CHEVROLET NTT INDYCAR SERIES HONDA INDY 200 DOUBLE HEADERMID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE LEXINGTON, OHIO SEPTEMBER 10, 2020
Oliver Askew, No, 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, and Rinus Veekay, No.21 SONAX Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet met with media prior to heading to Mid-Ohio. Full transcript:
THE MODERATOR: Welcome, everyone, to the first of a series of video news conferences we’re going to have in the next few days previewing the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. My name is Arni Sribhen from INDYCAR. We’ll welcome in the drivers who will be here to talk to you. The driver of the No. 21 SONAX Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing, Rinus VeeKay, and the driver of the No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren SP, Oliver Askew. Thanks for taking the time to join us today.
Oliver, we’ll start with you. Heading to a road course; we really haven’t done many in the last few months. Heading back to your first road course since Road America, how much are you looking forward to getting back to turning left and right?OLIVER ASKEW: Yeah, very much looking forward to it, like you said. It’s kind of weird to think that the season is heading into the final quarter and we’ve only done two road course events this year. Yeah, more time for me to get used to running on ovals and to get better on ovals, as well.Yeah, Mid-Ohio is a special track for me. I’ve always loved going there. We’ve had a lot of success there in the Road to Indy and Indy Lights last year, as well. It’s a very technical track, and I think it suits me and I think it suits the team Arrow McLaren SP and Chevrolet, as well.
THE MODERATOR: Rinus, Mid-Ohio is a special place for you and Oliver; you guys both have wins in the Road to Indy; you won in Indy Pro 2000, Oliver won last year in Indy Lights. It’s also where you did your first test with Ed Carpenter Racing, so how much are you looking forward to getting to Mid-Ohio?RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, I’m really looking forward to Mid-Ohio. Of course it’s a track where I’ve never finished off the podium in my whole Road to Indy. It’s quite a track. I love it there, and yeah, finally after a long time of ovals, we go to a road course again. Really enjoy the ovals, but yeah, I’m looking forward to turning right this weekend.Yeah, I’ve had a very important test with Ed Carpenter Racing at Mid-Ohio, so yeah, good memories.
Q.Question for both of you guys. Just wondered with the sort of not knowing when or if Mid-Ohio was going to take place, obviously that affects your training regimen with it being sort of popped back into the calendar and just wondered how much of a challenge you’re expecting it to be this weekend because it’s already one of the hardest tracks for you guys physically. What are you expecting from this weekend?OLIVER ASKEW: I think it’s going to be really tough, although for me last year in Indy Lights, I felt pretty good. Both Rinus and I are kind of used to doing double-headers coming from the Road to Indy and Indy Lights, but the races aren’t nearly as long. They’re about maybe half as long or a quarter as long. So it’s going to be a big challenge. I’m sure Rinus has been training very hard and just trying to get — we don’t really have any rest days. We’re just trying to get the most out of our bodies and to prepare on the nutrition side, as well.It’s going to be a hot one. I think every race this year, that’s just how it’s been with the aeroscreen, it’s going to be very hot, and just with the double-headers, it’s important to recover as quick as possible Saturday night to feel as fresh as possible Sunday morning heading into qualifying, too.It’ll definitely be a big challenge for all of us and maybe especially for the rookies.RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, I feel good going to Mid-Ohio. I know it’s a hard track, but with the aeroscreen it will be warm, but I’ve been training very hard, and I’m fitter than I’ve been in previous road courses. I’m not really worried.Of course it’s two days back-to-back, so you’ve got to be fit on both days, and I think all the rest you can get is going to be important for Sunday. But yeah, I feel good.I think, yeah, for now, the last few races it all felt really good. I’m looking forward to going out there and putting some rubber down.
Q.I just want to ask you how confident are you going into this weekend? Obviously, Oliver, from your point of view with McLaren doing so well and racing races, but also Rinus, from your point of view coming off a really strong performance in race 2 a couple of weeks ago, how excited and confident are you guys going into the weekend?OLIVER ASKEW: I feel fairly confident going into every race weekend, really, because we know that our engineering group at Arrow McLaren SP and on the McLaren side, as well, they have a lot of software and technology that we’re putting into it so try and make sure we roll off the trailer in the best possible way with the best possible setup. There hasn’t really been a race weekend this year where we show up and we just kind of feel lost, especially with having Pato. He’s been really strong the past couple races and we can compare. It seems very hard for us to get lost at the moment and not understand where we can gain and where we can improve.I think that in itself is very confidence boosting, and I feel like I can show up and drive as hard as I can and everything is going to be all right. So that’s the plan.RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, I feel very confident. I know the team has had a great car at Mid-Ohio in the last years. I think Mid-Ohio is going to be one of their strongest road courses, and I know everyone works extremely hard and is very motivated.I had the test there last October with Ed Carpenter Racing, and the car felt really amazing. I’m not worried at all, and I’m just very excited.
Q.What is it about Mid-Ohio that has been such a great show case for the Road to Indy? Both of you have done very well there. Oliver, you had back-to-back victories last year. Rinus, you’ve never finished off the podium. Guys like Felix Rosenqvist had their first INDYCAR test there, turned into full-time INDYCAR Series rides. What is it about Mid-Ohio that serves as such a great show case for the Road to Indy?OLIVER ASKEW: I’m not sure. I think it’s just a common racetrack, common racetrack to test at. It’s always one of our most attended races of the year, and it is in close partnership with Cooper tires, as well. So they’re obviously a huge partner and sponsor of the Road to Indy, and we’ve put a huge emphasis on that track and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course through our Road to Indy careers. I think that has a lot to do with it. We both have quite a bit of time on that circuit.RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, yeah, we always got a lot of practice there. It’s just a great old-school track. Coming from Europe or seeing guys coming from Europe going into Mid-Ohio, it’s quite a step from having run-offs, having grass. Yeah, crazy track, but it’s a lot of fun, very technical, and I think if you can be fast at Mid-Ohio, you can be fast everywhere.
Q.There’s a big rookie award out there for the Rookie of the Year, and right now, Rinus, you have a 21-point lead over Alex Palou and five points behind him is Oliver. How do you look at that with five races to go, that if you finish this thing off well, you could be Rookie of the Year, and Oliver, what does it take to catch him?RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, it’s of course nice to be leading the rookie championship, but there’s way more than that. I’m just trying to make sure I do the best job I can do. And then yeah, it’s quite crazy, I’ve had quite a weird season, I think, and then having one good weekend and you’re leading the rookie championship.You never know what’s going to happen, but I’m going to give it my all.OLIVER ASKEW: Yeah, like Rinus said, if you have — everything is so close right now, even between all the veterans, you have one good weekend and you jump so many places in the championship, so honestly I had no idea what the points deficit was between the rookies. I just need to make sure that we do our homework and show up and be fast right away because on these condensed weekends if you’re not on it in practice one, it just kind of snowballs into the rest of the sessions. That’s what I’m focused on right now, and I’m sure the other guys are thinking the same.
Q.If you had to grade your season so far since we’re getting close to the end, what kind of grade would you give yourself?RINUS VEEKAY: Well, I’m not familiar with American grades, so —Q.Out of 100 percent what would you give yourself?RINUS VEEKAY: One out of ten, so let’s say I think a seven. It’s been a hard year. I’ve made quite a few mistakes, but after all, I’m learning a lot.OLIVER ASKEW: What’s that, C-?RINUS VEEKAY: I think seven. I think it’s a good number. It’s not perfect at all, but I think I’m doing a good job so far.OLIVER ASKEW: Yeah, I’d say — I think I’m pretty hard on myself, so I’d give myself a six, 60 percent — well, 67 percent.
Q.Any reason why?OLIVER ASKEW: Nothing in particular. I just think I’ve lacked a little consistency. I mean, I know the speed is there. We were in the Fast Six right away in Indy GP qualifying and we had a really good weekend in Iowa, we just need to make sure we put it — like Rinus says, it’s such a weird season and you just need to kind of capitalize and make sure you’re on it all the time because it’s such a close series, so if you feel a little bit off one day, it looks like you’re having a really bad weekend because everyone is so close together.So I think, yeah, I just need to be a little bit more consistent and the results will be there.
Q.A question for both of you: Last year you guys were like racing each other for the top of the heap. I think if one misstepped and the other one didn’t, it could have been either one of you being the champion. Certainly looked that way. But now you’re in this INDYCAR season, and you’re used to racing against each other, but now you’re racing against the rest of the field. I’d like to get your feeling or reaction to now joining a field with the rest of the drivers when you’re so used to racing against each other.RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, of course. I’ve always driven against Oliver. He’s always been a benchmark. But now there is, well, 24 more Olivers, so you’re not just looking to Oliver. There’s so many fast guys.You’re eventually just making sure you do the best you can because there’s always going to be fast guys around you. You know you’re not going to be a few tenths ahead of anyone else. It’s super tough, but yeah, it’s nice to see that in those years battling with Oliver. It really helped me preparing towards INDYCAR.OLIVER ASKEW: Yeah, I think I can agree with what Rinus said. I honestly, unbiased opinion, my unbiased opinion is that this series is the most competitive in the world at the moment. You know, to come in as a rookie, there’s a lot to learn, and if you don’t take a stand against the veterans, they’re going to understand that and use you up as much as they can.It’s super tough, and probably more tough than many people realize.
Q.Oliver, you mentioned that teammate Pato O’Ward’s success the past few weekends helped you guys in some ways, I’d imagine from an engineering perspective. I know you guys have gone back and forth at times with your own successes. He’s had maybe a little bit more consistency, as you mentioned, but we’ve still seen a lot from you in your first full time INDYCAR season. What have you been able to take and maybe how has Pato’s successes particularly at Gateway this last race weekend, how has that driven you or motivated you as his teammate?OLIVER ASKEW: Yeah, definitely. It definitely motivates me, and I think it can go both ways, as well. I feel that where Pato is really good at the moment is in practice 1 and qualifying, and like I said before, that’s the whole weekend, really, especially at a place like Texas Motor Speedway or like we saw at Gateway. It’s so hard to pass, and I kind of expect it to be the same at Mid-Ohio. It’s going to be very difficult.When you don’t qualify well and you don’t have a good first practice, it kind of sets you on the back foot. I think that’s a really strong area of Pato’s at the moment, and you can see it in the results. I’ll try to pick up on that a little bit and take advantage of having such a strong teammate at the moment.
Q.How would you describe you guys’ relationship as teammates kind of from a collaborative standpoint? I know this is both your first full-time seasons in INDYCAR. How do you guys use that teammate relationship? I know you’re obviously competitors in a lot of ways once you get on the track, but off the track how do you guys try to utilize that relationship?OLIVER ASKEW: Well, we have a job, and we race for the team. We’re not very selfish people, I don’t think. Pato seems to be the kind of driver who just shows up and drives the wheel off the thing, and I think I’m a little bit more — I have to be a little bit more in depth with what’s going on to become successful. But I think there’s just two different approaches, and we can feed off each other in that way, as well.It’s been a pleasure for sure. We’re continuing to get along well and continuing to build our relationship. It’s been great.
Q.Rinus, you’ve got a sixth, a fifth and a fourth now. I think, what do you say, is it time for a podium this weekend?RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, it’s coming close. Of course race 2 in Gateway I was on podium course, so really sucked that it just grabbed next to the podium. But yeah, fourth was already amazing, but the podium is really a place I want to go to now. Of course there’s only one rookie season, and I want to get a podium in my rookie season, so that’s a big goal for me.THE MODERATOR: That’s all the time we have with the drivers today, so we appreciate everyone for joining us.

