on a little bit. That felt actually pretty good.I think it was good that we did the open test because we just all kind of got to know each other for the first time and know how everyone works and also with my engineer and things like that, so now we had a little bit of time off to kind of work through these things. So it feels really comfortable out there, and for sure the racing is a tough part because how you’re racing on an oval, but we’ve been doing a bit of practice, and today, as well, we’ll try to do a bit more traffic running to get as comfortable as we can out there in traffic, as well.Q. If Paretta Autosport does continue to other races, I assume that you’re going to try and make yourself available? Porsche commitments allowing, yeah?SIMONA DE SILVESTRO: Yeah, at the end of the day I am at the moment under contract with Porsche, but I think in that sense I’m pretty lucky that they are really big racing brand. I think even when I called them about doing the Indy 500, it didn’t take two seconds for them to let me do it. From that point of view I think it’s really special. They know how important INDYCAR is, as well, so yeah, from that point of view I think I’m lucky for them to kind of be on my side for those things.Q. Just wanted to clarify with you, you’ve talked about kind of the pit crew over the past half an hour or so. I wonder if you’ve committed to an all-female crew over the wall for the race or if there’s still work to be done with finalizing that crew before the race actually comes.BETH PARETTA: No, the crew over the wall will be coed. We’ll see as the week goes on who may go over the wall, and ultimately the number one priority is safety and then competition. Here’s the thing: If we have zero women over the wall for the Indy 500 you’ll see them at the next race. It’s all about progress. Just the fact that you see this lineup and how far we’ve gotten in these four months, that’s how I’m measuring our progress. Every time we can integrate and add one more woman in a key role, that’s what we’re going to get to.Is it going to be 100 percent over the wall? No. And we’re going to prioritize safety and competition.Q. You’ve had some on-track testing time and also yesterday, as well. What are you expecting in terms of competition for the race? How confident are you going into that and what are you expecting in terms of targets?BETH PARETTA: We are very happy with how everything went yesterday. We’re following our plan, and we’re taking every day with a very robust methodical plan, and we’re going to follow our playbook.Q. How excited were you yesterday to have the team on track?BETH PARETTA: Over the moon. I mean, I don’t show it. I laughed when the Indy star referred to me as stoic because if anyone knows me, it’s like, really? Because it worked, if they thought I was stoic. Because obviously it’s a balance. We want to make sure that we’re focused, but yeah, I want to make sure that we all have a job to do, this is very important, it’s very exciting, but also allow ourselves that moment to exhale and just say, this is also very amazing and very cool. Hopefully we have a little bit of fun with it and do our jobs and hopefully on the night of May 30th we can celebrate.Q. For Simona, obviously you haven’t raced with the aeroscreen, but how have you found adapting to the aeroscreen considering the last time you were in an INDYCAR it didn’t have it?SIMONA DE SILVESTRO: Yeah, to be honest when you’re in the car you don’t really realize it. It doesn’t really change that much. In traffic it is a little bit different because when I raced here six, eight years ago you would feel a bit more the turbulent air on your helmet, on your head, and you don’t really feel that now with the aeroscreen. So it’s a little bit more tricky in just getting your runs and stuff, your timing of the runs. So that’s kind of the only thing that has changed a little bit.To be honest when you haven’t driven here for so long, you kind of just take it as a brand new like everything and kind of just learn from the things — you learn out there like all the time and don’t really think too much about how it was like six years ago because it’s quite far away.Q. You’re saying you’re coming from a military background; how has that prepared you to come in to motorsport, but then you’re also coming from the Penske NASCAR side, so has that been an easy transition to INDYCAR?ANDRA BUZATU: Yes and no. Four years in the military, I mean, we’re used to long days, and I was deployed for six months at a time, so traveling isn’t that big of a deal.I was a mechanic for four years, so I have that background coming into it. Going to NASCAR Tech was an option that I decided to take, and I was not expecting to get this offer.Transitioning out of military life is difficult on its own, so this opportunity came, and my life just picked up after that. It’s been an awesome transition, and everything starting out — they didn’t really throw us into the deep end right away. We got acquainted with everything, and it’s just been a great ride ever since.Q. Simona, since you left in the car, you have been in a bunch of other cars. What have you learned since then, and how can you adapt that when you come back?SIMONA DE SILVESTRO: Yeah, I think the biggest thing because I’ve driven so many different cars in the last six years is I think what I’ve learned the most is just adapting myself a bit. When you’re in open wheel for so long, you kind of start to understand and know what you kind of need in the race car to be quick, and jumping from Formula E to a Supercar and now to a GT car, I think the big thing is just in my driving, being adaptable. I think that’s the big thing that I learned just — sometimes things I want to do doesn’t really work for that car, so just being a bit more open-minded about things and about my driving, as well.Q. What do you expect of yourself for the Indy 500?SIMONA DE SILVESTRO: You know, I think like any racer who enters, I try to be as competitive as I can be. You come to race to win races. That’s what we do this for. For sure I think right now it feels really good. For sure it’s only early days, but I feel pretty competitive out there, and yeah, the team around me is great.From that point of view, we’re just taking it day by day and just getting the confidence up every day and keep working on the things that I can do better and getting as comfortable as I can. I think if these things come together, I think we can be pretty strong on Sunday.Q. Have you had enough time to prepare?SIMONA DE SILVESTRO: Yeah, for sure. Well, compared to everyone else who’s driving INDYCARs every weekend, it’s a bit different, but in the sense that the team is just really good around me. They really let me also take my time. They have really good guidance, and that point of view I feel super comfortable.Like I said before, I feel really comfortable in an INDYCAR. I love open wheel racing, so for me just the level of excitement being here is just really big, and I’m just super happy that I get to be back here and back at IMS, back in an INDYCAR. I think it’s special. Definitely pinching myself every day that I get to do this.FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports107546-1-1002 2021-05-19 15:29:00 GMTWILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON 5G TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET AND JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, NO. 86 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everyone. On behalf of everyone at Penske Entertainment and management at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, welcome to the world’s greatest race course. Wrapping up day one today, which started early with practice. We had a little rain delay midway and then wrapped it up quickly this afternoon with some 35 cars out on the two-and-a-half-mile oval.A couple of Indy 500 champions joining us here this afternoon. We expect to hear from Ryan Hunter-Reay, I believe, as well, and Takuma Sato, the two-time and reigning Indy 500 champion again here momentarily. Let’s get started with two-time Indy 500 champion Juan Pablo Montoya, and Will Power, who topped the speed chart this afternoon with a lap at 226.470 miles an hour. Juan, it looks like you’re ready. This is a nice little bounce-back after the weekend you had GP weekend on the road course.JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Yeah, it was kind of expected to be honest. At the end of the race, we were actually pretty decent on lap time and everything, but it’s hard when you go into qualifying and you’ve done I think eight timed laps or something or 10 timed laps. We knew qualifying was going to be difficult and race was going to be difficult, but we did everything we needed to do with the pit stops, the fuel saving, work under pressure with the engineers.I mean, I think it was a really efficient weekend for the mechanics, as well. They didn’t have a lot of time to make all the changes.I’m really proud of everybody, Arrow McLaren, Speed. So it’s pretty good.I think our car, I don’t know, it’s weird because my reference is the old car before, all the halo and all this, and it feels pretty bad, but if you look at when I run with everybody, it seems pretty good.THE MODERATOR: I remember even when you left here after the open test you felt pretty good about things.JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Yeah, and when we started here I felt a lot happier then. I felt like we really gained a lot and had really good ideas, and this morning the track was really grippy. It was cool. It’s hard when it’s so cool because you can fool yourself a little bit. Overall it’s okay. I’m pretty happy. Got to wait and see what it brings.THE MODERATOR: Will, just recap your day today and the rain delay and all of that, but 226.4, P1 here on day one.WILL POWER: Yeah, so obviously not much, just big tow, as simple as that, trying to catch that train. But as far as stuck in traffic I felt pretty good just running with two or three cars in front. Felt more comfortable than I have for a while.That was promising, and yeah, I think cooler conditions can make everything feel pretty good. I think when the heat comes it’ll certainly change everything and become harder to follow.I think adding that downforce is certainly going to help the racing. I think you’re going to have one of the old style races where the front three are just swapping positions constantly because you can follow so close now. I think, yeah, it’s good for the fans.THE MODERATOR: That begs the question did the aero changes make a difference? So far so good? Do you like what you see out there?WILL POWER: Yeah, I think they needed that after last year’s race and they added it all to the flow so that makes it much better in traffic. Yeah, so far it feels really good.Q. I’m wondering how important is it to know this place and to understand what it’s about? Is that an invaluable amount of experience?JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Yeah.WILL POWER: Yeah, I think so. I’ve had so much time around here, you know the cars — having worked with Juan and Helio before, these guys were very, very good because of experience, so they know how to get the car right and know where to put it and not get themselves in trouble. I feel like I’m at that stage now.But yeah, you understand very well.JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Yeah, it’s interesting because as you get more experience you really know what you’re looking at on the car, as Will said, but sometimes when you don’t know enough, it’s good, as well, especially because we drive this — the way these cars drive at the moment.I don’t know, like if you look at Pato, for example, he’s comfortable with a car that is like really, really neutral. I mean, we can handle it, but for me is the question can you do it 200 laps.The way I look at it is like, I’m going to complain as much as I can until race day and then I’ll do the best I can with what I have. That’s all you can do.Q. Look at Pato; these guys are coming in here, everybody is saying look at the young guys, but does this particular race benefit guys like you?JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: At the end of the day you look at how many young guys have won the 500 the last few years. I think that answers the question. I mean, do they have a shot? For sure, no question. I think Pato and Herta and all those kids, they’ve got a lot of talent and everything. Felix, as well. At the end of the day you’ve got to run the 200 laps and see what happens at the end of it.First of all, you’ve got to make it to 200, you know? So we’ll see. To tell you the truth, it’s tough. It looks like the forecast is going to get hotter this week and next week, so that’s going to make it even harder. I don’t know, they say that it’s better now with the new improved aero kit and everything to follow people, but I still find it pretty difficult to be honest.You know when you have one car it’s not an issue or two cars you can travel and pass, but when you’re behind five, six cars, it’s like, good luck.WILL POWER: No, I feel the same. Once you get back in that train — it’s always been that way. It’s just so hard in all that dirty air. Yeah, that’s the game. It’s kind of hard in practice to understand, too, because you’ve got people checking up, you’ve got guys coming out on different fuel loads and new tires and old tires, so you don’t know where people are setup-wise or tire-wise.You honestly don’t get a very good idea until race day how it will truly race.Q. Juan, last week was a little bit more difficult. Today it seemed like you hadn’t missed a day. How did it feel?JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Honestly last week was what we expected. What do you expect, you haven’t been in the car three years. We did an afternoon in Laguna that is really no reference to this, and I got in the car and you try to do the best you can. Like if you look at my pace in the first practice I was only six-tenths of Pato and Felix. I felt pretty good after one session. The second session was a disaster; we made some changes, and I hated the car, couldn’t really be comfortable at all. Next you’re qualifying, next you’re racing. Warmup was pretty good, and we started the race with the same car, and it wouldn’t turn. We don’t understand why, and we kind of made some changes during the race, and at the end my pace was decent. But by then, who cares.But for me, as I said earlier, it’s really important because we pushed the guys to make a lot of changes. The car was always right, the car was always on time. We didn’t miss a beat. And I think that’s really important. The pit stops were good. Couldn’t hope for a lot more.It’s very easy to do pit stops when there’s no pressure, but in a race situation it makes it a little bit more interesting for everybody, including myself, so it was good.Honestly it made a huge difference. I got in the car today and I didn’t even think about it. That’s basically the reason of those painful days was today.THE MODERATOR: They’re talking about heat indexes around 90 degrees this week.THE MODERATOR: I’m curious as you sit here, all Indy champs, you’re looking at Montoya’s return. Did you think you’d seen the end of Juan Pablo Montoya at Indianapolis Motor Speedway?JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: I thought I did.WILL POWER: Yeah, I mean, I thought it would be smart for your team to employ you. You’ve got a pretty good record around this joint.JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Honestly the only reason I came back is because I think they got the potential to give me a winning car, and RP didn’t let me run the last few years. It’s the truth. He always — the last two years before this, I said I’m pretty sure he’s going to say no, but if you want to call, go ahead, and he called and it was like, nah, not happening.THE MODERATOR: There are nine former Indy 500 champions involved in this field. The record is 10 back in ’92. This is a pretty stacked field looking at this. You talk about the competition, how much more difficult it seems to be this year. That’s certainly relevant when it comes to this year’s Indianapolis 500.WILL POWER: It would be hard — how many cars have we got, 35, 36?JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Freaking impossible.JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Oh, my God. And you’ve really got to be patient enough for somebody to screw up to make the passes much easier.WILL POWER: I was saying actually qualifying would be tough at the back 10 or 12 cars because I think everyone is so close. You’ve seen a lot –JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: I think the track will make a huge difference on your performance.THE MODERATOR: The bigger the better on Saturday.JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Normally, yeah.Q. Have you gotten a read as to how the engines are performing relative to each other?WILL POWER: Yeah, no, not really. I think they’re pretty even just based on today. If you’re following Honda, they’re a little better if they checked up to get up to speed. But yeah, we won’t know until qualifying. Obviously that’s a different boost level. Then again, Carb Day is a race engine. I think it’s all so close now that it’s almost coming down to how you prepare the car.Q. Juan, you’ve been in various formulas around here. How do you feel it compares?JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: I think — I don’t know, it’s hard to tell. I was telling Will that it seems like they recover a little better than us off the corners, but if anything I would say probably at the moment what we’re showing and what they’re showing, they seem to be a little better at — we’re a little better at the end of the straight. Until they really put those race engines in and everybody really shows everything — it’s hard to tell because you might be doing a long run and somebody comes out and looks really good and they’ve got 10 laps less on their tires. Unless you got on the same lap and you take the beating of the whatever laps you want to run, 20, 25 laps, then you really don’t know where you stand.Q. Will was up front. Juan was dropped all the way back to 33rd the year he won it in 2015 and Takuma won it last year from starting pretty close to the front. Why is it so important where you qualify here this weekend?JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Aeroscreen.WILL POWER: Yeah, I think last year was evident if you didn’t start at the front you didn’t have a chance. It might be a little bit better this year.JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Yeah, I think they improved the car, but if you look at the guys when you run in a pack, the top three guys, as Will said earlier, they can pass each other and you look really racy. You drop to sixth or seventh and you’re like praying for dear life.Q. Also for Juan , how big would it be to win a third 500?JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: I think it would be cool. I think we’ve got a good shot at it. I think it’s exciting. I think having Pato and Felix as teammates is really cool. I think everybody at Arrow McLaren has been doing a really nice job. It’s a great atmosphere to work with, and they have good cars. They won Texas. They really showed they have fast cars. Even when we unloaded today they looked really strong. I don’t know, we’ll see. It’s a long week ahead. There’s many ways you can screw it up, so try to avoid most of them.THE MODERATOR: Thanks so much, guys, for your patience and coming over and saying hi to everybody. Nice way to kick things off here in the 2021 Indy 500.