Sep 8, 2020 | Featured, Julie Nataas, Megan Meyer, Race Results, Rachel Meyer

For the first time in the Randy Meyer Racing Team’s history, all three Top Alcohol Dragsters driven by Megan Meyer, Rachel Meyer, and Julie Nataas competed at the same national event.

Usually contested at the Chicago national, the 2020 JEGS Allstars event was ran on Friday of the U.S. Nationals. In the first round, sisters Megan and Rachel Meyer in their NGK Spark Plugs dragsters staged up against each other as dad Randy stood between the two cars as the tree dropped. Rachel had an impressive .022-second reaction time and drove her dragster to the win with a 5.279, 271.57. Megan experienced fuel issues as soon as she stomped on the gas and coasted to a 16.832, 44.31. Julie Nataas clocked in with a troubled 15.811, 43.75 with backing from local Indiana companies Huntingburg Machine Works and Thieman Realty, in her first round pairing as Jackie Fricke’s 5.234, 276.13 advanced to the second round. 

Second round of the Allstars, Rachel got the starting line advantage over Jackie Fricke by .030-seconds and clocked in with a stout 5.316, 274.00 but it wasn’t enough to outrun Fricke’s 5.200, 276.35.

For the first round of the main event, Randy Meyer Racing once again had a teammate matchup between Julie Nataas and Rachel Meyer. Rachel crossed the finish line with a 5.295, 269.03 but Julie bettered that performance with a winning 5.235, 272.56. Notably, Megan had one of the most intense rounds of racing of her career as she had a pedal fest with Joey Severance in the first round. Both competitors had trouble putting their power to the racetrack and it was a battle to get to the finish line first. At the stripe, Megan’s 5.574, 274.66 edged out Severance’s 5.594, 265.80.

The second round of eliminations was held late at night at Lucas Oil Raceway and track conditions were in prime condition. Julie’s competition, Matthew Cummings, broke before he was able to stage and she cruised right down the boulevard with a 5.215, 270.86 to advance to the next round. Megan shattered the Top Alcohol Dragster world record when she lit the scoreboards on fire with a 5.097, 278.81 and took out Friday night’s Jegs Allstar champion Jackie Fricke, who ran a 5.190, 278.35. The previous record was a 5.10 pass posted in 2007 by Bill Reichert.

“That run was incredible,” Megan said. “I had no idea we ran that quick for the win until the team drove up to the top end with the time slip. It was a pretty smooth pass and I didn’t feel any cylinders go out, so I figured it was a 5-teen or 5-20 pass. When they told me it was a 5.09 I didn’t believe them at first! I had to look at the time slip for proof to see that big fat zero next to the 5. We had a great time celebrating the run Saturday night, and the fact that we were able to repeat, and beat, the time in the semi-finals shows how much time and hard work this team has put into this car to make it the best of the best. I’m honored to have my name in the drag racing history book next to Bill Reichert – he is a racing legend and it’s humbling to continue the strides he has made in the sport.”

In the semifinals, Julie took on fellow A-Fuel dragster driver Josh Hart. Nataas slowed to a 5.508, 263.77 as a result of dropping cylinders down track and Hart’s 5.268, 274.50 advanced to the final round. 

Showing her record-setting run from the previous night was no fluke, Megan lowered her national elapsed time record with the quickest pass in Top Alcohol Dragster history with a 5.090, 280.54 and used an impressive .017 light as an added bonus for the victory over Shawn Cowie. For the finals, Megan came into the round with a win-loss record of 3 – 2 against Hart in prior events. Hart got the starting line advantage at the beginning of the race, but Megan showed the pure horsepower of the Randy Meyer-tuned team by crossing the finish line first with a 5.148, 271.13. 

“We would like to thank Shawn Collins and his team at Technician.Academy for bringing two college interns to work with the crew this weekend. We needed all the hands we could get in the pits, and our interns, Michael and Connor, did an excellent job for their first time. This is the fourth year in a row that we’ve hosted automotive college interns at the U.S. Nationals, and each year we are very pleased with their work ethic and willingness to learn. We like to stay in touch with our previous interns and their families and are happy to hear that each of them have moved on to have a professional career in the automotive industry with the experience they learned from working with the Randy Meyer Racing Team. We encourage other teams and brands to create similar programs to help expand the reach of automotive and motorsports, and bring in more interest to our sport by reaching out to younger generations. We are thankful for MotoRad continuing their support with us and seeing the growth of this educational program,” Megan said.

The U.S. Nationals was Megan’s first National event win of 2020 and the 11th national event win of her career. Megan is now tied for first place of the National points standings. Due to COVID-19, the points structure has changed to only count 5 national events plus 2 regional events. Megan plans to continue out her 2020 season at full-throttle to defend her National Championship before retiring.

Megan and Julie will compete next in Earlville, Iowa for the team’s fifth and final Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Central regional event, held at Tri-State Raceway this weekend.

September 9, 2020

Matt DiBenedetto has 10 career Cup starts at Richmond Raceway but none in the Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Mustang that he’ll drive in Saturday night’s 400-lapper on the three-quarter-mile oval.

Richmond normally hosts two Cup races a season, but this year’s April event was run at Darlington due to the coronavirus.

So, in addition to the pressure of trying to advance in the Playoffs after a disappointing result in the Playoff opener at Darlington Raceway, he’ll have to adapt to a first ride at Richmond in the No. 21 Mustang.

“That will be interesting,” DiBenedetto said. “We haven’t been there this year, so we don’t know what to expect.”  
  
Richmond, with its relatively short length and low banking, has similarities to tracks like Phoenix Raceway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where DiBenedetto has driven the Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Mustang. 
 
“The track fits the mold of the ones where we’ve shown strength,” he said. “Short tracks have been good for us, and flat tracks.”
 
DiBenedetto finished 13^th at Phoenix and sixth at New Hampshire, races which were won by drivers from Team Penske, which as an alliance with the No. 21 Wood Brothers team. Joey Logano won at Phoenix and Brad Keselowski at New Hampshire.

“Hopefully we will hit the set-up and be close when the race starts,” DiBenedetto said. “It’s a little bit of a guess, but I think it will fall into our team’s strength.”

There will be no qualifying or practice prior to the start of Saturday’s 400-lap race, which is scheduled to get the green flag just after 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time with TV coverage on NBCSN.
 

Twin-race format will feature 75-lap races on Saturday and Sunday
Honda drivers have won nine of the last 13 Indy car races at Mid-Ohio
Honda lineup includes three former Mid-Ohio winners

TORRANCE, Calif. (Sept. 8, 2020) – Honda drivers and teams will have two chances to add to the manufacturer’s already impressive victory total this weekend at The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, as the weekend schedule for the Honda Indy 200 now includes a pair of NTT INDYCAR SERIES races on the challenging 2.258-mile road course.
Five-time Mid-Ohio race winner – and current championship leader with four wins this season – Scott Dixon comes to central Ohio as the defending race winner. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver this weekend chases a sixth Mid-Ohio victory, a fifth win in the 2020 season, and a sixth Indy car Drivers’ Championship.
Alexander Rossi used a two-stop strategy to win at Mid-Ohio in 2018 for Andretti Autosport; while home town favorite Graham Rahal was victorious in 2015. Other Honda-powered winners have included Ryan Briscoe in 2008, Dario Franchitti in 2010 and Charlie Kimball in 2013.
In all, Honda drivers have won 10 of the 13 Indy car races since the series returned to Mid-Ohio under the Honda Indy 200 banner in 2007; including a 1-2-3 podium sweep last year as Dixon scored his fifth Mid-Ohio win, followed by teammate Felix Rosenqvist and Ryan Hunter-Reay. Dixon’s other Mid-Ohio wins have come in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2012, leading his nickname “Mr. Mid-Ohio.”
“We had a heart-stopping 1-2-3 sweep last year at the Honda Indy 200, our second IndyCar Series podium sweep of the season,” said Ted Klaus, president of Honda Performance Development, Honda’s North American Racing arm. “It was a big part of our successful effort to achieve a second consecutive INDYCAR Manufacturers’ Championship. With the doubleheader format this year’s event, it’s also shaping up to be a key event in our chase of a third consecutive title.”
In the Championship Auto Racing Teams era, Honda drivers won five of the nine races from 1994-2002, more than any other manufacturer. Alex Zanardi led a 1-2 finish for Target Chip Ganassi Racing in 1996 with Jimmy Vasser second. Zanardi won again in 1997. Juan Pablo Montoya led a 1-2-3-4 result for Honda in 1999, being followed to the checkers by Paul Tracy, Franchitti and Jimmy Vasser. Helio Castroneves and Gil de Ferran finished 1-2 for Honda and Team Penske in both 2000 and 2001.
American Honda has a long history of involvement in central Ohio and at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Honda was the first Japanese company to establish auto manufacturing operations in the United States, opening Honda of America Manufacturing in Marysville, Ohio, in 1982. The company has had an Official Vehicle relationship with Mid-Ohio since 1994.
Today, Honda operates multiple manufacturing facilities and a major Research & Development center in Ohio. Combined, they employ more than 13,000 associates and have the capacity to produce more than 650,000 vehicles and 1.18 million engines annually.
Honda’s Indy car win total of 251 in 26 years of North American open-wheel racing – including 12 Indianapolis 500 victories since 2004 – is unmatched by any other manufacturer in the same period.
Eleven wins from 17 races in 2018 brought Honda the company’s seventh IndyCar Manufacturers’ Championship, highlighted by a 1-2 finish in the Drivers’ Championship for Honda-powered Scott Dixon and Alexander Rossi. Another eight victories for Honda highlighted the company’s second consecutive manufacturers’ title, and eighth overall, in 2019.
Seeking a third consecutive Manufacturers’ Championship, and on the strength of six wins from nine races this season, Honda comes to Mid-Ohio a 73-point lead in the 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship, with 747 points to 674 for Chevrolet. Dixon currently holds a 96-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship, with 416 points to 320 for Josef Newgarden in second.

September 7, 2020

Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team fought hard from start to finish of Sunday’s Cookout Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway but ended up with a 21^st-place finish.

Driving a Mustang with a paint scheme based on the 1963 1/2 Galaxie Fastback that the Wood Brothers used to win the 1963 Cup Series Owners title, Benedetto took the green flag the first race of the 2020 Cup Series playoffs from ninth place.

It was evident from the start that the handling was off on his Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang.
 
“If there ever was a place where having no practice would bite us, we found it,” DiBenedetto said. “We started the race and were out in left field, not even close, no grip.
 
“We had to make big adjustments on every stop.”
 
Throughout the first two thirds of the race, DiBenedetto ran outside the top 20 and had to drive hard to remain on the lead lap.
 
But he and the No. 21 team never gave up, and midway through the race’s third and final stage, he began working his way forward, moving into the top 20 on Lap 264 of 367. 
  
DiBenedetto continued to advance through the field, but luck was not on his side. Crew chief Greg Erwin opted for a one-pit-stop strategy for the final stage and the move was within a few laps of working out in the team’s favor when a caution flag for debris spoiled that plan.
 
“Finally late in the third stage, we got it driving OK, and could have salvaged something out of it,” DiBenedetto said. “When we finally had a glimpse of hope, a poorly timed caution flag came out and ruined it for us.”
 
Forced to take the wave-around to stay on the lead lap, DiBenedetto had to try to make the most of a set of older tires on a track notorious for its tire wear.
 
He wound up 21st, with just two Playoff drivers behind him and leaves Darlington 15^th in the Playoff standings.
 
On the positive side, he’s headed to Richmond Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway, the two remaining tracks in the first round of the Playoffs.

DiBenedetto is expecting much better results going forward.
 
“I’m bummed about the lack of points we got at Darlington, but I’m excited about the next two tracks,” he said.

·        Don Schumacher Racing’s (DSR) Jack Beckman drove his Infinite Hero Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to a coveted Funny Car win at the 66th annual National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway near Indianapolis

·        Beckman’s second win of the season moves the HEMI®-powered driver into the Funny Car Championship points lead with five nationals event remaining in the revamped 2020 NHRA season.

·        DSR Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett piloted her Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye dragster to a runner-up finish in her first career final elimination round at the world’s most famous drag race

·        No.2 qualifier Mark Pawuk took his Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak to a runner-up result in the “Big GO” edition of the Factory Stock Shootout

·        Three DSR HEMI-powered Dodge machines contended for wins with three final rounds appearances in three different categories

September 6, 2020, Brownsburg, Ind. –From his seventh-seed position, Jack Beckman drove his Infinite Hero Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat through the eliminations ladder and to a coveted win at arguably the most famous and prestigious drag race in the world, 66^th annual National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis.

Beckman and his crew’s consistent efforts this season and throughout the weekend afforded them a chance to advance to a fourth final round appearance in six events thus far this year. The veteran Funny Car driver began his charge through the field with a solid 3.909-second elapsed time run to defeat Cruz Pedregon. He added a clean pass for a quarterfinal win over DSR teammate Ron Capps before deposing Tim Wilkerson with a holeshot win in the semifinals. For the final elimination round, Beckman staged his Mopar machine next to J.R. Todd then took it straight down the track for a 3.908-second winning effort to beat his opponent’s 3.960-second pass.

The win propelled Beckman back atop the NHRA Funny Car world championship leaderboard with just five races left on the 2020 calendar. With his second victory of the year, Beckman also captured a second national event title at the historic race affectionately known to drag racing fans as “the Big Go” to accompany the one he earned in 2015.

“This is my second U.S. Nationals Funny Car title and I don’t know if we can ever top your first win but today we showed that we can kill it with consistency, we can have issues and rally back,” said the 2012 Funny Car world champion. “The crew chiefs made great decisions and the crew guys found a couple anomalies in the pants and jumped right on it. Nobody panicked and we made this car go down the track all four times today. We learned this trophy. We are back in the Funny Car points lead. That’s for final rounds this year. It has been a crazy 2020, but I’m thinking we can get a couple more of these with our Dodge Charger.”

Beckman was one of three DSR drivers to contended for wins in final round appearances in three different classes on Sunday. The second in DSR’s stable with the chance to add more U.S. Nationals hardware to the team’s trophy case was Top Fuel pilot Leah Pruett who drove her fierce new-look Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye dragster from the No. 6 spot to her first final elimination round appearance at the famed event.

To get there, Pruett powered her way past Terry McMillen in the opening round to meet DSR teammate Tony Schumacher in the quarterfinals. Lady luck played a part in providing her an opportunity to advance as Schumacher dropped a cylinder early in his run while Pruett’s dragster smoked the tires, requiring some pedaling to get back on track and across the finish line to move on to the semifinals against Steve Torrence. 

Pruett’s 0.053-second reaction time against her opponent’s 0.093, gave her the edge she needed to turn on the win lights with a 3.743 sec /322.34 mph pass to Torrence’s quickest run of the event at 3.724/325.14 capturing the holeshot win with a margin of victory of 0.0215-seconds.

Pruett then faced Shawn Langdon for the first time in a final round match-up, but saw her opportunity to battle for the win go up in tire smoke at halftrack, settling for a runner-up finish. As a consolation prize, her efforts this weekend moved her into second place in Top Fuel Championship standings. 