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Max McLaughlin using Oswego Speedway Supermodified win as early fuel for Super DIRT Week
Coffey/McCreadie Enterprises considering full-time Super DIRTcar Series bid with McLaughlin this year
By Nick GrazianoOSWEGO, NY – May 20, 2021 – Max McLaughlin unlocked the opportunity to write his name on a blank page in the record books for Super DIRT Week.With his asphalt Supermodified win at Oswego Speedway on May 15, the 21-year-old could be the first driver in history to win a Supermodified race at the “Steel Palace” and the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 during the 49th NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week (Oct. 6-10) in the same year.His Supermodified win already wrote his name in the record books as the seventh driver to win on the asphalt and dirt versions of the 5/8-mile track – he won the Super DIRTcar Series Futures Feature in 2016 and one of the Triple 30s in 2017 at Oswego. He was also the first driver to accomplish that feat in 66 years.“It’s pretty cool to be in the history books in that category,” McLaughlin said. “That’s pretty wild to be the first to do it in 60-plus years.”To the Mooresville, NC driver, who’s also spent a stint in Weedsport, NY, there’s no bigger dirt race than Super DIRT Week. After a loose wheel spoiled his chance at a win in 2019, COVID postponed it in 2020 and the Supermodified win this year, McLaughlin is eager for another shot at the crown jewel in October.“To go to Victory Lane at Super DIRT Week would be huge,” he said. “It’s definitely possible. We’re on a good streak now. I feel like we have just as much momentum as anybody right now. There’s a good chance we could make it happen. Just have to put everything together on our end. It’s a tough level we’re competing in. You’ve got to have a perfect day to go to Victory Lane in any series race. It won’t be easy, but I think we have the team and car to do it.”McLaughlin continues to pilot the #32c Big Block for Coffey/McCreadie Enterprises after joining the team last year. They found success together early, winning the OktoberFAST finale at Weedsport Speedway last year – McLaughlin’s first Super DIRTcar Series victory. Then, he picked up another Series win at Volusia Speedway Park and claimed his first Big Gator championship during the DIRTcar Nationals in February.That success has continued through the first four Super DIRTcar Series 2021 events with McLaughlin picking up two top-fives and three top-10s. He currently sits third in points – 76 points behind Stewart Friesen, who currently isn’t committed as a full-time driver, and six points behind Series regular Mike Mahaney. If his strong performance continues and the team has all the resources in place, a full-time bid with the Series may not be out of the question this year.“We’re definitely thinking about it,” McLaughlin said. “It’s something we’ve been talking about a lot the last week or two. Just contemplating and seeing if we can put all of our ends together and make sure we have enough stuff to do it.”They’ll continue to test the waters on Sunday, May 30, during the $7,500-to-win Heroes Remembered 100 at Weedsport Speedway – a race they initially weren’t planning on running (the Monday, May 31, event at Lebanon Valley Speedway is still TBD). Weedsport started off as a track McLaughlin said he struggled at due to its unique D-shape but with time and practice it became one of his favorites.“Definitely something I worked hard at to get better and since I got there I think we’ve had a little bit of an edge there,” he said. “Now that we’ve got our cars so good, I think we have a shot to go back and win again.”Along with the momentum of the Supermodified win, he said he thinks running the asphalt rocketship will help his dirt program, too. The combination of the car’s 800hp methanol-run V8 engine, its weight of 1,800lbs. and aircraft-like aerodynamics to keep it planted to the asphalt resulted in a new level of speed for McLaughlin. Now, it feels like time moves at a slower pace in his other race cars.He recalled Stewart Friesen saying he had the same kind of experience after he drove a 410 Sprint Car for the first time, and that it helped his performance in other cars. Friesen won the Big Block event at Super DIRT Week for three consecutive years after he ran his first World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car event.“This could be my type of Sprint Car deal,” McLaughlin said.The page is saved, and the ink-filled to write McLaughlin’s name in a special place in the Super DIRT Week record book if he can make history with his first Billy Whittaker Cars 200 win this year.For tickets to the 49th NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week, CLICK HERE. Tickets to the Sunday, May 30, Heroes 100 at Weedsport Speedway will be on sale Monday, May 24 at WeedsportSpeedway.com.If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.
The Super DIRTcar Series is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game) and NAPA Auto Parts. Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fox Factory, MSD, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE ECHO PARK TEXAS GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS AUSTIN, TEXAS MAY 23, 2021



RACE #14 – CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICASFor the first time in NASCAR’s history, all three NASCAR national series will head to Austin, Texas, to take on the Circuit of The Americas (COTA). The inaugural NASCAR race weekend on the 3.426-mile/20-turn undulating road course features the 68-lap/231-mile NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) EchoPark Texas Grand Prix on Sunday, May 23. The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) events will make for an action-packed doubleheader on Saturday, May 22. 
The Series’ highly-anticipated debut at the circuit that features a 133-foot hill in Turn One will provide for a weekend full of unique challenges. Among the few drivers that have limited on-track seat time at the venue includes reigning NCS Champion Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 1LE, who participated in a Goodyear tire test at COTA in March. Chevrolet drivers, Austin Dillon and Tyler Reddick, also familiarized themselves with the circuit when they competed in a World Racing League endurance race in December 2020. 
COTA, which opened in 2012, is the first of five NCS road course events through the end of August. In February, the Daytona Road Course kicked off the record-seven road course events on the 2021 NCS schedule. Chevrolet drivers made a strong showing by occupying four of the top-10 spots in the final running order. 
Heading into the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit Boss 250, Chevrolet has scored an impressive six victories in 10 races thus far this season and sits atop the Manufacturer Standings. AJ Allmendinger, who is fourth in the Driver Standings, will do double duty this weekend, making his second NCS start of the season in the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Camaro ZL1 1LE.
Reigning NCWTS champion Sheldon Creed, who earned his first victory of the season and first at Darlington Raceway on May 7 in the No. 2 GMS Racing Chevrolet Silverado, leads the Team Chevy contingent into the Toyota Tundra 250. Creed is third in the Driver Standings.
CLOSING IN ON HISTORYIt was a monumental weekend for Chevrolet team, Hendrick Motorsports, when its drivers recorded a 1-2-3-4 finish for the first time in the organization’s history. It was just the fourth time this feat has been accomplished in NASCAR Cup Series history. Hendrick Motorsports is just the third organization to achieve this historic sweep, joining Peter DePaolo Racing (1956 at Titusville; 1957 at North Wilkesboro) and Roush Fenway Racing (2005 at Homestead-Miami).
Alex Bowman’s win in the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE was Hendrick Motorsports’ 267th all-time victory in NASCAR’s Premier Series, putting the organization just one win away from tying Petty Enterprises’ all-time win record. Bowman’s victory was the 799th for Chevrolet, the winningest brand in motorsports.
HALFWAY THROUGH THE REGULAR SEASONThrough 13 of 26 regular-season NCS races, Chevrolet sits atop the Manufacturer Standings. Team Chevy drivers have recorded four victories – two by Alex Bowman and one each by William Byron and Kyle Larson, locking in their spots for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs and their chance at the championship title. 
Leading Team Chevy in the Driver Standings is William Byron, who sits second, with Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson in fifth, Chase Elliott in seventh and Alex Bowman in 13th. Also checking into the Top-16 are Austin Dillon (11th) and Tyler Reddick (15th). 
BYRON’S STREAK KEEPS ROLLINGWilliam Byron’s fourth-place finish at Dover extended his streak of NCS top-10 finishes to 11, making it the longest active streak in the NASCAR Cup Series. Byron’s streak, which started with his win at Homestead-Miami Speedway in February, is the longest top-10 streak by a Hendrick Motorsports’ driver since Jimmie Johnson recorded 13 top-10’s in a row in 2004-2005. 
BOWTIE BULLETS·       Chevrolet leads all manufacturers in top-10 finishes this season with 56. 
·       Chase Elliott (Daytona Road Course), William Byron (Homestead-Miami Speedway) and Kyle Larson (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway 2, Kansas Speedway, Dover International Speedway 2) have scored stage wins, for a total of 8 thus far this season for Chevrolet.
·       Of his 13 starts in NCS road course events, Chase Elliott has scored five wins, the most of active drivers. Elliott has won four of the past five NCS races on road courses. 
·       Austin Dillon will make his first NXS start since 2019, driving the No. 77 Bassett Racing Camaro SS.
·       Two-time Rolex 24 at Daytona class winner, Spencer Pumpelly, will make his NXS debut in the No. 6 JD Motorsports Camaro SS.
TUNE INPractice and qualifying are on the schedule for all three series. FS1 will telecast qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Texas Grand Prix live at 11 a.m. ET Sunday, May 23, followed by the live telecast of the race at 2:30 p.m. Live coverage of both events can also be found on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. FS1 will also telecast the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Toyota Tundra 250 at 1 p.m. ET and the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit Boss 250 at 4 p.m. ET Saturday, May 22.
QUOTABLE QUOTESWILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 2nd IN STANDINGSBYRON ON HIS THOUGHTS FOR COTA AND UPCOMING ROAD COURSE RACES: “I’ve been to COTA to test in a Trans Am car but I feel like the Cup car will be a totally different beast there. This race means we’re getting close to starting a swing of road courses soon. That is really going change how teams prep to go to the racetrack versus prepping for an oval race. While I don’t really know what to expect this weekend, I think with this being the first road course in a short stretch, it’s important to get a good baseline to be able to use and build off of moving forward for the other road courses. I also think having practice and qualifying is going to help us not only better prepare for Sunday’s race but prepping for the other road course races moving forward.
RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LEFUGLE ON THE CHALLENGES AT COTA: “This weekend at COTA is going to bring a lot of unknowns but at least that’s the general feeling across the board for everyone. We’ve spent a lot of time going over notes from when the No. 9 team did the Goodyear test earlier this year, as well as time in the Chevy simulator with William. While we do have practice this weekend, the issue will be how much time we will actually get on track and be able to make adjustments. With the course as long as it is and only one hour of practice, the hope is any adjustments that need to be made will be minor enough to allow you to make a couple decent-length runs, at least. I think we have a good baseline to go off of, though. Hendrick Motorsports has a good road course package and we showed that speed earlier this year at the DAYTONA Road Course. The only factor we can’t control this weekend will be the weather but once again, that evens the playing field across the board. We just need to try minimize our mistakes and capitalize off of others’ mistakes.”
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 5th IN STANDINGSLARSON ON RACING FOR THE FIRST TIME AT COTA AND ROAD COURSE RACING:  “I’m excited to get on track there and hopefully we’ll be fast. It looks like an awesome facility. I enjoy road course racing because it’s a nice change of pace from what we’re used to, and drivers mean a little bit more on road courses. I’ve qualified well on road courses and run okay in the race. Now that I am with Hendrick Motorsports, I hope I can race better and challenge for a win. To learn the track, I jumped on iRacing a few months back. It took a while to learn the elevation, the corners and stuff like that, but I have the corners memorized now.”
CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LEDANIELS ON COTA: “Expectations heading into COTA are to check all the right boxes and have a good foundation with the car, which I think we do. With what the 9 (team) has developed the last few years on the road courses, our Hendrick Motorsports road course package is really strong. But you still have to make the right adjustments with the track. We hope to get a good baseline under us during practice on Saturday – give Kyle what he needs in the braking zones, the esses and the switchbacks. We’ll see how qualifying goes – I think everyone is going to go really hard, but you don’t want to take a chance, damage your car and lose your starting spot or have to pull out a backup car. We don’t really know what to expect going into the race – tire fall off and the pit strategy for stages and for the end of the race.”
DANIELS ON LARSON USING THE SIMULATOR FOR COTA: “We did two weeks ago, and that was good. He got comfortable with the rhythm of the track, what to look for and what to expect. Of course, it will still be different when he gets in the actual race car. The 9 (team) tested there with Goodyear and a few other teams, so we have some notes from them, as well.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 LLUMAR CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 7th IN STANDINGSELLIOTT ON HIS KEY LEARNINGS FROM THE GOODYEAR TEST AT COTA: “We did the Goodyear test out at COTA a couple months ago, which was fun. We got a chance to see a new racetrack. The track has a lot more elevation than I think a lot of people would think or see on tv. Turn 1 is a big hill and unless you are there to see it in person it doesn’t look like it, so way more elevation than I anticipated. It was also interesting because I felt like different parts of the track had more grip than other parts and I suppose that’s because they had to patch different areas and some areas have really old asphalt. One of the toughest things for me was understanding the level of grip at different points around the track. I think it is going to be a real challenge, obviously a real long back straightaway that we have seen in the F1 races there so that will be interesting there. I think for our cars, I’m not exactly sure how we will handle and adapt to that. Being really detailed and hitting your marks as always and trying to put together a good race and should be able to have a good result.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 WORKRISE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 11th IN STANDINGSWHERE DO YOU THINK THE BEST PASSING ZONES ARE GOING TO BE AT COTA?“I think the best passing zones are probably on all the big straights. The esses’s are pretty tight; you can’t really gain anything there. Obviously, lengthening the straightaways as much as you can is huge and in the final corner. Turn One, up the hill, you can out-brake someone into there, but it gets tight quick. In Turn One, it can be a struggle to really get off of the corner sometimes, from what I’ve noticed. You can maybe get someone on entry, but it’s probably going to put you in a bad position leaving.”
THIS WEEKEND, WE’RE RACING IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, WHERE YOUR PRIMARY SPONSOR FOR THE WEEKEND, WORKRISE, IS LOCATED. HOW COOL IS THAT TO BE ABLE TO RACE IN THEIR BACKYARD?“It’s awesome to race for Workrise this weekend. They are the leading workforce management solution for the skilled trades. I’m pumped that the race is in their hometown of Austin, Texas. It’s awesome to be having a race at COTA, in Austin, where they are based out of. I can’t wait to get there and hopefully put on a good showing for everyone at Workrise. They are there for the people that get stuff done and we’re pumped to be working hard for them this weekend.”
DO YOU EXPECT CHAOS GOING INTO TURN ONE AT COTA?“Yeah, I think Turn One will be aggressive, for sure. I have to qualify into the NASCAR Xfinity race, so luckily, we’ll have some experience after Saturday to see how that goes. But Turn One is a tough corner for any type of car to race on and not just our cars in NASCAR. It’s difficult because it kind of falls away from you. You’re going uphill and then it flattens out; just a lot of stuff going on there and it gets tight quick. There’s definitely going to be some chaos. If you miss Turn One on the bottom, that outside lane is probably really going to check up.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 13th IN STANDINGS“To get the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro back in victory lane in Dover was really cool. I feel like that has been one of my favorite tracks and one of our best tracks the last few years. A lot of that just goes to Jimmie (Johnson) and learning from him. He was so good there, so taking notes from him and learning how he approached it and it has been paying off for us the last couple of years. Glad to get a win and a really cool day for us. To finish 1, 2, 3, 4 for Hendrick was really special.”
“I am pretty pumped for COTA. I have been to a lot of racetracks and I don’t think that I have ever been to a circuit. It is a really interesting racetrack. You have really slow stuff, really long fast straightaways, some crazy esses, it is just a super technical racetrack. If you look at the weather, it may rain, and we race in the rain on road courses. It is going to be pretty interesting for sure.”
GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE“Our guys have been doing a great job all year on pit road and the last few weeks we have been making some big adjustments on stops. Even with big adjustments, they have still been doing a great job on pit road. That final stop was an important one on Sunday, getting us out first. I think the Stage 1 stop was important too because we made some big adjustments and only lost six spots, which was big for the changes we made to the Ally Chevrolet.”
“I don’t even know how to get to the track! Hopefully the garages stay nice and dry. Just looking at pit road in pictures, I think it is going to be eventful for sure. There are a lot of unknowns that you are going to have to figure out pretty quickly. With this being the first time really with practice since Daytona, I think all of the teams are going to be a little bit rusty to get going. Just the fact that it takes over two minutes to get around that place is going to allow us to go get a snack and the come back to see if he completes the lap or not. We have been rehearsing corner numbers and memorizing the track.”
TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CHEDDAR’S SCRATCH KITCHEN CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 15th IN STANDINGSWITH NASCAR HEADING TO COTA FOR THE FIRST TIME, WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING OUT OF THE RACE THIS WEEKEND? “COTA will be a very interesting weekend. It’s a fun course. During the endurance race I ran during the off-season, one thing I noted was how it almost has four different sections that are nothing alike, so you need to be diverse as a driver on how to attack each one. One approach will only work in for one part of the track. There is a lot of run-off, so drivers should be able to be aggressive and not pay a massive penalty by ending up in a gravel pit like other road courses. As for the race, it’s going to be a mixed bag of strategies. Guys who are going for the win are going to try to flip the strategy for track position at the end of the race. You’re also going to see guys going for stage points on a different strategy, so we’ll see how our team falls in the mix, knowing we are now above the cut line for Playoffs. I hope we have the freedom to choose on what to focus on, but man, the weather may come into play too, which would throw a whole other wrench into the race.”
YOU ALSO HAVE A UNIQUE PAINT SCHEME WITH CHEDDAR’S SCRATCH KITCHEN THIS WEEKEND. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT? “It’s a really special scheme we’re running with Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen this weekend. When we get around this time of year during each season, you see some patriotic schemes start to come out and I’m really honored that Cheddar’s chose to participate in the NASCAR Salute window. There will be 40+ Cheddar’s team members who have served in the military whose names and hometowns are going to be riding along with me at COTA. I just thought that was a really cool, personal touch on the paint scheme. Those team members have done a lot for this country, and I’m going to do everything I can to get them a good run this weekend.”
KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 18th IN STANDINGS“I laugh a little bit when I think about going to COTA. That track was designed for Formula 1 cars, cars that can cut around tight apexes like turn 1, turn 11 and 12. Our big heavy stock cars are going to struggle with that; but it’s a new challenge and I’m looking forward it. With the asphalt being abrasive at COTA it’s going to wear out the tires, so your strategy is going to have to evolve on the fly. It’s going to be quick movements that you make and commit to, so with all that being said, I’m ready to attack course, find the right rhythm with the lap time but also find the right tire strategy bring us to Victory Lane. It’s a cool place with 20 corners; lots of action coming!”
DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 ONX HOMES/IFLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 22nd IN STANDINGSWHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON COTA AND OTHER NEW TRACKS?“I love road course racing. Now we get to go to the road courses at COTA, Indianapolis, Road America and the oval in Nashville. We haven’t been to these places in the Cup Series. It’s always exciting to see new places and make new fans.”
HAVE YOU EVER RACED AT COTA?“I took a street car around it and have done a lot of laps on the simulator, but never raced there. I’m glad we have a practice on Saturday. I wish we had more time on the track. But this will be a new experience for most of us. I think we will put on a good show though Sunday. It’s going to be fun.”
WHY DOU THINK TRACKHOUSE RACING WILL BE A SUCCESS?“These guys support me a lot and every single person is pushing in the same direction. They believe in me like nobody else has before. They have one interest and that is having the No. 99 run as well as possible. That has played to my advantage. It is still very early. We are only a few months into the season. But, so far, I can already see where the trend is going. I believe we are going to win races here at Trackhouse Racing.”
ERIK JONES, NO. 43 BLACK ENTREPRENEUR INITIATIVES CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 26th IN STANDINGSCOTA IS A BRAND-NEW TRACK FOR NASCAR. WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS GOING INTO THAT EVENT?“COTA (Circuits of the Americas) is just going to be unique. There is not a lot to go on, note-wise. We have never been there, so we are going to have to rely on simulations and what we can do there. You are going to have to learn the track the best you can before you show up on the simulator, as well.
“I am excited. We do not get the chance to go to new tracks often, so it is cool to be going to somewhere new and unique. It looks like a world-class facility overall. You look at it from the outside and it looks like somewhere that is really nice. It is a real, true road course the way it is laid out from what I have seen and from the time on the simulator. It is going to be a lot of fun to get out there and see what we can do.”
COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 SCHLUTER SYSTEMS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 30th IN STANDINGS“Really excited to get down to COTA this weekend with our Schluter Systems Camaro. I went down in December to get in some laps and got pretty comfortable with the race track. I’m excited to see how we can perform with our Spire Motorsports Cup car. We’ve had a couple of really good runs the past few weeks, but still have a string of bad luck we need to shake. Hopefully that will end this weekend in Austin. The track is fast. It has some slow technical sections, but also has some high speed, heavy braking areas to open up some passing zones. We’ll have a little bit of practice on Saturday to tune in our Camaro. But, generally speaking, it will be a learning experience throughout the course of the day on Sunday. So, hopefully we can keep it on the racetrack and have a good day.”