“This Big Go did not disappoint on the intensity meter from needing to make a good lap in Q4 just to make the show to throwing down a .70 in the first round against Terry (McMillen) who brought a .72. Those are the conditions we love to flourish in,” said Pruett. “After the second round they moved up the session 35 minutes and in one of the most impressive moments was the preparation for the semifinal round. To see this Dodge SRT team stay cool and calm and deliver what we did in the semis makes me very proud. We fed off of that and tried to duplicate that for the final and had clutch wear issues. Leaving here second in points is incredible. The team faced a lot of challenges today mechanically, mentally and time-wise and we are going to take this as a building block for Gainesville.”

The third DSR contender for a win was in the Factory Stock Showdown (FSS) category, as No. 2 qualifier Mark Pawuk strung together a solid series of sub-eight second passes aboard his Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak through each round of eliminations including his final round battle against Aaron Stanfield. 

While Pawuk had the starting line advantage and posted a 7.979 sec./172.83 mph pass, it wasn’t enough to beat the winning 7.918/172.98 run by Stanfield. This was Pawuk’s third FSS runner-up performance at the U.S. Nationals with a previous one coming against his Mopar Drag Pak teammate Pruett who went home with that 2018 FSS national title win.

Pruett, for her part, was seeded sixth for this year’s opening round of FSS eliminations but after winning that first outing, she was on the losing end of the sprint to the finish against Jesse Alexandra in her second round match-up.

The rest of the DSR Funny Car lineup found themselves looking forward to the next stop on the NHRA circuit after seeing their day prematurely shortened. Matt Hagan moved past Paul Lee, to take a holeshot victory over Bob Tasca III by posting a 3.939 E.T. behind the wheel of his red-hot Hellcat Redeye versus his adversary’s 3.940. His side-by-side semifinal battle with J.R. Todd, ended with a loss of grip late in his run to allow Todd to move on. The result however, moved Hagan into second place in the points behind his DSR teammate and event winner, Beckman. 

Still riding the momentum of his win at the Dodge NHRA Indy Nationals at the previous event, Ron Capps drove his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to a provisional No.1 qualifier run on Friday and into race day as the No. 2 seed. With a record of 38-4 in an opening round when qualified second, Capps came out firing on all cylinders and advanced easily with a 3.924 E.T. at 328.06 mph to defeat Jim Campbell and move on to face Beckman in the quarterfinals. Following identical reaction times of 0.067, Capps took the lead early, but lost traction at the 300-foot mark and eventually ceded the run to his DSR teammate.

The Funny Car points leader heading into race day and No.1 qualifier for a third time this season, Tommy Johnson Jr., took the early lead with the Riley Kids Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat in the first round against No. 16 qualifier Dale Creasy, but when his DSR machine suddenly quit on the final approach to the finish, the result was an upset. Johnson crossed the stripe to register a 0.065-sec. reaction time, and 4.011 sec./276.58 mph just behind Creasy’s 0.062 sec reaction / 4.009 sec./315.64 mph wining effort and now sits third in the points standings behind his DSR teammates, Beckman and Hagan.

Five national events now remaining on the revamped 2020 NHRA schedule with the next stop set for Gainesville, Fla., from Sept. 25-27 for the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals. 

ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES: 

Jack Beckman, Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car

(No. 7 Qualifier – 3.940 seconds at 325.53 mph)

Round 1: (0.067-second reaction time, 3.909 seconds at 327.74 mph) defeats No. 10 Cruz Pedregon (0.039/7.734/ 87.81)

Round 2: (0.067/4.003 /316.01) defeats No. 2 Ron Capps (0.067/5.454/137.79)

Round 3: (0.075/3.915/329.10) defeats No. 3 Tim Wilkerson (0.083/3.914/324.59)

Round 4: (0.069/3.908/327.35) defeats No. 8 J.R. Todd (0.054/3.960/324.28)

“This may be the last time I race at Indy, and that Infinite Hero Dodge Charger team left nothing on the race track. This is what drag racing is all about. A huge thank you to Terry Chandler for starting this program, and Doug Chandler for keeping it going. We had six wonderful years, a whole lot of Wally trophies, and a whole lot of amazing fans. I also want to give a special shout-out to Judy Pittman. It’s her birthday today. She’s the Chandler family representative and is by our side at every race, and we were glad to be able to get this done on her birthday. I hope I can keep racing next year but I’m going to revel in this. Our team was awesome today.”

Matt Hagan, Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Funny Car  
(No. 5 Qualifier – 3.919 seconds at 328.54 mph)
Round 1: (0.081 second reaction, 3.942 seconds at 326.63 mph) defeats No.12 Paul Lee (0.082/4.737/169.13)

Round 2: (0.061/3.939/327.03) defeats No. 4 Bob Tasca III (0.099/3.940/328.46)

Round 3: (0.057/4.132/273.05) loss to No. 8 J.R. Todd (0.076/3.946/327.03)

“We had a really great weekend. It was a great points weekend for this Mopar Dodge SRT Hellcat team by winning that race on Saturday night. We covered a lot of ground. We brought home another trophy for DSR. A milestone trophy, win No. 350. This Hellcat race car is running great. I’m hating to leave Indy, we did so well here. We’ve got great data, it’s hard to want to leave. We’re going rounds and turning on win lights. Our team and Beckman are throwing down and battling it out, and it’s going to be a fight all the way to the end and that’s what I love. I love being a part of that. I’m really excited to try and bring it home for Mopar. Let’s keep winning races.”

Tommy Johnson Jr., MD Anderson Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car
(No. 1 Qualifier – 3.878 seconds at 326.40 mph) 
Round 1: (0.065-second reaction time, 4.011 seconds at 276.58 mph) lost to No. 16 Dale Creasy (0.062/4.009/315.64)

“That was a heartbreaking loss for this team and Riley (Hospital for Children). We’ve had such a great weekend in qualifying and a great performing car. You can’t predict parts failure and some event happened late in the run. It was on a really good run. It was going to be a nice, solid run in the first round to take the win and move on. Something happened on the top end of the track and we’re still trying to figure out what it was. It was so late in the run I was ready to reach over for the parachute levers and it breaks loose. It’s heartbreaking. The year’s not over yet. We just have to move on to the next one in Florida in three weeks. We have a solid race car. If we can get some luck to go our way, we’ll be good.”

Ron Capps, NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car
(No. 2 Qualifier – 3.881 seconds at 327.19 mph)
Round 1:  (0.085 reaction time, 3.924 seconds at 328.06 mph) to defeat No. 15 Jim Campbell (0.109/4.902/166.25)      

Round 2: (0.067/5.454/328.06) lost to No. 7 Jack Beckman (0.067/4.003/316.01)

“Another U.S. Nationals in the books and you come into race day with such confidence. Our NAPA guys did such a great job qualifying. Came off the trailer No. 1 on Friday and went down the track in all conditions. It was sunny out on Saturday and we went down again. It gives you great confidence. We made a great run first round. Our DSR teammates are so good, you don’t want to run into them until the final round. The way the ladder lined up, we had to run the Infinite Hero car and we both went up there to go low ET and that’s the way it works. Especially with the weather that came in, the track cooled off and we felt we needed to repeat what we did in qualifying. Unfortunately, the car shook and pulled the tires loose. It’s rare for this car to do that. Tobler is looking at the data now and we’ll figure out what happened and get after it at the next race in Gainesville. We have five races to run for a championship. It’s exciting. Vegas has points-and-a-half, but we want to get a run on it these next races. It sort of feels like a Countdown and we’ll fight back to the top.”

Leah Pruett, Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Top Fuel Dragster  
(No. 6 Qualifier – 3.742 seconds at 326.24 mph)   
Round 1: (0.060-second reaction time, 3.703 seconds at 325.61 mph) defeats No. 11 Terry McMillan (0.067/3.726/320.13)

Round 2: (0.092/4.312/211.89 defeats No. 14 Tony Schumacher (0.057/9.048/79.71)

Round 3: (0.053/3.743/322.34) defeats No. 2 Steve Torrance (0.093/3.724/325.14)

Round 4: (0.091/5.141/145.75) loss to No. 1 Shawn Langdon (0.015/3.705/326.32)

“This Big Go did not disappoint on the intensity meter from needing to make a good lap in Q3 just to make the show to throwing down a .70 in the first round against Terry (McMillen) to run a 3.72. Those are the conditions we love to flourish in. After the second round they moved up the session 35 minutes and in one of the most impressive moments was the preparation for the semifinal round. To see this Dodge SRT team stay cool and calm and deliver what we did in the semis makes me very proud. We fed off of that and tried to duplicate that for the final and had clutch wear issues. We leave here second in points and that is incredible. The team faced a lot of challenges today mechanically, mentally and time-wise and we are going to take this as a building block for Gainesville.”

Mark Pawuk, Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak– Factory Stock Shootout

(No. 2 Qualifier – 7.903 seconds at 174.41 mph)   

Round 1: (0.108-second reaction time, 7.965 seconds at 173.49 mph) defeated No. 23 Kim Shirley (0.423/8.795/154.90)

Round 2: (0.019/7.957/173.99) defeats No. 14 John Cerbone (0.003/8.107/169.32)

Round 3: (0.076/7.967/173.56) defeats No. 17 Richard Bierie (0.173/8.160/168.05)

Round 4: (0.063/7.966/172.96) defeats No. 9 Dave Condon (0.027/8.057/169.49)

Round 5: (0.027/ 7.979/172.83) loss to No. 1 Aaron Stanfield (0.047/7.918/172.98)

“It was a great weekend for the DSR Drak Pak Challengers. We came up just a little short in the final. It was my third Indy final and I was hoping this would be the charm, but we gave it our all. We’re definitely back on track to go rounds. Kevin (Helms) and Terry (Snyder), Kyle (Pawuk) all worked very hard. Our teammate, Leah (Pruett), also ran great. We’re looking forward to going to Gainesville and keeping the momentum going.”

Leah Pruett, Mopar Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak – Factory Stock Shootout 
(No. 6 Qualifier – 7.958 seconds at 172.08 mph)   
Round 1:  (0.067-second reaction time, 7.969 at 171.64 mph) defeated No. 19 James Jeschke Jr. (0.012/8.207/161.98)

Round 2: (0.076/8.031/170.95) loss to No. 7 Jesse Alexandra (0.040/7.988/172.70)

“It was like a Barnum & Bailey Circus. Running, not running. Changing firesuits. We thought we’d run back-to-back after Top Fuel. Our competition knows they need to play some games on the line. They know we have good Drag Paks that can run solid numbers now. We ran great this weekend and just got flat beat in the second round. It was great to see Mark (Pawuk) go to the final round. With no testing, to come to the U.S. Nationals and go rounds and qualify well and prepare for the Gatornationals is great. We need to find a little more in the tune-up and we can do that in the next few weeks.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES COOK OUT SOUTHERN 500 DARLINGTON RACEWAY TEAM CHEVY RACE NOTES & QUOTES SEPTEMBER 6, 2020
TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER2nd     Austin Dillon, No. 3 American Ethanol Camaro ZL1 1LE5th       William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Throwback Camaro ZL1 1LE6th       Alex Bowman, No. 88 ChevyGoods.com/Truck Hero Camaro ZL1 1LE8th       Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE14th     Matt Kenseth, No. 42 McDelivery Camaro ZL1 1LE          TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS:POS.  DRIVER                                                                     1st      Kevin Harvick (Ford)2nd      Austin Dillon (Chevrolet)3rd       Joey Logano (Ford)4th       Eric Jones (Toyota)5th      William Byron (Chevrolet)UNOFFICIAL CURRENT PLAYOFF RANK (Following Round 1 of 10)POS.   DRIVER (* = Chevy Contender)        1.    Kevin Harvick (Ford)2.    Denny Hamlin (Toyota)3.    Joey Logano (Ford)4.    Brad Keselowski (Ford)5.*Alex Bowman (Chevrolet)6.    Martin Truex, Jr. (Toyota)7.*Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)8.*Austin Dillon (Chevrolet)9.*William Byron (Chevrolet)10. Kyle Busch (Toyota)11.*Kurt Busch (Chevrolet)12. Aric Almirola (Ford)13. Clint Bowyer (Ford)14. Cole Custer (Ford)15. Matt DiBenedetto (Ford)16. Ryan Blaney (Ford)
The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at Richmond Raceway with the Federated Auto Parts 400 on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage will air on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES:
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 AMERICAN ETHANOL CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 2nd“Man, it would have been nice to get that win and lock ourselves into the next round, but it was a heck of a finish for our entire No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet team. I’m proud of our second-place finish, especially after dropping to the rear of the field at the start of the race and recovering from that setback. We battled. We had a really good long run car and Kevin Harvick was getting tighter and tighter. I caught him earlier in the run, but he took my low line in Turns 1 and 2 and that was where I was really good. I’m really happy that we had a great run for Junior Johnson during NASCAR Throwback Weekend. He’s one of my heroes so it was an honor to run a tribute paint scheme to him this weekend. We showed up when it mattered. A lot of people count us out, but I don’t count myself out, or this team. I feel like we’ve brought good race cars all year and have been able to progress throughout races to make good changes. Sometimes things don’t fall our way, but we got that win at Texas and it provided the momentum that we needed. We’re just going to keep doing our thing. Chevy has been awesome, along with Dow, AstraZeneca, Bass Pro Shops, RigUp and everyone else involved with RCR. I can’t thank American Ethanol enough. We’ve been running with E15 and it’s great for our engines. It’s been fun. We just have to keep plugging. Richmond Raceway is next week, and we have a good short track car for them.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM/TRUCK HERO CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 6th“Sixth place isn’t terrible, but man we had a fast Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE tonight in Darlington. We had some issues on pit road that hurt us and we had to recover from that. I really feel like we were a car capable of winning. We just got buried there, but thankfully recovered from it. Sixth place isn’t the end of the world, but you know you had a fast car when you are bummed about sixth. This car looked amazing tonight and hopefully we can go to Richmond next weekend and do the same thing. It is a good feeling to have a good start to the Playoffs.”
KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 8th^“I’m happy with our run tonight with the Monster Energy Chevy. I know it’s not a win, but we got everything out of the race that we were hoping for; except maybe the alternate strategy that we were trying with one stop in the final stage. I was hopeful for the long run. I like dancing with the Lady!”
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY THROWBACK CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 18th“That was not the result we wanted, we had a fast Ally Chevy until that last stage and it just kept getting tighter, but my guys just keep fighting. We will just focus on Richmond.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS THROWBACK CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 20thYOU WERE IN PERFECT POSITION. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE RACING WITH MARTIN TRUEX, JR.?“He (Truex) had a run on me there, off of four and he just kind of cleared himself into one. He was close, but he wasn’t all the way clear, obviously. I hate it, obviously we had a fast NAPA Camaro – fast enough to contend. We needed a little pace there to extend our lead instead of playing defense, but regardless I thought we were in a good spot. I ran the bottom in three and four to see if there was anything left down there, that’s what kind of gave him the run and then he just slid up in to my left front, I felt like and on we went.”
TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CAT POWER CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 23rd“I’ve gotten to run a lot of cool races, but the Southern 500 has always been towards the top of the list for me, so it was really special to be able to make my first start in it tonight. I love NASCAR’s Throwback weekend, and our No. 8 Cat Power Chevrolet honoring Jeff Burton’s No. 8 scheme that he accepted Rookie of the Year honors with looked great out there. We fired off really fast tonight and was just a touch loose. My team made some good adjustments early in the run to tighten me up, but then the rear security of our Camaro became really unstable, which made it tough to manage the handling through the turns on both sides of the track. During the start of Stage 3, the field got really stacked up on the restart and I received some damage to the nose of our car, right above the grill. That affected the handling a lot for the rest of the night; and kept the temps up high too. We kept digging though, made repairs when we could and tried to get every spot possible out there. It just wasn’t our night tonight, but we’ll keep after it. There are still nine more races for us to go out and challenge for a win.”
BUBBA WALLACE, JR., NO. 43 CASH APP CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 38th“Coming into tonight, there was a lot of optimism. We were looking forward to running the Southern 500 in our Cash App Chevy. It just didn’t work out for us. We had some back luck on our side. I don’t really know what the main issue was that ultimately led us to not finish the race. But we started out decent. Our guys made some good adjustments on the car and then got it better, and I was really happy with it. After we had our mishap and went to the garage we came back out and I thought our car was really good. We just had to survive until it went to night time and I thought we could have put a decent race together by that time, but it didn’t work out. So, we’ll go on to Richmond and try to claw back what we lost tonight.”

Austin Dillon and the American Ethanol Chevrolet Team Battle To Strong, Second-Place Finish at Darlington Raceway 2020 NASCAR Playoffs Run Off To A Solid Start

2nd   12th  8th

“Man, it would have been nice to get that win and lock ourselves into the next round of the NASCAR Playoffs, but it was a heck of a finish for our No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet team. I’m proud of our second-place finish, especially after dropping to the rear of the field at the start of the race and having to recover from that setback. We battled really hard all night for every single spot we could get. We had a really good long run car and towards the end of the race I knew Kevin Harvick was getting tighter each lap. I caught him earlier in the closing run, but he took my low line in Turns 1 and 2, which was where I was running the best, and stopped the momentum that I had going. I gave it everything I had though, and I’m really happy that we had a great run for Junior Johnson during NASCAR Throwback Weekend. He’s one of my heroes, so it was an honor to run a tribute paint scheme for him this weekend. We showed up when it mattered tonight. A lot of people count us out of the Playoffs, but I don’t count myself or this team out of anything. I feel like we’ve brought good race cars all year and have been able to progress throughout these races to make good changes. Sometimes things don’t fall our way, but we continually take chances and that led to the win at Texas. We’re just going to keep doing our thing. Team Chevy has been awesome this year, along with our partners at Dow, AstraZeneca, Bass Pro Shops, RigUp and everyone else involved with RCR and ECR. I can’t thank American Ethanol enough for their support either. We’ve been running with E15 for a while, and it’s great for our engines. This year has been fun. We just have to keep plugging. Richmond Raceway is next week, and we have a good short track car ready for them.” -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick Battles Through Mid-Race Contact with Cat Power Chevrolet in First Southern 500 Start