DeJoria Focused On Building Momentum Heading To Houston

Austin, TX (May 20, 2021) — Coming off her best best performance of the season, a semifinal finish at the NHRA Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals, NHRA Funny Car driver Alexis DeJoria is looking to keep the pressure on the rest of the Funny Car class. The ROKiT Bandero Premium Tequila Toyota Camry recaptured its early season mojo posting consistently quick times including two round wins in the unique four-wide racing style to land DeJoria in the final quad of the day. Throughout the event DeJoria, who qualified No. 2 her best starting position of the season, handled her 11,000 horsepower race car like a seasoned veteran.

“This ROKiT Bandero Premium Tequila Toyota Camry Funny Car was a dream to drive in Charlotte,” said DeJoria, who currently sits in sixth place in Funny Car points. “We went right to the top of the field on Friday night and only one car ran quicker in qualifying. We knew we had a quick hot rod and we showed it on Sunday with two more quick runs to get to that last quad. On the final run I am not sure what happened but it was mixing up cylinders all the way down the track and we let one get away from us. We tested on Monday and I am ready to get after it in Houston.”

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DeJoria, an Austin, Texas resident, has raced to two semifinals at the Spring Nationals during her career. Her sophomore season she picked up two round wins as the No. 12 qualifier before wrapping up her race in the semifinals and then last season in the fall DeJoria qualified No. 5 and took out Tim Wilkerson and Bob Tasca III before being ousted by Ron Capps. The successful race in October has the five-time nitro Funny Car national event winner looking for more win lights at Houston Raceway Park this weekend.

“We really started getting on a roll at the end of last season,” said DeJoria. “We were qualifying really well and going rounds on Sunday. I like our chances this weekend since (crew chiefs) Del (Worsham) and Nicky (Boninfante) have really good info to work with and this is a fast track at sea level. The Texas fans are pretty cool and I hope there are a lot of them at the track. I know the weather could be tough but we’ll just have to see what happens.”

Earlier this season DeJoria announced a technical partnership with Mobil 1 to go along with her team’s relationship with Toyota Racing Development (TRD). Both companies have headquarters in Texas and should have a number of representatives at Houston Raceway Park supporting DeJoria and the ROKiT team.

“I can’t say enough about the support we get from TRD and Mobil 1,” said DeJoria. “They are amazing partners and the technology they bring to the table really gives our team a lot of help. I also know we are putting their Mobil 1 to the test which only makes that product better for the consumer. It is a great relationship and I am proud to be representing both brands.”

The ROKiT Bandero Premium Tequila Toyota Camry Funny Car has been one of the quickest race cars in the category for the past ten races including three top three qualifiers out of four races in 2021. Over the past nine races DeJoria’s Toyota Funny Car has only started an event outside the top five in qualifying one time. That kind of consistency will eventually lead to multiple round wins and victories on Sunday.

“I think they turned a corner in Charlotte and Del and Nicky will keep fine tuning the car,” said DeJoria. “My team is awesome and I just have to do my job behind the wheel. I have a lot of confidence that we are going to see a lot of win lights this season. It would be great to get a streak started this weekend in Houston. I like the fact we are getting right back at it after a strong showing last weekend in Charlotte.”

Qualifying will begin on Friday night under the lights with two more sessions on Saturday as DeJoria tries to keep her top qualifying streak alive. Final eliminations will begin at 11:00 a.m. (CT) on Sunday with the race broadcast on FS1.

CHEVROLET AT HOUSTON

 What: Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationalsWhen: Friday, May 21-Sunday, May 23Where: Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, TexasTV: FS1 will telecast eliminations at 6 p.m. ET May 23                                                                                       Chevrolet heads to Houston with momentum as big as Texas
John Force Racing brings 16 victories into fifth race of season
DETROIT (May 19, 2021) – There was an imperceptible difference in John Force’s exuberance following his victory May 16 in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) four-wide event at zMAX Dragway and his win in the inaugural event in 2010.
A victory, whether a week or 11 years apart, is to be celebrated.“Wow! I pulled it off,” said Force as he exited the PEAK/BlueDEF Chevrolet Camaro SS.
Force, who a day earlier claimed his 161st career top qualifier honor, swept the three rounds of eliminations to earn his 152nd career victory. Combined with a runner-up finish in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series event two weeks earlier at Atlanta Dragway, Force has risen to third in the Funny Car standings heading into the Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals presented by Pennzoil at Houston Raceway Park.
“Not bad at all for an old man,” deadpanned the 72-year-old hall of famer “I’m excited, we’re off to a great start. I’ve got some luck on my side, heck I’m lucky to have a job.”
Force’s victory was the 142nd for Chevrolet in NHRA Funny Car competition, including 62 with the Camaro body.
“We’re here, we’re racing well, I’ve got a good car thanks to my team and we’re competing with these tough kids out here,” Force added. “My team is doing their job and I’m halfway doing mine, give me a good car and we’re going to win some races. We’re doing just that.”
Force has a record seven wins at Houston Raceway Park, and John Force Racing has 16 victories in the SpringNationals.
Teammate Robert Hight, driver of the Auto Club of Southern California Camaro SS, has contributed to that team success with three wins, including in 2005 in his fourth Funny Car race. He’s made finals appearances in the past three appearances at Houston and set the track Funny Car record of 331.77 mph in 2017.
“We’ll have this Chevy running well and we’ll be able to repeat some of that success this weekend and move up in the points,” Hight said.John Force Racing’s Brittany Force reset the zMAX Dragway elapsed time and speed records in the Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster and picked up her second No. 1 qualifier this season. She went on to a runner-up finish in the final quad.
“It’s been a good start to the season for this Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team. We’re just four races in and getting back in the groove of things after a whole season away,” said Force, who won in Houston in 2018 and ‘19. “This is the same team I had in 2019 and every single one of them returned. They stood by John Force Racing, and I think that speaks highly of their character, it shows how loyal they are and their commitment to John Force Racing. Our hard work is paying off but we want more, we’re looking for wins and ultimately to go after that championship.”
KB Racing’s Dallas Glenn outdueled Mason McGaha in the Pro Stock final to score his first victory. Greg Anderson, driving the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro SS, registered his fourth consecutive No. 1 qualifier and 110th of his career.
In the 2020 event, which was postponed to October because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Aaron Stanfield earned his first Pro Stock victory in his Camaro SS.The event will also feature the second Constant Aviation NHRA Factory Stock Showdown of the season. Stanfield won the opener at Gainesville in the Janac Brothers Chevrolet COPO Camaro.
FS1 will telecast eliminations at 6 p.m. ET May 23.
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
TOP FUEL:
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY/FLAV-R-PAC CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (No. 1 qualifier in Las Vegas and Charlotte four-wide events; runner-up in last event; set both ends of track record):“We’ve had some luck over the years in Houston. We won back-to-back in 2018 and 2019. I’m ready to go from Charlotte right into Houston. These back-to-back races keep me as a driver, my crew chiefs and my whole team on our game. We made a lot of improvement in Charlotte and we’re looking to capitalize this weekend with a win.”
FUNNY CAR:
JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK/BLUEDEF PLATINUM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (winner and runner-up in past two races; No. 1 qualifier in Charlotte four-wide; third in points): “Houston has treated John Force Racing well. I’ve had some wins there so has Robert Hight in that Auto Club Chevy and Brittany with Monster Energy. I’ve got something good going with this PEAK / BlueDEF team and we’re going to keep it going. Take care of business during qualifying and set us up right for race day to go rounds and hopefully get in that winner’s circle again.”
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier in Las Vegas four-wide; runner-up in season opener): “We knew there was an issue, and we just needed the time to figure it out. Once (crew chiefs) Jimmy (Prock) and Chris (Cunningham) identified what they thought it was, we didn’t waste any time working to fix it. These AAA guys worked hard on Monday and we’re happy. It’ll be good to go into Houston knowing we’re going to be making solid runs and doing what we know how to do, and that’s win races.”
PRO STOCK:
GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (winner in two of the four races; No. 1 qualifier in all four events; points leader): “KB definitely is on a roll and has several team cars that are capable of winning every week. My personal team goals is to make amends for the mistake I made last weekend. I feel like I let one slip away. There were a lot of positives and setting up for a perfect weekend and I dropped the ball. I have some unfinished business this weekend. Thank goodness Dallas (Glenn) was there to pick up the ball.”
TROY COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM/ELITEMOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (runner-up in season opener; transferred to final quad at Charlotte): “We’ve been to two finals in the first four races of the year so we obviously have a car that can win. We just need to get it done. What we’ve seen every race is some very stacked fields. All the cars from top-to-bottom are running extremely close times. That puts a premium on the drivers being as close to perfect as possible when they execute a run, even in qualifying. It’s really how drag racing should be, where anyone can win at any time.”
DALLAS GLENN, KB RACING, RAD TORQUE SYSTEMS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (winner of Charlotte four-wide): “I think Pro Stock is extremely healthy. Pretty much half the field is under the age of 35. There’s a lot of young guns driving right now, and it’s absolutely tough out there. Anybody in the top 16 can win a race out there. Anything can happen right now. You know you’re going to have to be good on the tree.”