23rd   24th   19th

“I’ve gotten to run a lot of cool races, but the Southern 500 has always been towards the top of the list for me, so it was really special to be able to make my first start in it tonight. I love NASCAR’s Throwback weekend, and our No. 8 Cat Power Chevrolet honoring Jeff Burton’s No. 8 scheme that he accepted Rookie of the Year honors with looked great out there. We fired off really fast tonight, but our handling was just a touch loose. My team made some good adjustments early in the run to tighten me up, but then the rear security of our Camaro became really unstable, which made it tough to manage the handling through the turns on both sides of the track. During the start of Stage 3, the field got stacked up on the restart and I received some damage to the nose of our car, right above the grille. That affected the handling a lot for the rest of the night and kept the temps up high, too. We kept digging though, made repairs when we could and tried to get every spot possible out there. It just wasn’t our night tonight, but we’ll keep after it. There are still nine more races for us to go out and challenge for a win.”-Tyler Reddick

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION DENSO U.S. NATIONALS LUCAS OIL RACEWAY AT INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2020

Erica Enders Grabs Second U.S. Nationals Title Greg Anderson posts 105^th career pole

INDIANAPOLIS – Three-time NHRA Pro Stock World Champion Erica Enders did not come Indianapolis to run the Denso U.S.Nationals and lose. She came to win. The driver of the bright red Elite Motorsports Melling Performance Chevrolet Camaro SS,   made one of the most impressive runs in her Pro Stock career to capture her second U.S. Nationals Wally.
Lining up against Matt Hartford in the final, Enders did what she does best; leave the starting line with a nearly-perfect .009 reaction time and her Chevy Camaro SS did the rest with a 6.606 through the traps. Enders remains one of just 25 drivers that have won the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Pro Stock.
“This is really sweet,” said an elated Enders.”This means the world to me. You never know when you are at your last Indy. A lot of people have made this possible. First and foremost my Dad. The Good Lord above. Elite Motorsports and Richard Freeman as well as Melling Performance with Mark and the Melling Brothers. They want to renew with us and I am so excited. But this Chevy Camaro is mean. Rick Jones, Mark Engersol and Ricky Jones – I have the three badest crew chiefs on the property. And the best team in the world. This is amazing.” 
Enders trip to U.S. Nationals winner’s circle came through defeating Kenny Delco, Deric Kramer and rookie Mason McGaha to reach her 53rd final round. She is now third in the standings. 
Jeg Coughlin, Jr., current points leader in Pro Stock, had a very uncharacteristic red light in round one. Coughlin maintained his points lead.
Pole Sitter and multi-time Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson made it to quarter finals before he went down to his teammate Jason Line. Line was bested by Hartford in the Semi-Final round. Line is second in points while Anderson sits in fourth. 
Last year’s winner Alex McLaughlin got taken down by Bo Butner in Round One. Butner got put in the trailer in the quarter finals by Hartford.
Aaron Stanfield brought home the Wally in the Factory Stock Showdown piloting his COPO Camaro. 
Next on the NHRA schedule will be the famed Gatornationals, September 25-27 in Gainesville, Florida
DRIVER QUOTES:JASON LINE, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CAMARO SS : “My Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro is fantastic. We had a little glitch here, and that hurt us for sure. We did finally figure it out, but not until second round. The good news is the silver Summit Racing chevy is back to healthy again.” GREG ANDERSON, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CAMARO SS: “We just didn’t execute well today and that meant we didn’t win the race. We had the horses with our Summit Racing Chevy Camaros, but we just didn’t keep them under us. I lost by a thousandth in the second round, but it might as well have been a mile. We’ve made a lot of strides lately with our engine program and our cars, and they’re fast – but you have to be perfect.”  BO BUTNER, STRUTMASTERS/JIM BUTNER AUTO GROUP CAMARO SS: “I’m excited – we have a good car with my Strutmasters/Jim Butner Auto Group Chevy Camaro, and that means a lot. I would have liked to have done better today and this weekend overall, especially here. But you can’t really go back, you can only move forward. So we’ll do that. I see better days for us in the future.” 

Mat Pombo and Mike LaMarra score third place finish in VP Fuels Stay Frosty 240
Taylor Hagler and Ryan Eversley run fourth in best LA Honda World result of 2020

BRASELTON, GA (September 6, 2020) – It was a pair of top-four finishes for the LA Honda World in the 2020 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge VP Fuels Stay Frosty 240 on Sunday at Michelin Raceway Road Atanta, with the #73 Honda Civic Type R TCR of Mike LaMarra and Mat Pombo finishing third and the #77 of Ryan Eversley and Taylor Hagler taking the checkers in fourth.

The four-hour event evolved into a race of attrition, with many competitors struggling with reliability, penalties and on-track incidents. However, for the LA Honda World team, the enduro proceeded with minimal issues and the team was rewarded with their first podium finish of the season thanks to LaMarra and Pombo.

Starting eighth on the grid in the hands of LaMarra, the #73 ran an incident-free race, swapping positions with the #5, #21 and #23 cars throughout the first half of the event. Using less fuel than his competitors, LaMarra was able to leverage the strategy to move to the front of the field, spending most of the first two hours in the top five and leading at halfway before handing over to Pombo.

Georgia-native Pombo took over the #73 with one hour and 58 minutes remaining. Resuming fifth after his pit stop, Pombo worked his way through the field to second. Pitting under a yellow with 61 minutes remaining, Pombo would have to stretch the Honda Civic Type R TCR’s fuel mileage in order to stay in the podium fight. After four hours of hard-fought racing, he crossed the line in third position for the #73 team.

Pombo and LaMarra’s teammates, the #77 Honda Civic Type R TCR of Eversley and Hagler started the race in the ninth position. Hagler made moves during the early part of the race, climbing to fifth in the opening laps before settling back into eighth during the first of three caution flags during the race.

In her second stint, Hagler also managed to stay out longer than the competition, and got the #77 up to second place behind teammate LaMarra before pitting and changing over to another Georgia-native, Eversley, who resumed the race in sixth place.

Despite a quick, unscheduled pit stop with just over 90 minutes to go, Eversley maintained track position, exiting the pits in fourth place. Much like his teammates, Eversley also had to save fuel in the final stint to complete the final 61 minutes of the race and finishing fourth.

HPD has three ready-to-race Civic models for touring car competition. The line starts with the affordable and reliable Civic Si TCA race car, then leads to the Civic Type R TC racer that puts legendary Type R performance on track, and culminates with the no-compromise, championship-winning Civic Type R TCR race car. Our unparalleled trackside support at every level from HPD engineers is a unique benefit that no other manufacturer can offer. Find out more about these cars and our touring programs at: https://hpd.honda.com/Motorsports/Touring

Honda Racing social media content and videos from Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta are available on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD) and on Twitter at (https://twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD).  Produced by CoForce Digital Media, YouTube video packages can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV.  

Next
The MICHELIN Pilot Challenge travels to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course September 25-27 for two races during Acura Sports Car Challenge At Mid-Ohio weekend. The race can be streamed live on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold.

Quotes
Mike LaMarra (#73 LA Honda World Honda Civic Type R TCR) finished third: The racing was kinda tight at the beginning. I was trying to bide my time, but the LAP Honda World Civic was handling great, I really enjoy driving this Type R TCR, it’s really fantastic. We were able to battle early, so that was good, and maintained our position. Our fuel mileage was great, and enabled us to pit from first place at the end of each stint. That set us up for a great pit stop and driver change. Mat [Pombo] had a great drive, and the team did a great job. I think we did the best we could today.”

Mat Pombo (#73 LA Honda World Honda Civic Type R TCR), finished third: “Honestly, we had a good strategy. Mike [LaMarra] drove a great first stint, keeping the car in the top five for most of his run, then pitting from the lead. We had to fuel save at the end, but we got the final step on the podium, and I’ll take it. Thanks to HPD, Honda, LA Honda World and LAP Motorsports, I can’t thank these guys enough. Gotta thank everyone in Atlanta, too. This is my home town, and my home track and I’m always happy to be on the podium here.”

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (September 6, 2020) — Entering the 66^th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis Terry McMillen and the AMALIEⓇ Motor Oil Top Fuel team had a number of goals most importantly picking up their second win at the historic event. In addition to victory the team was looking to continue gathering data and runs on a brand new chassis as well as making a switch in their clutch package. The three rounds of qualifying for the event including a Friday night session gave the team the opportunity to run in optimal conditions.

“We had a number of things we want to accomplish this weekend at the U.S. Nationals,” said McMillen. “We wanted to get another U.S. Nationals win in the AMALIEⓇ Motor Oil XTERMIGATORⓇ Top Fuel dragster of course but we also wanted to continue to show the rest of the class that we are one of the top teams. Even though we didn’t get our top goal we accomplished all our other goals.”