BATMAN 2.0

Refocus on Race Team Key to Britten’s 2021 Australian star eager to carry momentum into challenging Memorial Day Weekend doubleheader at Weedsport and Lebanon ValleyWEEDSPORT, NY – Peter Britten hit the reset button at the end of 2020. New equipment. New focus. New level of confidence. It’s already paid off in the first four races of the Super DIRTcar Series 2021 season with one top-five and three top-10s, giving the Australian valuable momentum with a lucrative Memorial Day weekend doubleheader ahead at Weedsport Speedway (Sunday, May 30) and Lebanon Valley Speedway (Monday, May 31).He’s accomplished those feats behind the wheel of his new Bicknell chassis – a first for his Peter Britten Racing program and one of several changes this season.“At the end of [2020] we went through our whole race shop and hit reset,” Britten said. “Anything from wheels to shocks to chassis got changed. And sometimes change is just good.”The Queensland, Australia driver ran Troyer chassis for the past several years and played an integral part in the research and development of the chassis, along with being a full-time driver. Eventually, trying to balance both equally wasn’t viable.“It was no secret that we were struggling and searching a lot last year,” Britten said. “I decided I needed to do what was best for me and my racing career and not try to be a chassis manufacturer. As deep as I was at Troyer working with the research and development I guess I got a little lost in that and didn’t worry enough about Peter Britten the racing driver. Bicknell has a great program to buy into and I could just put it together and go race.”Troyers are the only chassis he has ever raced and won in. That includes his three Australian V8 Modified National Championships. Britten won three straight from 2008-2010. His brother, Kevin Britten, also known as “The Hulk”, is currently on a five-year run of national championships.He was behind the wheel of his Troyer when he won $20,000 at Oswego Speedway in the DIRTcar 358 Modified Salute the Troops 150 in 2018. In 2017, the #21A ran a heartbreaking second to Matt Sheppard in the Billy Whittaker Cars 200. The change wasn’t easy. The success he’s had with the chassis speaks for itself. But the switch allows him to put more of his focus back on solely being a driver. He’s still a fan of Troyer’s product.“It was definitely not just a spur-of-the-moment decision,” he said. “It’s been a long relationship going back to racing in Australia where I won my championships. It was definitely a weird feeling picking up that first Bicknell.“There’s been a lot of change at Troyer and they are doing a really good job of turning things around. Mark’s (Lipari) Troyer Dirt team that he is assembling is really exciting. There’s still a lot of work to get done but they have their hearts set on making it happen. I want to see them succeed.”Britten has been on the hunt for another Super DIRTcar Series win since 2017 when he visited Victory Lane at Sharon Speedway. His team’s efficiency and work ethic have put him in the Series points chase every year. However, his shortcomings in the closing stages of Features has hindered the #21A’s chance at a championship bid.Since changing over to the Bicknell, there’s been an adjustment process but the team is starting to build a new notebook and is finding success. He’s coming off a fourth-place run at Bridgeport Motorsports Park and currently sits sixth in Series points.“It’s definitely a good start to the year,” Britten said. “It’s nice to be up in the points right now but it is so early you can’t overthink it. But I look at it this way: You can’t win the championship at the beginning of the year, but you can really dig yourself a hole. Hopefully, we can keep this going.”“Batman’s” success has attracted new sponsors, like Pepsi, and a new home track for Saturday nights: Land of Legends Raceway. He knows winning weekly can lead to success on the tour. “We are still feeling out the new car a little bit,” he added. “I’m learning what I need to do with it and the way it drives. It’s the little adjustments I’m learning that can take you from mediocre to winning the Feature.” The network of help available due to having a Bicknell has made it easy for Britten to focus on his driving and allowed for a smooth transition process to the new chassis.“The general car design itself isn’t foreign to me,” Britten noted. “It’s basically where we were at with the Troyer stuff to the point where the latest car has the Bicknell floor right in them. So there’s not a big difference in terms of the physical aspects of the car. From that point of view, it hasn’t made for a totally new experience with the car. Every chassis manufacturer has its own ways to adjust a car. There are certain percentages they look for. The guys from Bicknell have been great. Whether it’s dealing with the US store or talking to Randy Williamson himself, they’ve all been very helpful. The sheer number of people I can talk to about adjustments has made the transition much easier.”Along with learning a new chassis, Britten recognized there’s a strong talent pool of drivers in the Series this season he has to compete against. There are several fast young drivers coming out of the DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds and 358 Modifieds and moving into the Big Blocks. “I was looking through the points at the top 15,” Britten said. “You run down the list and you say ‘Wow, look at these drivers in the top 15.’ There are no slouches. It’s noticeable on track too because there’s been nobody really dominating this year aside from Friesen. I feel the field is as close as it’s ever been. You look at guys that have been dominating like Sheppard and Williamson and they don’t look special. That’s not a shot at them, but it’s a compliment to how strong the field is overall.”The all-new Memorial Day Weekend doubleheader of the Heroes Remembered 100 (May 30) and Mr. DIRT Track (May 31) is creating a lot of buzz among dirt racing fans. Both tracks show the breadth and diversity of the Super DIRTcar Series schedule.“You don’t get any more different than Weedsport and Lebanon Valley,” Britten said. “Weedsport is definitely a challenging race track. It’s definitely been a weak point of my program the last few years. It’s tough because you don’t get the opportunity to race there very much. But everyone is in the same boat with that. We’re hoping that with everything we’ve done with our program that we’ll yield some good results there.”Weedsport has been a blind spot for Britten recently but with his new program that could turn around in a hurry. “At Weedsport, it’s sometimes hard to get any heat in the tires and then we go to Lebanon Valley the next day where you might rip a right rear in a Heat Race,” Britten said. “The G-forces at The Valley and the speed plus the braking is extreme. Everything there is maxed out. You are looking for all you can get motor-wise plus your brakes are important. I am excited to get back on track there.”The $7,500-to-win Heroes Remembered 100 at Weedsport Speedway takes place Sunday, May 30. Tickets go on sale on Monday, May 24. DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds and CRSA sprint cars are also on the card. Then the next day, Monday, May 31, “The Valley of Speed” throws the green on the all-new Mr. DIRT Track title for $13,500-to-win 100-lap NAPA Super DIRT Week qualifier. Head to the Lebanon Valley Speedway website for more. Stay up to date at SuperDIRTcarSeries.com, plus follow us on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram. Head to PeterBrittenRacing.com for updates and merch plus follow him on social media.
The Super DIRTcar Series is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game) and NAPA Auto Parts. Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fox Factory, MSD, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.

Hawkeye State Weekend Host for Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series

Batavia, OH (May 19, 2021) – The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series heads to the Midwest with a duo of races in the Hawkeye State of Iowa this weekend.
300 Raceway, the 3/8-mile oval located in Farley, Iowa, will host the stars of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for the Truck Country 50 on Friday, May 21st. There will be a complete program of: Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains – highlighted by a 50-lap, $12,000-to-win main event. Modifieds and Sport Modifieds will also be in action. The last series visit came in July of 2020 where Josh Richards found himself in Victory Lane after a daring three-wide pass before the halfway mark of the race.
On Friday, the pit gate will open at 2:00 PM, followed by general admission gates at 4:00 PM. A drivers meeting will take place at 6:00 PM, with on-track action beginning at 6:30pm. To learn more, visit: www.300Raceway.com.
Returning to West Burlington, Iowa after a challenging 2020 forced several cancellations, the $15,000-to-win CRST, The Transportation Solution 50 at 34 Raceway will feature a complete program of: Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and a 50-lap, $15,000-to-win main event. The Stock Cars and Sport Mods will serve as support divisions on Saturday, May 22nd. In 2019, Hudson O’Neal came from the eighth starting spot to win. The podium finishers all commented on the fun they had racing with the character the track provided, and the excitement the fans experienced. 
34 Raceway’s pit gate will open at 3:00 PM, with general admission gates opening at 5:00 PM. A drivers meeting will take place at 6:00 PM followed by hot laps at 6:30 PM. To purchase advance tickets or find more information concerning 34 Raceway, visit: www.34Raceway.com.
Tim McCreadie currently leads the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Point Standings by just 45 points over Hudson O’Neal. Jonathan Davenport, Ricky Thornton Jr, and Shane Clanton round out the top five in championship points. There is a tight battle transpiring, with many positions separated by one feature finishing position. 
Track and Event Information:300 RacewayPhone Number: 563-744-3620Location: 27317 Olde Farley Rd. Farley, IA 52046Directions: Located just west of Highway 20 in Farley.Website: www.300raceway.com
34 RacewayPhone Number: 319-752-3434Location: 10463 S Prairie Grove Rd. West Burlington, IA 52655Directions: Located about 6 miles west of Burlington, just North of Hwy. 34Website: www.34raceway.com
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tire Rules: 300 Raceway:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier (90) LM20Right Rear – Hoosier (92) LM20, (92) LM40
*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 3 new tires.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position.34 Raceway: Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier (90) LM20Right Rear – Hoosier (92) LM20, (92) LM40
*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 2 new rear tires.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position.
Event Purses:300 Raceway Event Purse: $12,000 to win- 1. $12,000, 2. $6,000, 3. $3,500, 4. $2,800, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,300, 7. $2,200, 8. $2,100, 9. $2,050, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,200, 14. $1,100, 15. $1,050, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000. = $52,800
34 Raceway Event Purse: $15,000 to win- 1. $15,000, 2. $6,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $3,000, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,400, 7. $2,300, 8. $2,200, 9. $2,100, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,300, 14. $1,200, 15. $1,050, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000. = $57,050

Rachel Meyer Takes Home the Win in Charlotte at NGK NTK 4-Wide Nationals

May 19, 2021 | Featured, Julie Nataas, Race Results, Rachel Meyer

Both Randy Meyer Racing Top Alcohol Dragster drivers Rachel Meyer and Julie Nataas made it to the final round quad at the 11th annual NGK NTK NHRA Four-Wide Nationals with Meyer taking home the win at zMAX DRAGWAY. 

In the first round, Julie led the way in the No. 2 qualifying spot in the OTG/NGK Spark Plugs/Right Trailers dragster, and Rachel was close behind in the No. 4 spot in the NTK Sensors dragster. In her quad, Rachel crossed the finish line first of her quad with a 5.186-second pass at 277.89 mph. Robin Samsel’s 5.226, 270.54 advanced to the next round with Meyer as they defeated Jasmine Salinas and Dan Dietrich. Nataas finished first in her quad as well as she had a sizeable starting line advantage with a .012-second light and took it all the way to the win with a 5.225, 270.21. Duane Shields’ 5.328, 265.90 advanced with Nataas over Megan Smith and Corey Michalek. 

Second round, Rachel used a 5.189, 272.94 in her dragster to advance to the final round quad with Karen Stalba (5.154, 282.07) and together they defeated Robin Samsel and James Stevens. Julie followed right behind, being first to the finish line in her quad once again, with a 5.210, 266.32; Matthew Cummings’ 5.211, 275.51 advanced to the finals as well over Duane Shields and Mick Steele. https://www.youtube.com/embed/wJYVj3dFxeQ

In the final round quad, Rachel and Julie staged up against Karen Stalba and Matthew Cummings; all four cars were the top four qualifiers at the event and all four were A/Fuel. For Nataas, she crossed the finish line with a more than honorable 5.223, 273.27 in her dragster finishing fourth of the quad. Making a living in the 5.18’s on race day, Rachel was second off the line behind Stalba but an out-of-this-world 5.141, 272.78 rocketed Rachel past Stalba for the win.

Meyer’s run was low elapsed time of the entire event and her career quickest; this was Rachel’s second national event win of her career with both coming in the 2021 season.

chevy racing–nascar–texas grand prix–william byron

NASCAR CUP SERIES CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICA SECHOPARK TEXAS GRAND PRIX TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT MAY 19, 2021
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Teleconference Transcript: ON HIS APPROACH TO COTA THIS WEEKEND“I think we just kind of go in with not as much focus; like, we don’t dwell on the result of the race weekend quite as much. We find a way to move on and get past it. But we approach the race just like any other race. We prepare the same and have the same nerves and excitement and all the feelings when you go into a race. So, it doesn’t really change for us. But yeah, I feel like COTA is a great opportunity. It’s a track that we don’t go back to again any other time of the year. It’s not important in that aspect, but it is important because we have a road course in the Playoffs with the Charlotte ROVAL. It’s important to make sure that I’m making progress on road courses and that our car is good on the road courses. That part is something that we’ll take from this weekend.”
IF YOU DO FINISH REALLY WELL, DOES THAT PROVE THAT EVERYTHING YOU GUYS CONTINUE TO DO, DOESN’T MATTER THE TYPE OF TRACK THAT YOU’RE GOING TO, THAT SHOWS YOU’VE REACHED THAT LEVEL OF CONSISTENCY YOU ARE LOOKING FOR?“Oh, yeah. For sure. The good teams in this sport are usually running up front every week. We’re trying to be one of those. We’ve excelled at a variety of tracks, but this is another one that we can try to check off the list. We desperately want to win another race. We need the points for the Playoffs and all those good things. So, I want to win just as bad this weekend as I do on an oval. I feel like I’ve been close on road courses. I’ve gotten a lot of great support from Max Papis and a lot of people that have helped me along the way to get better at road course. And that’s kind of what I’m focused on is trying to win my first road course race.”
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS IS ONE WIN AWAY FROM TYING THE RECORD OF PETTY IN NUMBER OF CUP WINS. WHAT DID YOU THINK THE 1-2-3-4 FINISH LAST WEEK SAYS ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION?“It’s just a variety of decades and rules packages and driver and crew chief changes, and they’ve always found a way to win. We definitely went through a Chevrolet time period, where it was really hard just to finish in the top-10. We’ve climbed out of that hole. We’ve crawled and worked really hard to get out of that hole and now we’re kind of back where I feel like we should be. It’s impressive. All the work that’s gone on in the last two or three years to get back to being a consistent race threat to win. So, it’s going in the right direction, for sure. We just have to keep it going. But it definitely shows the belief that Mr. Hendrick has in all of us and the fact that, through all those different decades of racing, they can still win races at high level.”
IS THERE ANYTHING IN THE LAST COUPLE THAT HAS SAID TO YOU YEAH, THIS IS WHY THEY’VE WON 250, 260 CUP RACES?“I think just the level of professionalism and detail. I feel like we don’t typically make the small mistakes that happen in racing. I feel like we execute well. We work well together. Those things have kind of carried us through the tough times, to be able to maximize our days and finish 10th if we can finish there. So, it’s all about the evolution and now we’ve got the speed on our side and the teamwork that is takes to get all four of us up front.”
COTA IS BRAND NEW ON THE SCHEDULE. IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU EXPECT IT TO BE DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER ROAD COURSE YOU’VE BEEN TO?“Well, it’s way longer to begin with. It’s going to take a really long time to make one lap. So, we’re kind of nervous about practice and how that’s going to go and how many laps you’re going to get legitimately. That’s going to be tough. There’s not a lot of walls there so there’s a lot of runoff, which is probably a good thing for our cars because we usually run into each other a lot on road courses. Usually, guys make big mistakes. Hopefully I’m not one of those that’s making a big mistake. But at least if I do at COTA, I feel like I can get away with it, which is nice. Typically, if there’s a lot of grass around the race track for us, it doesn’t work well for our cars. This is one of those tracks where there’s just a lot of asphalt where you can run off. That might make it a more aggressive race, maybe; knowing that you can get away with it. But for me, I feel like it’s just like every other road course. You’ve got to figure out how to get in and off the corners. Like the same old things, be good at shifting and down shifting and all those things.”
WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP IN TURNING YOUR TOP-10’S INTO WINS?“It sucked to be fourth of four this past week, but I think that we were preforming really well. I’d say the last the last run of the race was probably our worst run, which wasn’t great. But yeah, I think we’ve had the speed to win. The start of the race at Dover was phenomenal, and unfortunately, we had kind of a brake issue that kind of hindered us. But I think we’re showing up with really good speed. We just have to put it all together and build our notebook. We’ve got to be somewhat patient because this is the first time that Rudy (Fugle) and I are going to these tracks together and we don’t exactly know what the track is going to do at the end of the race. Where, maybe our teammates have been there a couple of times together. So, I think we’re getting really close It’s just a matter of a couple little things going our way.”
HOW MUCH HAS CHAD KNAUS, AS COMPETITION DIRECTOR NOW, REALLY REVAMPED OR STEPPED-UP HIS ROLE IN MAKING THIS TEAM REALLY GOOD THIS SEASON?“I think he’s done a great job of kind of getting us all working together and giving us all competitive cars at the same time. In a lot of organizations, it is easy to give one guy something one week, and then roll it out for the other guys. But for us, I feel like Chas is doing a great job of giving us all the same opportunity, which is awesome. That’s all you can ask for as a driver. And I think it’s showing with the cars that we have and with the competitiveness of the four of us. I’m excited for him. I think he fits that roll really well. He’s kind of a floor general-type guy and he fits that roll.”
YOU HAVE THE IRACING EVENT TONIGHT. HOW MUCH COULD THAT HELP WITH THE BRAKING ZONES WHEN YOU ENTER YOUR FIRST PRACTICE SESSION AT COTA THIS WEEKEND?“I think, honestly, there’s been so much other prep this week for this race; and honestly, back to January if you want to go back that far in preparation. So, I honestly don’t feel like there’s going to be much in iRacing tonight that hasn’t already been learned, but I’m sure it’ll be fun.”
HOW MUCH WILL THE IRACING EVENT TONIGHT TRANSFER OVER FOR THE COTA RACE?“Like I was just saying, I feel like we’ve done a lot of prep already. IRacing is a great platform. I use it for a lot of different tracks. So, it’s a constant thing that I use every week. But yeah, I think for COTA specifically, we’ve had a lot of access and simulator time and have done some other things to get ready. I feel like this is one of the weeks where I won’t use it as much. But I think that when it comes to a lot of the tracks, I usually try to use it as a refresher or something like that.”
HOW DIFFERENT WILL IT BE TO HAVE PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING THIS WEEKEND? ARE YOU A FAN OF PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING OR HAVE THINGS REMAIN LIKE THAT HAVE BEEN WITH NEITHER?“I think it’ll be different this week with practice. I feel like we’re going to have to get back to the methods and the ways that we check the splitter and the air pressures, and our tire builds and all those things that we did a couple of years ago. We had practice at Bristol, but that wasn’t really the same because we were changing inches at a time to try to get the car correct. My opinion is, I don’t think we need practice at a lot of these race tracks. I think there are certain race tracks that we do, whether we’re going for the first time or we have the new car coming along. But the drivers and teams are at this level for a reason and it’s because we can adapt quickly. I feel like we put on a much better race when we have less practice.” WITH 20 TURNS, HAVE YOU MEMORIZED THEM ALL BY NUMBER WHERE YOU CAN REFER TO THEM QUICKLY AND TELL RUDY FUGLE? ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE A CHART IN THE CAR THAT’S GOING TO HELP YOU FOR REFERENCE?“I’ll definitely have a chart in the car. The funny thing is, when we’ve been in the simulator together and Rudy and I have been talking, I’ve referred to a lot of corners as that corner over there by the back stretch, or that one over there with the double corner (laughs). So, I don’t know. It’s going to be a lot of guessing. But I think he’ll get the gist from what I’m saying. He’s usually pretty good at picking up what I’m saying. As long as we can get through Turn 1 and talk about that one, and I think that one is pretty important, too. So, I at least know one through four. I’m used to that.”
COULD YOU EVER IMAGINE BEING IN THIS TOP-10 STREAK THAT YOU AND RUDY HAVE AMASSED?“No. Our goal going into this year was to be a really well-executed race team that could run competitively at a variety of tracks. I think that, my thing that I thought about through the off-season, was just trying to be part of that group that’s a consistent contender every week; those five to six guys that consistently run up-front. And we’ve done that so far. So, we’ve kind of checked the box on that. We just have to kind of establish new goals. I feel like there are some little details that we can do better, whether that’s pit road or just working on different things. I feel like there are some things that we can still work on, but we are definitely having to reset our goals because the team has done a great job and Rudy has done a great job. Rudy and I feel like we’ve worked well because we really do a good job of preparing and nailing the balance of the car to start the race and things like that. Once you get that, it kind of propels you into that top-5 more often.”
WOULD YOU AGREE THAT ONE OF THE REASONS HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS HAS PICKED-UP SO MUCH IS DUE TO CHAD KNAUS?“I think Chad has just given us all the same opportunity to go out there and run well. It’s like you see in a lot of organizations. It’s easy to focus on one guy, whether that’s consciously or subconsciously. But it’s easy to say okay, this guy is running well so let’s make sure that we’re giving him what we need to win. Not that the other guys aren’t, it’s just that’s the ebb and the flow of the sport, if you’re running up front every week, you’re wanting different things in your race car than if you’re running tenth and just trying to finish in the top-10. I think, honestly, that’s what I’ve noticed is just his willingness just to get everyone racing their game. He really focuses on, if you have a bad weekend, he’s really focused on trying to make it better. That’s something that I really admire.”

RCR Event Preview – Circuit of the Americas

Richard Childress Racing at Circuit of the Americas… This weekend marks NASCAR’s inaugural event at Circuit of the Americas. All three national touring series will hold their debut race at the 3.426-mile road course this weekend. Catch the Action… The NASCAR Xfinity Series’ COTA 200 at Circuit of the Americas will be televised live Saturday, May 22, beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  The NASCAR Cup Series’ COTA 400 at Circuit of the Americas will be televised live Sunday, May 23, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. 
 ‌  ‌  ‌This Week’s Workrise Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Circuit of the Americas … This weekend marks the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series appearance to Circuit of the Americas, but Austin Dillon does have limited experience at the track competing in a World Racing League endurance race last December. He has also enjoyed COTA as a fan at a Moto GP race. About Workrise… Workrise is the leading workforce management solution for the skilled trades. Workrise makes it easier for skilled laborers to find work and for companies to find in-demand, trained workers. Workrise operates across the solar, wind, construction, defense and oil & gas industries. Through people and technology, they provide the staffing, training, and professional services to empower the people who get hard work done. For more information visit workrise.comAUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:Where do you think the best passing zones are going to be at COTA?“I think the best passing zones are probably on all the big straights. The esses’s are pretty tight; you can’t really gain anything there. Obviously, lengthening the straightaways as much as you can is huge and in the final corner. Turn One, up the hill, you can out-brake someone into there, but it gets tight quick. In Turn One, it can be a struggle to really get off of the corner sometimes, from what I’ve noticed. You can maybe get someone on entry, but it’s probably going to put you in a bad position leaving.” This weekend, we’re racing in Austin, Texas, where your primary sponsor for the weekend, Workrise, is located. How cool is that to be able to race in their backyard?“It’s awesome to race for Workrise this weekend. They are the leading workforce management solution for the skilled trades. I’m pumped that the race is in their hometown of Austin, Texas. It’s awesome to be having a race at COTA, in Austin, where they are based out of. I can’t wait to get there and hopefully put on a good showing for everyone at Workrise. They are there for the people that get stuff done and we’re pumped to be working hard for them this weekend.” Do you expect chaos going into Turn One at COTA?“Yeah, I think Turn One will be aggressive, for sure. I have to qualify into the NASCAR Xfinity race, so luckily, we’ll have some experience after Saturday to see how that goes. But Turn One is a tough corner for any type of car to race on and not just our cars in NASCAR. It’s difficult because it kind of falls away from you. You’re going uphill and then it flattens out; just a lot of stuff going on there and it gets tight quick. There’s definitely going to be some chaos. If you miss Turn One on the bottom, that outside lane is probably really going to check up.”
Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Circuit of the Americas… This weekend marks the NASCAR Cup Series’ debut at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), but Tyler Reddick does have some experience at the road course. During the off-season, Reddick, alongside RCR teammate Austin Dillon, competed in an endurance race at the 3.426-mile course to get some valuable on-track time.  Cheddar’s Salutes… In conjunction with NASCAR Salutes, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen is debuting a patriotic paint scheme for this weekend’s race at COTA as a way to honor everything military servicemen and women have done and continue to do for our country. The red, white and blue scheme features the names and hometowns of 40+ Cheddar’s Veteran Team Members who on both sides of Reddick’s Chevrolet.  “As the son of a decorated combat Veteran, I’m proud that Cheddar’s is honoring our Team Members in this way because I know firsthand the sacrifices they took to protect and serve our country,” said John Wilkerson, president of Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen. About Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen … Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen is the homestyle casual dining restaurant where guests always Get a lot. For not a lot™. The restaurant offers a variety of scratch-made meals and generous portions served up in a warm, welcoming atmosphere – all at an unbelievable price. After being welcomed with a signature Honey Butter Croissant on the house, guests can enjoy signature entrées like hand-breaded Chicken Tenders, Homemade Chicken Pot Pie and Fall-off-the-Plate Baby Back Ribs. Cheddar’s operates more than 170 restaurants in 28 states and employs more than 15,000 friendly and passionate team members. For more information or to locate the nearest restaurant, visit Cheddars.com. Fans can like or follow Cheddar’s on FacebookTwitter and InstagramWhen Tyler Wins, You Win Tenders! Like Reddick, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen is hungry for his first Cup Series win to come in 2021. So all season long, when Reddick takes the checkered flag in the Cup Series, all NASCAR fans will win a FREE No. 8 Special Chicken Tender Platter at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen the Monday following the race. Offer is valid both dine-in and To Go. See cheddars.com/offer/race-day for full details. Cheddar’s Croissant Clash… Tune in for the Cheddar’s Croissant Clash via RCR’s Facebook page on Wednesday, May 19, at 8:30 p.m. ET to see if iRacers across the country can beat Reddick in a 25-lap race at the iRacing Superspeedway. Fans tuning in can also submit questions during the evening on Cheddar’s Facebook or Twitter pages for a chance to have Reddick answer them during an exclusive post-race Q&A on the livestream. TYLER REDDICK QUOTES: With NASCAR heading to COTA for the first time, what are expecting out of the race this weekend?“COTA will be a very interesting weekend. It’s a fun course. During the endurance race I ran during the off-season, one thing I noted was how it almost has four different sections that are nothing alike, so you need to be diverse as a driver on how to attack each one. One approach will only work in for one part of the track. There is a lot of run-off, so drivers should be able to be aggressive and not pay a massive penalty by ending up in a gravel pit like other road courses. As for the race, it’s going to be a mixed bag of strategies. Guys who are going for the win are going to try to flip the strategy for track position at the end of the race. You’re also going to see guys going for stage points on a different strategy, so we’ll see how our team falls in the mix, knowing we are now above the cut line for Playoffs. I hope we have the freedom to choose on what to focus on, but man, the weather may come into play too, which would throw a whole other wrench into the race.” You also have a unique paint scheme with Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen this weekend. What can you say about that?“It’s a really special scheme we’re running with Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen this weekend. When we get around this time of year during each season, you see some patriotic schemes start to come out and I’m really honored that Cheddar’s chose to participate in the NASCAR Salute window. There will be 40+ Cheddar’s team members who have served in the military whose names and hometowns are going to be riding along with me at COTA. I just thought that was a really cool, personal touch on the paint scheme. Those team members have done a lot for this country, and I’m going to do everything I can to get them a good run this weekend.”
Myatt Snider and the No. 2 Louisiana Hot Sauce Chevrolet Camaro at Circuit of the Americas… This weekend marks the inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Circuit of the Americas (COTA). Myatt Snider has not competed at the track previously in any other motorsports series and will log his first laps at the Texas road course on Friday afternoon during practice.  About Summit Hill Foods… Summit Hill Foods is a fourth-generation, family-owned food company headquartered in Rome, Georgia. Founded in 1941, the company’s core strength is the development and manufacture of ingredient systems used to deliver texture and superior flavor. Summit Hill Foods is an ingredient supplier to food service manufacturers and restaurants. The company also markets nationally distributed brands including Better Than Bouillon®, Louisiana Brand Hot Sauce™, Southeastern Mills®, Shore Lunch® and Better Than Gravy®. Southeastern Mills operates six manufacturing facilities located in Rome, Georgia; New Iberia, Louisiana; and Salt Lake City, Utah. To learn more, visit www.SHFoods.comMYATT SNIDER QUOTES:What is your outlook for this weekend, heading to a track that is new for NASCAR and new for most of the drivers? “I’m pretty optimistic honestly. Last year when I went to new race track, especially road courses at Indianapolis and Daytona, we ran really well. We had a strong performance earlier this season at the Daytona Road Course, so I feel like that run will bode well with us going to COTA. I have all the confidence in the world heading into it.” 
How do you prepare for a racetrack that you’ve never been to before? “You try to find whatever videos exist online and run it on iRacing and the simulator as much as possible. You do anything you can to learn how the race track actually is, that will help give you a feel for what it’s like to run a lap. Andy Street and my RCR team have a good job of prepping for this weekend and I’m excited to get there.” 
How will practice and qualifying impact the weekend as a whole? “I think it’s a good thing for us to have practice and qualifying this week especially. It allows us to know as a team where we are going to start for the race and what the car will feel like when the green flag drops. Qualifying puts it a little more back in the drivers hands to know and help determine where your starting position will be, instead of relying on the metrics. Our Louisiana Hot Sauce Chevrolet Camaro should be fast.”