On Friday night after a lengthy delay McMillen and his Rob Wendland tuned AMALIEⓇ Motor Oil XTERMIGATORⓇ Top Fuel dragster made a 3.799 second run at 323.27 mph which was quick enough to place the team 10^th on the qualifying sheet. It was the first run in the cooler night conditions since the team brought out the new chassis.

“We knew we would have really good conditions on Friday night,” said Wendland. “We had a killer tune up in this Amalie Motor Oil Top Fuel dragster but we got delayed almost two hours and the conditions changed dramatically. We were able to make a few changes but I know there is more in this tune up. We got some good data and I know we can run in those conditions if we need to again.”

During Saturday’s two qualifying sessions McMillen’s team got information from both runs in spite of one run being less that successful. The opening run of the day was a tire smoking 4.267 second run which was followed by a much improved 3.773 second run at 317.87 mph which left the team as the No. 11 qualifier.

“We learned a lot from the first run on Saturday and put it to good use on the final run,” said McMillen. “Rob was excited to see how the car reacted and we felt good going into race day. We got a good handle on the new clutches and we knew we were headed in the right direction. The one thing was we were a little behind the eight ball and know we would have a tough first round.”

In the opening round today McMillen squared off against Leah Pruett the No. 6 qualifier. It was a battle of two Top Fuel championship contenders. In an epic race McMillen made another dramatic performance leap running 3.726 seconds at 320.13 mph which was the fourth quickest run of the event. Unfortunately, Pruett was beside him making the quickest run of the event, a blistering 3.703 seconds at 325.61 mph pass. The team took the best of the situation and will head to the next race, the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, September 26-27.

Qualifying Results
Q1: 3.799 sec, 323.27 mph; Qual. 10
Q2: 4.267 sec, 195.36 mph; Qual. 11
Q3: 3.773 sec, 317.87 mph; Qual. 11
Bonus Points: 0

Race Results

E1: Leah Pruett, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., Mopar dragster 3.703, 325.61 mph def. Terry McMillen, Elkhart, Ind., AMALIEⓇ Motor Oil XTERMIGATORⓇ Top Fuel dragster, 3.726, 320.13 mph

Terry McMillen Racing based in Elkhart, Ind., is a Top Fuel drag racing team competing in the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. The team was founded in 2007 and has shown remarkable determination and dedication. McMillen won the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals in 2018 and has qualified for the NHRA Countdown, the end of season playoffs, in 2017 and 2018. Throughout his career with longtime sponsor AMALIE® Motor Oil McMillen has raced to eight final rounds including a career best five finals in 2018.

·       Matt Hagan defeats Jack Beckman in all-Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat battle in the rescheduled Summernationals Funny Car final in Q3 session of 66th annual National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway near Indianapolis

·       Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) reaches a milestone 350th NHRA national event victories with Hagan’s second win of the season

·       Tommy Johnson Jr. earns No. 1 qualifier position for Sunday’s NHRA U.S. Nationals elimination rounds

·       Leah Pruett qualifies sixth in both Top Fuel and Factory Stock Showdown with a chance to earn two Wally trophies at world’s most famous drag racing event

·       Factory Stock Shootout eliminations have begun with No.2 qualifier Mark Pawuk and sixth-seeded Pruett advancing to the next round

September 5, 2020, Brownsburg, Ind. – While Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Funny Car drivers Matt Hagan and Jack Beckman waited more than a month to run the All-Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat final elimination round, rained out at the Summernationals on July 19, it was nonetheless an important race on multiple fronts. Run as their third and final qualifying pass for the 66th annual National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, Hagan drove straight down the left lane of Lucas Oil Raceway with a 3.919-second elapsed time run at 328.54-mph to defeat his DSR teammate Jack Beckman’s 3.940-second run and take his team into the history books.

The win marked a milestone 350th national event victory for the NHRA’s winningest team, coming 50 years after team owner Don Schumacher won the first of his five national titles as a driver in his Funny Car debut at the 1970 NHRA U.S. Nationals.

“It’s hard for me to even comprehend the team having that many wins,” said Schumacher of the milestone victory that further cements DSR’s drag racing dynasty and positions them as one of the motorsports industry’s most elite teams. “I’m just amazed at the accomplishments that my teams and team members have made over the last 22 years.”

“What a huge milestone, what a legacy Don Schumacher has created here,” said Hagan of the team’s collective achievement which also resulted in his 35th career win with the team. “I lost my brother a couple of years back, and I switched helmets for this race. I know he’s riding with me, but God bless it. I tell you, I’ve probably been as nervous as running for a championship just because you want to get it done.”

Hagan’s second win of the season moves him up to second place in the Funny Car Championship standings behind his DSR teammate Tommy Johnson Jr. with just five national events left on the reworked 2020 NHRA schedule. The win marks the eighth consecutive Funny Car victory for DSR, dating back to October 2019 at Dallas.

It came as part of his qualifying effort at the iconic Labor Day weekend staple affectionately known as “the Big Go”. The result put Hagan’s Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye fifth on the eliminations ladder for Sunday’s first round where he will be paired with Paul Lee. It also provides the DSR pilot with the rare opportunity to come away from the weekend with two national event trophies. 

“This Mopar Hellcat has been running extremely well,” said Hagan who won the 2016 edition of the prestigious race. “(Crew chief) Dickie Venables has been putting a great race car underneath me. It’s just running hard and I’ve been trying to do my job on the starting line. To get 350 wins for DSR; it’s a big part of my career, a big part of Don Schumacher’s career. To have a Wally already on Saturday night at the U.S. Nationals, the Big Go, it can only get better from here.”

Also hoping to compete for the win is current Funny Car points leader, Tommy Johnson Jr., who secured the No. 1 qualifier position with his Riley Kids Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat running a 3.878-second E.T. at 326.40 mph. For his qualifying efforts, he received a total of six valuable bonus points to add to his tally. His final drive was an improvement on two previous qualifying passes and pairs him up with Dale Creasy Jr. for the first round of eliminations action at the world’s most famous drag race.

“We missed it by just a little bit on Friday night,” said Johnson who earned his 21st career No. 1 qualifier position, his third in the last four events this season, and hopes to vie for his first U.S. Nationals title. “We knew it was going to run a good lap and our car has the performance. I was glad to see a bit of a delay. The sun went behind the grandstands and the guys made a huge change in the clutch and I knew they were going for it. It was evident a few hundred feet into the run that it was on a good one. I knew by how hard it was pushing me back in the seat. The performance is solid. We have three No. 1s and a No. 2 at the four races here at Indy. Now it’s time to turn those into a win.”

Fresh off his HEMI-powered win at the previous Dodge NHRA Indy Nationals event, Ron Capps came out firing on all cylinders in Friday night qualifying to take the provisional No.1 spot. Capps tried to regain the top spot from Johnson, but ended up No. 2 with a 3.881 sec./327.19 mph effort to earn a total of five bonus points and an appointment with 15th seed Jim Campbell for the first round.

Seventh-seed Beckman will see Cruz Pedregon in the lane beside him for the first round as he tries to work his way to a second win this season and a second U.S. Nationals title to add to his 2015 victory. Third in points, the Infinite Hero Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat driver hopes to further close the points gap in the battle for the NHRA Championship. 

In Top Fuel action, after two difficult attempts Leah Pruett rocketed her DSR Mopar Dodge SRT Hellcat Redeye Top Fuel Dragster to the third quickest pass of the final session with a 3.742 sec/ 326.24 mph run to earn one bonus point and put her previously non-qualified machine in the show. She will line up next to Terry McMillen on Sunday in her quest to advance to her first final round appearance to battle for the coveted U.S. Nationals Wally Trophy.

Pruett, who is pulling double duty by running in both Top Fuel and Factory Stock Showdown (FSS) categories this weekend, will also have the chance to double-up on trophy hardware by battling through a 32-car field of qualified factory- built vehicles.

Pruett qualified sixth for eliminations contested on Saturday evening while her teammate, Mark Pawuk, put his Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak in the No. 2 spot on the ladder.

In the first round, Pawuk defeated Kim Shirley handily with 0.108 reaction time and 7.965 sec. pass at 173.49 mph. Meanwhile, from her sixth place spot on the ladder, Pruett ran down her opponent, James Jeshke Jr. with a (0.067 reaction time) 7.969 sec/171.64 mph run to beat his (0.012 reaction time) 8.207/161.98 drive. FSS elimination rounds will continue on Sunday

The DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA U.S. Nationals will be broadcast on Sunday, September 6 on FS1 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (EDT), then moves to the FOX national network from 1-4 p.m. (EDT), which will include LIVE final round action.

NOTES and QUOTES: 

Jack Beckman, Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car

(No. 7 Qualifier – 3.940 seconds at 325.53 mph)

Qualifying 1:  4.858 sec./ 159.32 mph 

Qualifying 2:  3.991 sec./ 318.92 mph (1 bonus point for third quickest run of session)

Qualifying 3:  3.940 sec./ 325.53 mph

“We obviously struggled for the last race and first lap here. We had our backs to the wall on the second qualifying run. We had to make a good run to get into the U.S. Nationals field and we desperately need tune-up data with this new clutch package. I thought our second run was fantastic. We made a great lap. We got a bonus point and we got good data. That helped us drag it up there for the final. I think if you give us a few more laps on this new clutch pack we’ll be right back at the front. I’ll take the four tomorrow, our more dial-in runs. We have a good hot rod again. It’s starting to do what we tell it again. I like our chances for tomorrow.”