SCCA Pro Racing Tapped to Assist with FIA Formula E Again

Volunteers needed for FIA Formula E race in Brooklyn

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK (May 19, 2021)- With the return of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship to the streets of Brooklyn July 9-11, 2021, SCCA Pro Racing is pleased to assist with the execution of the event once again. The New York City ePrix was announced in late April to round help round out the final eight rounds of the 2020/21 calendar.

SCCA volunteers will be trackside as the all-electric Championship takes on the challenging concrete course for a double-header weekend in the Red Hook neighborhood against the Manhattan skyline and Statue of Liberty.

As with all FIA World Championship events held in the United States, the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States (ACCUS) and United States Race Management (USRM) will be the primary leadership with SCCA Pro Racing assisting.

“It’s an honor to continue our partnership with FIA Formula E and support ACCUS and USRM as we welcome back electric car racing to New York City,” said Sydney Davis Yagel, General Manager of SCCA Pro Racing. “It’s exciting that the Championship is able to make their return after last year’s absence due to COVID, and I know that our marshals are ready to give it their all.”

Volunteer specialties needed for this event include flagging and communication, pit lane, course marshal, and runners. The bonus for volunteering is the inclusion of a double-occupancy hotel room for all marshals who commit to both race days, with transportation to and from the racetrack each morning and evening.

Professional racing experience is required for flagging/communication and pit lane marshals; however, course marshals and runners just need to be passionate for racing and the ability to lift equipment and walk/stand for longer periods of time. 

COVID safety protocols will be in place to protect all participants, including mandatory testing prior to arrival at the racetrack. Additional details on these protocols and testing procedures will be provided soon. 

For those interested in volunteering, please sign up online: http://msreg.com/2021-FE-NYCePRIX

SHARK STRIKES: Logan Schuchart Tops Bridgeport for Second Win of Season

Carson Macedo’s Perfect Night Taken by Schuchart in New JerseySWEDESBORO, NJ – May 18, 2021 – A standing-room-only crowd on Tuesday night served witness to an attack by Shark Racing at Bridgeport Motorsports Park.Logan Schuchart, piloting his Drydene Performance Products #1S, soared by Carson Macedo on Lap 11 and ran away with his second World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series triumph of the 2021 season, and the 25th of his career.It was a much-needed breakthrough for the Hanover, PA native, who snapped a 21-race losing streak with his mid-week win. It was a victory lane trip months in the making, and one that quite possibly restored the confidence and momentum they’ve been searching for since February.Schuchart’s score, which brings him only five away from tying his grandfather Bobby Allen at 30 World of Outlaws wins, came with the defeat of Macedo, who had a perfect night going. The Jason Johnson Racing #41 established a New Track Record in Slick Woody’s Qualifying, won his Team Drydene Heat Race, won the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash, and led 11 laps before fading to Schuchart’s Triple-X powered by Newman’s Racing Engines.”Confidence is everything,” Schuchart said with a pep in his step. “You know we started off the season so strong, but the small issues started coming and it seemed like one thing after another hit us. Sometimes parts fail, there’s just nothing you can do about it. We need that confidence back, and I think we’ve got it.”Marking the first appearance by The Greatest Show on Dirt at the newly-reconfigured 4/10-mile, Tuesday’s trip to Bridgeport started off hot with Macedo’s time of 13.215 seconds establishing a New Track Record. Three thrilling Team Drydene Heat Races followed and the stage was set for an intense 30-lap NOS Energy Drink Feature.It was Outlaws vs. Posse on the front row as Macedo dealt with Anthony Macri of Dillsburg, PA to his outside. Macri offered a Lap one slider with hopes of stealing the top spot, but Macedo’s outside momentum was too much to bare. Schuchart, who started fourth, made his move to second on Lap two as he went by Macri and started to reel in Macedo.With the aid of lap traffic, Schuchart scooted closer and eventually stole command of the lead from Macedo on Lap 12. Macedo was mired on the outside as Schuchart stuck the very bottom of the 4/10-mile and rolled his #1S right on by.Near the halfway point, Donny Schatz entered the picture and made it a three-way war for the top spot as he dueled with Macedo and Schuchart. A trio of stoppages for Aaron ReutzelBrock Zearfoss & Ryan Smith slowed the pace, but the action returned with the final restart on Lap 16.The battle for P1 got real interesting on Lap 22 when Macedo attempted a slide job on Schuchart, but he came up just short and lost his only chance to sneak up on the #1S. From there, Schuchart ran off to take the checkered flag by 1.731-seconds over Macedo.”My grandfather never quits, and he’s our motivation,” Schuchart said on never giving up. “We’ve got a Triple-X with 50 races on it, this wing has been patched up a hundred times, you know. We put this old car together and I’d say she’s doing something right. So happy to get it back in victory lane where it belongs.”Macedo’s perfect night fell to the wayside by one position, but he did gain crucial points on Brad Sweet and David Gravel in the championship chase as summer approaches.”I feel bad for my guys,” Macedo candidly mentioned. “I think we had the car to win, but just lost it in traffic. I was making speed through the middle, but I didn’t know where to be in traffic. I went to the top and Logan drove right by me on the bottom. I just couldn’t get it going from there.”Finishing third and rallying after falling to fifth was Anthony Macri, giving the PA Posse one representative on the podium.”We’ve been running consistent,” Macri said after his second podium in four races. “I felt like we had a good shot from the front row, but we just didn’t have the car to win the race. It’s a confidence booster, though. Whenever we can run well against these guys you’re doing something right.”Rounding out the top five on Tuesday night was Donny Schatz in fourth-place aboard the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Carquest #15, and Sheldon Haudenschild in fifth-place aboard the Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing, NOS Energy Drink #17.Closing out the top ten at Bridgeport was a group of Pennsylvanian’s and Californian’s. It was Brent Marks in sixth, Brad Sweet in seventh, Danny Dietrich in eighth, Giovanni Scelzi in ninth, and Buddy Kofoid in tenth.UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will take two days off before returning to the state of Ohio for a weekend doubleheader. On Friday, May 21, we’re off to Attica Raceway Park followed by a visit to Sharon Speedway on Saturday, May 22.NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps): 1. 1S-Logan Schuchart [4][$10,000]; 2. 41-Carson Macedo [1][$6,000]; 3. 39M-Anthony Macri [2][$3,500]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [3][$2,800]; 5. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [7][$2,500]; 6. 19-Brent Marks [5][$2,300]; 7. 49-Brad Sweet [8][$2,200]; 8. 48-Danny Dietrich [10][$2,100]; 9. 18-Giovanni Scelzi [6][$2,050]; 10. 5X-Buddy Kofoid [9][$2,000]; 11. 2-David Gravel [17][$1,600]; 12. 9-James McFadden [15][$1,400]; 13. 5-Tyler Ross [22][$1,200]; 14. 83-Aaron Reutzel [12][$1,100]; 15. 51-Freddie Rahmer [19][$1,050]; 16. 1A-Jacob Allen [18][$1,000]; 17. 67-Justin Whittall [20][$1,000]; 18. 7-Steve Buckwalter [23][$1,000]; 19. 11K-Kraig Kinser [11][$1,000]; 20. 10X-Ryan Smith [14][$1,000]; 21. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [16][$1,000]; 22. 2C-Wayne Johnson [21][$1,000]; 23. 44-Dave Brown [24][$1,000]; 24. 37-JJ Grasso [13][$1,000]. Lap Leaders: Carson Macedo 1-11, Logan Schuchart 12-30. KSE Hard Charger Award: 5-Tyler Ross[+9]NEW Championship Standings (24/83 Races): 1. Brad Sweet (3,376); 2. David Gravel (-68); 3. Carson Macedo (-92); 4. Aaron Reutzel (-140); 5. Sheldon Haudenschild (-142); 6. Donny Schatz (-144); 7. Logan Schuchart (-194); 8. Kraig Kinser (-494); 9. Brock Zearfoss (-518); 10. James McFadden (-526).Photo – Trent Gower

TMS Titanium Joins SRX as Official Titanium Supplier

POWAY, CA (May 19, 2021) — In advance of the inaugural season of Superstar Racing Experience (SRX), TMS Titanium was announced today as the “Official Titanium Supplier of SRX.” 

SRX is a six-race short-track series that will debut this summer on Saturday nights in primetime on the CBS Television Network and streaming live on Paramount+. SRX was created by a team consisting of Sandy Montag and The Montag Group, George Pyne, NASCAR Hall of Fame crew chief and team owner Ray Evernham, and legendary driver Tony Stewart.

TMS Titanium will work with Evernham and the SRX technical team to incorporate Titanium in key areas of the series’ purpose-built race cars.

“We reached out to SRX and Ray to see how we could work together to make their race cars safer and faster with our Titanium,” said Todd Harrison, President of TMS Titanium. “We are involved in all forms of motorsports as well as aerospace, medical and commercial, from fabrication to consulting to cutting. This is a great opportunity to work with a brand new series that we are very excited to see succeed. We are especially looking forward to highlighting the efforts of the various crew chiefs throughout the season.”

In addition to TMS Titanium being incorporated into the race cars, its logo will be featured on crew shirts and included in joint advertisements and promotions throughout the season. At the conclusion of the season, the winning team’s crew chief will be recognized with a special award from TMS Titanium.

“We’re extremely proud to have TMS Titanium providing its technical expertise and promotional support to SRX,” Evernham said. “Starting a new racing series from the ground up is an incredible undertaking. We needed partners who we could rely on, not only in terms of delivering product quickly and efficiently, but with a very high level of quality. We have that with TMS Titanium, and we’ve been able to build a fleet of race cars that will be ready for our inaugural season thanks to their support.”

SRX kicks off June 12 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway. After Stafford, SRX visits back-to-back dirt tracks – Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway on June 19 and Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, on June 26. SRX returns to pavement July 3 at Lucas Oil Raceway near Indianapolis and then ventures north to Slinger (Wis.) Speedway on July 10 before its season finale July 17 at the Nashville (Tenn.) Fairgrounds Speedway.

The series’ roster of drivers includes Stewart, Tony Kanaan, Paul Tracy, Bobby Labonte, Willy T. Ribbs, Bill Elliott, Ernie Francis Jr., Marco Andretti, Helio Castroneves and Michael Waltrip.

Dominic Scelzi Sweeps All Four Peter Murphy Classic Features During Career-Best Weekend

Dominic Scelzi Sweeps All Four Peter Murphy Classic Features During Career-Best WeekendInside Line Promotions – TULARE, Calif. (May 17, 2021) – Only Hollywood could write a script as thrilling as what occurred last weekend for Dominic Scelzi, who won all four main events during the prestigious Peter Murphy Classic.The victories – two in the 410ci winged sprint car division and two in the 360ci winged sprint car class – pushed Scelzi’s season win total to a career-best nine triumphs. His previous season high was eight trips into Victory Lane, which occurred in 2019.“We’re seeing a progression of getting better, of zoning in and getting faster,” he said. “This was a weekend where everything fell together. The car was outstanding all weekend long and we picked up four trophies.”Scelzi invaded Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif., on Friday. He advanced from fifth to third place in his first 410 heat race before winning his second heat race from third. Scelzi then maneuvered from fifth to second place in the dash to garner the outside front row starting spot for the main event.”The track was really slick at that point,” he said. “You had to be right around the lip of the top or putt around the bottom. I felt like you could get some momentum built up around the top. We got the jump on the start, but Kasey (Kahne) stayed with us and slid us into turn three. I turned under him and led the first lap. About 10 to 12 laps into the race the track started getting abrasive. I tried to save as much tire as I could. I slowly moved down the track lap by lap. We were fortunate to lead on all 30 laps and get the win.”Scelzi was just as efficient in the Sprint Car Challenge Tour division that night. He set quick time during qualifying out of the 39 drivers. A run from fourth to second place in a heat race preceded dash and feature victories.”They had reworked the track since it took rubber in the 410 feature,” he said. “We went into the bottom of the first corner, hit the grease and slid up the track. We fell back to third. We had a restart a lap later. I passed for second and the second-place car spun in the grease. That put me to second on the restart. At that point the track had gotten worked in again. It was super, super slick against the curb. I got racing with the leader for a couple of laps and got by him with 10 to 12 laps to go. Then with four or five laps to go it started laying rubber again. We stuck in that and led to the finish. That was the first time I’ve ever won two features in the same night.”The triumph was Scelzi’s fourth with the series, which is tied for the second most on the all-time victory list.Action shifted to Thunderbowl Raceway on Saturday. Once again, Scelzi set quick time during King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Series qualifying. He added heat race, dash and feature victories to sweep the night for his 10 th career series triumph, which paid $11,000 – tied for the most Scelzi’s won in a race.”We battled with Bud (Kaeding) in one of my best races of all time,” he said. “It was pretty special. The 410 portion is thePeter Murphy Classic. We won the 360 in 2019 and then again this year, but this was my first 410 win during the event.”The outside was a little better to start on. We raced pretty hard the first couple of laps before he got clear of me. He led until Lap 15 when I slid him into turn three and the yellow flag came out. After that he maintained about five to seven car lengths in front of me. With 11 laps to go we had the last restart. I timed it and was able to slide him into turn one. We dueled it out until the last five laps. I slid him in turns one and two. He was able to turn it under me. He started to slide me in turn three. I turned under and slid him back off the exit of turn four, like we each threw a slide job. That got us the space we needed to ride off into the sunset.”The cherry on top was his performance during the 360 portion of the night, qualifying second quickest in his group, winning a heat race, placing second in the pole shuffle and winning his fourth straight feature.”At that point all the pressure was off,” he said. “It seemed like the fans were behind the run of going 4-for-4. It was fun for me to go out there and, ‘Hell, let’s try to do it again.’ (Michael) Faccinto led the first 10 laps. I got by him in turns three and four. I ran around the top the majority of the race. It laid rubber and I moved to the bottom. The last few laps I struggled to get by lapped cars so I just stayed patient on the bottom.”Momentum is on Scelzi’s side as he tackles a pair of races this weekend beginning on Saturday at Petaluma Speedway in Petaluma, Calif., with the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Series. Scelzi will then head to Placerville Speedway in Placerville, Calif., to race on Sunday.QUICK RESULTS –May 14 – Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif. (410 sprint car) – Heat race #1: 3 (5); Heat race#2: 1 (3); Dash: 2 (5); Feature: 1 (2).May 14 – Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif. (360 sprint car) – Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 2 (4); Dash: 1 (1); Feature: 1 (1).May 15 – Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. (410 sprint car) – Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 1 (4); Pole shuffle: 1; Feature: 1 (1).May 15 – Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. (360 sprint car) – Qualifying: 2; Heat race: 1 (3); Pole shuffle: 2; Feature: 1 (2).SEASON STATS –22 races, 9 wins, 17 top fives, 21 top 10s, 21 top 15s, 21 top 20sUP NEXT –Saturday at Petaluma Speedway in Petaluma, Calif., with the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Series and Sunday at Placerville Speedway in Placerville, Calif.

New Jersey & Ohio Await the World of Outlaws Sprint CarsThe Greatest Show on Dirt Brings Excitement to Three Tracks in Five Days

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: WEDESBORO, NJ – May 17, 2021 – The most grueling schedule in Motorsports knows no rest. That’s why the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars are set for another three races this week after tackling three nights last week.After sweeping the PA Posse, the Outlaws now turn their focus to New Jersey and Ohio.On Tuesday, Bridgeport Motorsports Park’s Kingdom of Speed re-joins the schedule as a newly-reconfigured 4/10-mile oval. When the weekend comes, it’s off to Ohio for back-to-back nights at Attica Raceway Park on Friday followed by Sharon Speedway on Saturday.BRIDGEPORT TICKETS (5/18)
ATTICA TICKETS (5/21)
SHARON TICKETS (5/22)Here’s some of the most noteworthy storylines to follow this week:ONE NIGHT ONLY: Tuesday’s stop at Bridgeport Motorsports Park will be the only race all season long in the state of New Jersey for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. Fans from The Garden State can make the trek to Central Pennsylvania in July or October, but it won’t get any closer to home than this. Bridgeport is the third facility in New Jersey to host the World of Outlaws, alongside Flemington and New Egypt Speedway.NEW CONFIGURATION: Although it has remained the same facility in Swedesboro, NJ over all these years, the layout of Bridgeport Speedway’s actual race track has changed on a handful of occasions. There was the original 5/8-mile speed plant which Sammy Swindell dominated with five wins in seven shows. Two years ago, the Outlaws raced on a renovated 3/8-mile smaller oval, and now they’ll face the reconfigured 4/10-mile for the first time on Tuesday night.DOTY WARM-UP: Friday’s appearance at Attica Raceway Park in Attica, OH for the Kistler Engines Classic is a great opportunity to prepare for the Brad Doty Classic on Tuesday, July 13, which is the official kick-off to an epic week in Ohio. The prestigious Brad Doty Classic precedes four consecutive nights at Eldora with a pair of $175,000-to-win Kings Royal’s up for grabs. Donny Schatz (4 wins) and David Gravel (1 win) are the only active Outlaw winner at Attica.LONG TIME NO SEE: Saturday’s show at Sharon Speedway ends a 14-year absence of the World of Outlaws from the Hartford, OH 3/8-mile. The exact span since that last appearance won by Steve Kinser on June 1, 2007? A long 5,105 days.Although none of the active drivers have won at the track in World of Outlaws competition, several drivers still have winning experience at Sharon to rely on. Both Aaron Reutzel and Sheldon Haudenschild have topped All-Star Circuit of Champions race, while Brad Sweet also owns a 2012 Lou Blaney Memorial title from the track.POSSE INVASION: The Outlaws made it out of Pennsylvania with a clean 3-0 sweep last week, beating the Posse at Lincoln and both nights at Williams Grove. However, they haven’t completely dispatched themselves of the Central PA gassers yet. Located just over two hours away, Bridgeport’s $10,000-to-win allure is just enough to pull the Posse off the porch and add some extra spice to the mid-week showing.Among the leading PA Posse stars expected to run is Danny Dietrich of Gettysburg, PA, who beat Donny Schatz to win at Bridgeport in 2019. Brent Marks of Myerstown, PA has three podiums over the last 10 days since re-joining his family-owned #19, and ran top-five at Bridgeport in April. Additional threats like Anthony Macri of Dillsburg, PA and Freddie Rahmer of Salfordville. PA are expected to be in attendance as well.POINTS TIGHTEN: A long and unpredictable 60 races remain, but nonetheless, the championship standings are as tight as they’ve been in more than a month. Two-time and defending champion Brad Sweet continues to lead the way aboard his Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49, but the competition closing quickly after a rough spell for the Grass Valley, CA native.David Gravel (-60) has been steadily gaining with his Big Game Motorsports #2, but behind him are recent winners Carson Macedo (-102) in the Jason Johnson Racing #41 and Aaron Reutzel (-126) in the Roth Motorsports #83. Also in the hunt is Sheldon Haudenschild’s (-146) Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing #17, Donny Schatz’s (-150) Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15, and Logan Schuchart’s (-206) Shark Racing #1S.HOME SWEET HOME: Wooster, OH native Sheldon Haudenschild relishes every chance he gets to compete in his home state of Ohio. Lucky for him, he gets two opportunities this weekend.Within the past year, Haudenschild has nabbed wins at Wayne County Speedway in Orrville, OH and Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, OH. This weekend, he has Attica and Sharon on the agenda. Both are tracks where his legendary father Jac Haudenschild has found victory lane before, and Sheldon himself has won with the All-Stars at each facility too.MORE MILESTONES: Just one week after starting his 1,900th Feature, Donny Schatz of Fargo, ND hit his latest milestone. This time, the 10-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion recorded his 1,400th top-10 finish.That’s a top-1o in almost 75% of his starts dating back to 1995. Up next? That elusive first win of the season for the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanain Racing #15.This Week at a Glance – When and WhereTuesday, May 18 at Bridgeport Motorsports Park in Swedesboro, NJ
Friday, May 21 at Attica Raceway Park in Attica, OH
Saturday, May 22 at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, OHOn the Internet
World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series
Twitter – @WorldofOutlaws
Instagram – @WoOSprint
Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries
YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/monthAround the Turn: Following this weekend, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will return to Indiana for a Memorial Day Weekend at Terre Haute Action Track on Friday, May 28 and Lawrenceburg Speedway on Monday, May 31.NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (8 Drivers):
9 wins – Brad Sweet, Kasey Kahne Racing w/ Mike Curb #49
3 wins – David Gravel, Big Game Motorsports #2
3 wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing #17
3 wins – Carson Macedo, Jason Johnson Racing #41
2 wins – Aaron Reutzel, Roth Motorsports #83
1 win – Logan Schuchart, Shark Racing #1S
1 win – James McFadden, Kasey Kahne Racing w/ Mike Curb #9
1 win – Brent Marks, Brent Marks Racing #19MFEATURE LAPS LED (16 Drivers):
202 laps – Brad Sweet
90 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild
89 laps – Donny Schatz
81 laps – Aaron Reutzel
76 laps – David Gravel
49 laps – Logan Schuchart
36 laps – Carson Macedo
31 laps – James McFadden
27 laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr.
19 laps – Tyler Courtney
17 laps – Brent Marks
10 laps – Jacob Allen & Brock Zearfoss
3 laps – Ian Madsen
1 lap – Kasey Kahne & Kraig KinserSLICK WOODY’S QUICKTIME AWARDS (11 Drivers):
6 QuickTimes – David Gravel
4 QuickTimes – Sheldon Haudenschild
2 QuickTimes – Brad Sweet, James McFadden, Cory Eliason, Sam Hafertepe Jr.
1 QuickTime – Aaron Reutzel, Logan Schuchart, Danny Dietrich, Anthony Macri, Giovanni ScelziDRYDENE HEAT RACE WINNERS (24 Drivers)
10 Heat Wins – David Gravel
8 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo, Aaron Reutzel
6 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, James McFadden
5 Heat Wins – Donny Schatz
4 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart
3 Heat Wins – Brock Zearfoss, Ian Madsen, Brian Brown, Sam Hafertepe Jr.
2 Heat Wins – Jacob Allen, Kasey Kahne, Kraig Kinser, Jason Sides, Giovanni Scelzi, Brad Sweet, Kyle Larson
1 Heat Win –  Danny Dietrich, Hunter Schuerenberg, Tyler Courtney, Lance Dewease, Anthony MacriPODIUM FINISHES (19 Drivers):
14 Podiums – Brad Sweet
6 Podiums – Sheldon Haudenschild, Donny Schatz, Carson Macedo, Aaron Reutzel
5 Podiums – David Gravel, Logan Schuchart
4 Podiums – Brent Marks
3 Podiums – James McFadden, Giovanni Scelzi
2 Podiums – Cory Eliason, Lance Dewease
1 Podium – Kraig Kinser, Danny Dietrich, Tyler Courtney, Justin Peck, Brian Brown, Anthony Macri, Sam Hafertepe Jr.2021 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Schedule & WinnersNo. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)
1. Fri, Feb. 5 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Brad Sweet (1)
2. Sun, Feb. 7 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Logan Schuchart (1)
3. Fri, March 5 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Carson Macedo (1)
4. Sat, March 6 / East Bay Raceway Park / Tampa, FL / Aaron Reutzel (1)
5. Fri, March 12 / Magnolia Motor Speedway / Columbus, MS / Sheldon Haudenschild (1)
6. Sat, March 13 / The Rev / Monroe, LA / David Gravel (1)
7. Fri, March 19 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Sheldon Haudenschild (2)
8. Sat, March 20 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Brad Sweet (2)
9. Sat, March 27 / Lake Ozark Speedway / Eldon, MO / Brad Sweet (3)
10. Fri, April 2 / I-55 Raceway / Pevely, MO / Brad Sweet (4)
11. Sat, April 3 / I-55 Raceway / Pevely, MO / Brad Sweet (5)
12. Fri, April 9 / Kokomo Speedway / Kokomo, IN / James McFadden (1)
13. Sat, April 10 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN / Carson Macedo (2)
14. Fri, April 22 / Bristol Motor Speedway / Bristol, TN / David Gravel (2)
15. Sun, April 24 / Bristol Motor Speedway / Bristol, TN / David Gravel (3)
16. Thur, April 29 / Jacksonville Speedway / Jacksonville, IL / Brad Sweet (6)
17. Fri, April 30 / I-70 Motorsports Park / Odessa, MO / Brad Sweet (7)
18. Sat, May 1 / I-70 Motorsports Park / Odessa, MO / Brad Sweet (8)
19. Sat, May 8 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Brent Marks (1)
20. Sat, May 8 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Sheldon Haudenschild (3)
21. Wed, May 12 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Brad Sweet (9)
22. Fri, May 14 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Carson Macedo (3)
23. Sat, May 15 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Aaron Reutzel (2)

Kalahari Resorts & Conventions Reignites Partnership with Richard Childress Racing

America’s Largest Indoor Waterpark Resorts to serve as partner for RCR at races in Texas, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. (May 18, 2021) –  Kalahari Resorts and Conventions will once again team up with Richard Childress Racing (RCR) for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season, marking the seventh season of partnership for the organizations. America’s Largest Indoor Waterpark Resorts will be the primary partner on Tyler Reddick’s No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Pocono Raceway later this season. Kalahari Resorts and Conventions will also serve as an associate partner at the Circuit of the Americas and Road America races on both Reddick’s No. 8 Chevrolet and Austin Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. “I am thrilled to be driving for Kalahari and having the opportunity to spend time with family while staying at the Resorts during multiple race weekends this year,” said Tyler Reddick, driver of the No. 8 Kalahari Resorts and Conventions Chevrolet. “Kalahari is truly the ideal place for family-fun. I enjoyed visiting the resorts a lot before I became a dad, but now I’m even more excited to experience all Kalahari has to offer from my son’s point of view.” As part of the expanded partnership, NASCAR fans will see content across driver and RCR social media channels highlighting how America’s Largest Indoor Waterpark Resorts have something for family members of all ages! Amenities at the resort include indoor and outdoor water slides, Tom Foolery’s arcade and amusement park, signature dining options, as well as luxurious spa treatments from Spa Kalahari and Salon. “We are excited to continue our longstanding partnership with Richard Childress Racing to sponsor Tyler Reddick and Austin Dillon,” said Kalahari Resorts and Conventions owner Todd Nelson. “The relationship continues to highlight the adventurous and fun spirits of both the Kalahari Resorts and RCR teams.” The newest location for the authentically-African resorts opened in Round Rock, Texas this past November with more than 1.5 million square feet of family fun. The unique all-under-one-roof family destination also can be found at locations in the Poconos in Pennsylvania, in Sandusky, Ohio and in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.  For more information on today’s announcement, and all that’s happening at RCR, visit www.rcrracing.com. To find information or book a stay at Kalahari Resorts and Conventions, visit www.KalahariResorts.com.   ### About Kalahari Resorts and ConventionsKalahari Resorts and Conventions in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, Sandusky, Ohio, the Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania, and now open in Round Rock, Texas, deliver a beyond-expectations waterpark resort and conference experience all under one roof. The authentically African-themed Kalahari Resorts, privately owned by the Nelson family, are home to America’s largest indoor waterparks. All Kalahari Resorts feature well-appointed guest rooms, full-service Spa Kalahari, a fun-filled family entertainment center, on-site signature restaurants, unique retail shops and a state-of-the-art convention center. Kalahari Resorts and Conventions frequently receives awards and accolades for its guest and convention services. Recognition includes: Condé Nast Traveler’s #1 World’s Coolest Indoor Waterparks, Sensory Friendly Certified in 2020 (Ohio), Best Family-Friendly Meeting Hotel and Resort in Smart Meeting’s 2020 Smart Stars Awards, Parents’ Magazine 2019 Kids’ Travel Award Winner and TripAdvisor’s 2018 and 2017 Travelers’ Choice Awards. For reservation and guest information, call 1-877-KALAHARI (525-2427) or visit KalahariResorts.com.

chevy racing–Road Course Prep at Spring Mountain

DETROIT, MI (May 18, 2021) – The NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) saw a diversified schedule for the 2021 season, featuring a variety of notable changes and new venues to make it one of the most dynamic schedules in the sport’s history. The overhaul of the 36-race season included a record seven road course circuit events, a major departure from a schedule that hosted only three in the previous year.  One of the most-anticipated new tracks for the Series is on tap this weekend, as NASCAR’s three premier national touring series will make their debut at the 3.41-mile, 20-turn course of Circuit of The Americas (COTA). Located just outside of Austin, Texas, the venue has previously been the host to the NTT IndyCar Series, Formula 1 and IMSA races, but the first for Chevrolet’s NASCAR drivers and teams. The twists and turns of the circuit’s landscape, featuring a 133-foot hill in Turn One, will provide for a weekend full of unknowns. 
“Chevrolet Racing has the best road course racers in the sport and we want to keep it that way,” says Eric Warren, Chevrolet’s Director of NASCAR Programs. “We want to give drivers the opportunities to keep working on their craft and winning races. That’s what it’s all about every week.”
With road course circuits now making up nearly 20 percent of the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, Chevrolet is utilizing key resources to enhance the road racing skills of their driver lineup. As NASCAR headed west earlier this season, Chevrolet drivers paid a visit to the Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch, the home of the Ron Fellows Performance Driving School. Chevrolet provided their drivers with a unique opportunity to experience a day full of both on-track and classroom instruction to build upon their abilities as a driver and increase their road course confidence as drivers and teams are faced with the season’s new, unique challenges.  Three of the final seven regular-season races will be held on road course circuits, putting even more of an emphasis on the importance of strong on-track performances to secure a driver’s Playoff spot and their chance to compete for the championship title. “Getting extra time on the road course is big,” said Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon. “I think being at Spring Mountain is a huge advantage to us to get laps and learn from some of these guys that do it every day.” Chevrolet heads to COTA just one victory away from capturing its 800th all-time win in NASCAR Cup Series history, an unprecedented milestone for the winningest brand in motorsports. The NASCAR Cup Series 68-lap, 231-mile EchoPark Texas Grand Prix at COTA will take the green flag on Sunday, May 23, at 2:30 p.m. ET. Live competition of the event will be broadcasted on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.ATTENTION EDITORSVideo and audio files of Team Chevy NASCAR drivers discussing Spring Mountain Training and COTA are available for your use:
Team Chevy Spring Mountain & COTA Video FeatureTeam Chevy Spring Mountain & COTA B-Roll PackageTeam Chevy Spring Mountain & COTA Driver AudioCHEVROLET RACING INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTSERIC WARREN, CHEVROLET’S DIRECTOR OF NASCAR PROGRAMSWHAT DOES ADDITIONAL ROAD COURSE RACES MEAN FOR CHEVROLET RACING?“From two races, to three races, to now seven races; it becomes a significant part of the schedule. All of the drivers and teams are really working on their skills and really understand what it takes to get those last tenths of a second out of a road course.” WHAT ARE THE ROAD COURSE GOALS FOR TEAM CHEVY IN 2021?“Chevrolet Racing has the best road course racers in the sport and we want to keep it that way. We want to give drivers the opportunities to keep working on their craft and winning races. That’s what it’s all about every week.” 
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING CAMARO ZL1 1LE HOW IMPORTANT ARE ROAD COURSE RACES IN MAKING THE PLAYOFFS?“It’s huge. I come from an oval background and getting any extra time on a road course is big. Considering we have seven road courses this year, I think being at Spring Mountain (Motorsports Ranch) is a huge advantage to us to get laps and to learn from some of these guys that do it every day.” ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 42 CHIP GANASSI RACING CAMARO ZL1 1LE WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO LEARN AT SPRING MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS RANCH?“Just the motion of turning right. You’re going to miss corners; you’re going to over-brake and under-brake. So, just being out here going through the same motions when there’s not a full Cup Series field and there’s no points on the line. It’s just getting into the mindset of turning right.” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 BLACK ENTREPRENEUR INITIATIVE CAMARO ZL1 1LEWHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS GOING INTO COTA?“(COTA) is really different than any road course we go to. COTA is a very technical and tight track, so it makes for a challenge when you get there. There’s some really tight corners and some really long straightaways. It’s a world-class facility and I’m just excited to get there and see it in person.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CAMARO ZL1 1LEELLIOTT ON HIS IMPRESSION OF COTA: “The track was fun. Anytime you go somewhere new, a fresh track is refreshing, I feel like, for racecar drivers. I’ve enjoyed the challenge. I haven’t made a ton of laps, so it’s just really trying to understand what is this the right way or what is this the wrong way. It’s tough because when you’re new and you’re trying to get going, you might hit the first part of the track pretty good, then you might miss two spots somewhere else. Your lap time doesn’t tell the whole story. So, you really have to piece that together and understand what you think you did good and what you didn’t, and then go put the pieces of the puzzle together and try to put the whole thing in the works.”

Mopar and Dodge//SRT Entries Have High-Horsepower Hopes Heading to Houston for Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals Presented by Pennzoil

  • The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing Series makes its fifth stop of the 2021 season at Houston Raceway Park for the Mopar Express Lane SpringNationals Presented by Pennzoil May 21-23
  • This weekend’s Houston race is the first of five NHRA national events with Mopar and Dodge//SRT title sponsorship support in 2021
  • Reigning Funny Car World Champ Matt Hagan comes to Houston fourth in points, one spot ahead of Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) teammate Ron Capps in fifth as both HEMI®-powered drivers chase their first national event wins of the year
  • Funny Car veteran Cruz Pedregon looks to build on last weekend’s semifinal performance at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte and the steady progress his team has made with the Snap-On Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat through the first four races of the 22-event NHRA season
  • Leah Pruett is ready to battle for wins at Houston aboard her DSR Top Fuel dragster with Pennzoil/Mopar primary branding and behind the wheel of her new 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak in the second of the eight-race NHRA Factory Stock Showdown series 

May 18, 2021, Auburn Hills, Mich. –The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing Series is headed to Texas this week for the 34th annual Mopar Express Lane SpringNationals Presented by Pennzoil, returning to its original early-season date at Houston Raceway Park after a rescheduled fall edition took place last October. The sea-level drag strip located near Baytown, a suburb of Houston, is known for high-horsepower performances and record runs when cool air blows in from the Gulf of Mexico. 

“We’re thrilled to be back on the track with our partners from Pennzoil for the Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals,” said Mark Bosanac, North America Vice President, Mopar Service, Parts & Customer Care. “We look forward to cheering on our drivers as they compete for wins while showcasing the Mopar brand to ultra-passionate drag racing enthusiasts.”

This weekend’s competition marks the first of five NHRA national events supported by Mopar and Dodge//SRT title sponsorship during the NHRA’s 70th anniversary season. The four other upcoming national events which will see the brands’ support in 2021 are:

  • July 16-18 – Dodge//SRT Mile-High NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil (Denver)
  • Sept. 1-5 – Dodge//SRT U.S. Nationals (Indianapolis)
  • Sept. 10-12 – Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil (Reading, Pennsylvania)
  • Oct. 29-Nov. 1 – Dodge//SRT NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil (Las Vegas)

The Houston venue will be appropriately dressed for spring with the yellow, white and blue signature look of Mopar Express Lane brand signage. This signage is synonymous with the speedy in-and-out, high-quality, factory-backed service by certified technicians who keep customer vehicles in tip-top shape while providing everything from convenient oil changes to complimentary multi-point check-ups. 

Additionally, the two HEMI®-powered Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) nitro-fueled entries of Matt Hagan and Leah Pruett will prominently feature eye-catching Pennzoil primary paint schemes for the brand’s home race.

During the May 21-23 event, fans will be invited to visit Mopar’s exhibit at the track’s Manufacturers Midway where they have the opportunity to feel the thrill of being in the driver’s seat aboard an actual Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Funny Car simulator.

On-track action begins Friday at Houston Raceway Park, with reigning Funny Car world champion Hagan looking to earn an elusive first win of the 2021 season aboard his Pennzoil Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat.

“I’m pumped up to get to Houston,” says Hagan. “That’s where I got my first NHRA Funny Car win, so it will always have a special place in my heart. Houston always brings a great crowd, it’s a great facility and it’s a Pennzoil race track. There’s nothing better than going to your partner’s event at a partner’s track and we really want to put on a great show.

“I have a great race car underneath me and it’s handling well and responding to the changes we’re making to it,” adds Hagan, who goes into this weekend fourth in the standings with a runner-up and semifinal finish after four events. “We’re coming off of a hard knock in Charlotte and just focused on redeeming ourselves in Houston. We’re excited to see all of the folks down there in Baytown and it should be a fun weekend.”

Hagan’s DSR teammate, Capps, has taken home four Wally trophies from Houston (2006, 2007, 2015 and 2017) during his 27-year tenure and came close to adding another at the October 2020 edition with a runner-up finish. Capps has qualified in the top-five at every event so far this year but would like to have four solid runs on Sunday aboard his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to secure a fifth win at the venue and his first of the season to help him move up from his fifth place standing in the Funny Car points.

Meanwhile, fellow Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat driver Cruz Pedregon has three wins of his own at Houston (1992, 1998, 2013) and is working to build on his semifinal finish last weekend at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, North Carolina, to continue the steady progress his Snap-on Tools Pedregon Racing team has made through the first four races of the 22-event NHRA season.

DSR Top Fuel pilot Leah Pruett was pleased with her Mopar Dodge//SRT dragster’s No. 3 qualifier effort at the previous event and is looking forward to a long day of racing on Sunday after seeing her last two race days shortened by first round losses. She still has the memory of her 2017 Houston victory to fuel her drive to get back to the winner’s circle.

“I’m very excited to get to Baytown,” says Pruett, who will be getting to town early to take part in a promotional event with Dodge//SRT customers along with DSR teammate Hagan. “We get to kick off the week with Ride & Drive events with Dodge. It’s looking like we’re going to have great weather out there. It’s supposed to be cool and we’ll be at sea level, and I have no doubt we’ll be making those fast runs that get all of us hyped up.”

Pruett will also be back behind the wheel of the new 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak in the Factory Stock Showdown (FSS) series at Houston for the first time since she debuted the quickest, fastest, most powerful Drag Pak ever at the 2021 Gatornationals. She posted her quickest and fastest speed ever in FSS in the season opener with her new ride, clocking a 7.806-second pass at 177.44 mph. Her goal for this outing is to get the most out of each vehicle and drive the maximum amount of runs in each category.

“I’ll be back to pulling double-duty, running both my Top Fuel dragster and Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak,” says Pruett. “I truly feel like when we get to Houston it’ll be our ‘get healthy’ race and it’ll be a new beginning for us. We’re looking forward to laying down maximum horsepower on the Pennzoil proving grounds.”

Fellow DSR-prepared Drag Pak driver Mark Pawuk will also be competing in the Sportsman class event aboard his third-generation Empaco Equipment Dodge Challenger. Pawuk battled atop the FSS standings throughout 2020, finishing third overall, and after kicking off this year’s eight-race FSS series with a semifinal appearance in March he’s looking to steadily improve with each opportunity.

All on-track action at the Mopar Express Lane SpringNationals Presented by Pennzoil on Friday through Sunday will be streamed online via NHRA.TV, while television coverage will be broadcast on FS1 with qualifying shows airing Saturday, May 21, from 10-11 p.m. ET and Sunday, May 22, from noon-1 p.m. ET, while the elimination rounds will air Sunday evening from 6-9 p.m. ET.

DodgeGarage: Digital Hub for Drag Racing News

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

@DodgeMoparMotorsports on Instagram

The @DodgeMoparMotorsports Instagram channel continues to share content capturing Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers on the track. Fans can see action from the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and NHRA Sportsman grassroots racers competing in classes such as Factory Stock Showdown, Stock and Super Stock, as well as additional motorsports series.

Mopar  

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

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

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

Follow Mopar and company news and video on:

Company blog: http://blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Media website: http://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com

Mopar brand: https://www.mopar.com/

Mopar blog: https://blog.mopar.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mopar

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialmopar

Twitter: https://twitter.com/OfficialMOPAR

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/mopar or https://www.youtube.com/StellantisNA

Dodge//SRT

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

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

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

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