Matt Hagan, Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Funny Car  
(No. 5 Qualifier – 3.919 seconds at 328.54 mph)
Qualifying 1: 3.977 sec./ 321.96  mph

Qualifying 2: 4.291 sec./ 226.35 mph

Qualifying 3: 3.919 sec./ 328.54 mph

“It’s amazing. What a huge milestone, what a legacy Don Schumacher has created here. I lost my brother a couple of years back, and I switched helmets for that race. I know he’s riding with me, but God bless it. I tell you, I’ve probably been as nervous as running for a championship just because you want to get it done,” said Hagan regarding his Summernationals victory that was achieved at the very facility where his boss prevailed to claim his first Funny Car crown 51 years prior.

“This Mopar Hellcat has been running extremely well. (Crew chief) Dickie Venables has been putting a great race car underneath me. It’s just running hard and I’ve been trying to do my job on the starting line. To get 350 wins for DSR; it’s a big part of my career, a big part of Don Schumacher’s career. To have a Wally already on Saturday night at the US Nationals, the Big Go, it can only get better from here.”

Tommy Johnson Jr., MD Anderson Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car
(No. 1 Qualifier – 3.878 seconds at 326.40 mph) 
Qualifying 1: 5.198 sec./ 138.00 mph 

Qualifying 2: 3.979 sec./ 317.19 mph (3-points for quickest of session)

Qualifying 3: 3.878 sec./ 326.40 mph (3-points for quickest of session)

“We missed it by just a little bit on Friday night. We knew it was going to run a good lap and our car has the performance. I was glad to see a bit of a delay. The sun went behind the grandstands and the guys made a huge change in the clutch and I knew they were going for it. It was evident a few hundred feet into the run that it was on a good one. I knew by how hard it was pushing me back in the seat. The performance is solid. We have three No. 1’s and a No. 2 at the four races here at Indy. Now it’s time to turn those into a win.”

Ron Capps, NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car
(No. 2 Qualifier – 3.881 seconds at 327.19 mph)
Qualifying 1: 3.895 sec./330.63 mph (3 bonus point for quickest run of session)

Qualifying 2: 4.005 sec./319.82 mph

Qualifying 3: 3.881 sec./ 327.19 mph (2 bonus points for second quickest run of session)

“Hearing (crew chief) Rahn Tobler talk about how prepared he was for Q1 and how excited he was to try what he had been working on and it showed on the track with that great 3.89. We knew there was another night session if there was a small delay and the sun went down like it did. We don’t count out our teammates. We have the only two five-disc clutch cars. We’ll settle for second, but we’ve gone down all the runs. We have great data. It’s the U.S. Nationals. The pressure is heightened. The guys have done a great job. Let’s see if we can put it all together like we did last time here.”

Leah Pruett, Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Top Fuel Dragster  
(No. 6 Qualifier –  3.742 seconds at 326.24 mph)   
Qualifying 1: 4.427 sec./ 172.12 mph

Qualifying 2: 4.479 sec./ 175.78 mph

Qualifying 3: 3.742 sec./ 326.24 mph (1 bonus point for 3^rd quickest of session)

“Qualifying for this Dodge Hellcat Redeye dragster were definitely in the ‘Big Go’ fashion and what I mean by that is that the challenges we faced in qualifying and overcame. I never lost belief in this team. We smoked the tires in Q1 when we were getting after it. We thought we’d throw down a safe number to get qualified in Q2 and we ended up smoking the tires. We ended up not acquiring any data on that lap. So we go into the final qualifying session at the US Nationals and we’re not qualified in the show. For this team to make blind calls of data and feel is what brought us to that 3.742 and that put is sixth. You gotta be in it to win it and I’m extremely stoked on that pass. The parts and car look great and clean. We’re going to have really good conditions in the morning with a 10 am start very comparable to the Q3 lap and we’re in a great spot to have a great day on Sunday.”

Mark Pawuk, Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak– Factory Stock Shootout

(No. 2 Qualifier –  7.903 seconds at 174.41 mph)   

Round 1: 7.965 E.T. at 173.49 MPH defeated Kim Shirley 8.795 E.T. at 154.90 MPH

“We really made a good run this morning which got both Leah (Pruett) and myself into the top half of the field, and got our Dodge Drag Paks back on track. It’s great to see our DSR Dodges qualify so well and get a round win under our belts. We’re both excited that we get to race tomorrow, and hopefully go some more rounds. I would love nothing more than to get one of these DSR Dodges in the winner’s circle tomorrow.

“NHRA has done a great job with safety, and being able to race here for the fourth time in here in Indy. It’s great to see more fans this weekend, and we look forward to keeping this momentum going, and continuing with the safety protocols that NHRA has in place so we can finish our season out.”

Leah Pruett, Mopar Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak – Factory Stock Shootout 
(No. 6 Qualifier –  7.958 seconds at 172.08 mph)   
Round 1:  (0.067 sec) 7.969 at 171.64 mph defeated James Jeschke Jr. 8.207 at 161.98 mph        

“We ran a great Q2 lap this morning and that pass was something we’ve been searching for and it’s a testament to fresh motors and blowers. We’re getting back to the high performance and how we know how to run. We got a first-round win with both cars and we’re going to sleep on today and get ready to go rounds tomorrow. We know they won’t sleep on us the way these Drag Pak’s are performing.”

PORTSMOUTH, OH (September 5, 2020) – On the day he celebrated his 20th birthday, Hudson O’Neal drove to victory on Saturday Night at Portsmouth Raceway Park. He overtook Jimmy Owens on Lap 37 on his way to taking the win in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series sanctioned Bob Miller Memorial River Days Rumble – presented by Pepsi. After grabbing the lead, O’Neal withstood a caution with one lap to go to become the 18th different winner this season, and he notched his first win of 2020. Owens finished in second followed by Tanner English, Jared Hawkins, and Shane Clanton. Jonathan Davenport and Owens started on the front row with Owens taking the lead on the opening lap.  Owens and Davenport ran 1-2 for the first ten laps until Devin Moran moved into the second spot and started challenging Owens for the race lead. Moran was pressuring Owens for the lead when he suffered a left rear flat tire with 32 laps scored. On the restart Tim McCreadie moved into second, but a few laps later he would lose a left rear wheel heading down the backstretch. O’Neal became the new second-place runner and on the 37th lap he made his move for the lead. In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the seventh time in his career, the former series Rookie-of-the-Year was relieved and excited to get the first win for his new team that started just last month. “We were fortunate enough to win at Eldora last year on my birthday. I knew I had a good race car coming into tonight. I can’t thank Craig and Shannon Sims, my girlfriend Tessa, and Dustin Nobbe enough for their help. This has been a long seven or eight months. I didn’t think I was ever going to do it again. That one late restart helped me. I was able to capitalize. I don’t think I had the best race car, but I just think I found a line that worked for me.” Owens was seeking his 11th series win of the season but was happy with his runner-up finish in the end. “The cautions were good for us for a while. The top side was getting higher and higher. There was a lot of thrashing the cushion up there tonight. There were people knocking quarter-panels off, I was waiting for one of mine to get knocked off. Hudson just had a good car tonight, congratulations and happy birthday to him.” English, the top point man in the Eibach Rookie-of-the-Year chase had his first podium finish of the season. “He [O’Neal] got up to the top pretty quickly. I was racing with him side-by-side and the next thing I knew he was out in front.  He had a good car. Congratulations to him. It’s been a long year for him so it’s good see him get a win. It’s been a long year for us as well, we have been up-and-down and all around and we finally got a good result tonight.” The winner’s PCC Motorsports Rocket Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Professional Concrete, Cutting and Drilling, Tarpy Trucking, O’Neal’s Salvage, Bob and Tammy Burton, WR! Sim Chassis, Roth Heating and Cooling, and Slicker Graphics. Completing the top ten were Kyle Bronson, Jonathan Davenport, Josh Richards, Kody Evans, and Tyler Bruening.

·        No. 1 qualifier Stephen Yantus crowned as first new winner of Dodge HEMI^® Challenge in five years at 2020 NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis 

·        15 Super Stock 1968 Dodge Darts and Plymouth Barracudas battled head-to-head for an iconic custom-made Dodge HEMI Challenge trophy and $15,000 winner’s prize 

·        Previous four-time winner Jimmy Daniel sees his consecutive round win-streak end in the first round of eliminations

·        Legendary Mopar racer Herb “Mr. 4 Speed” McCandless led the parade of participating HEMI-powered muscle cars as guest of honor aboard his original 1968 Super Stock HEMI Dart

Friday, September 4, 2020, Brownsburg, Ind. –The 2020 edition of the Dodge HEMI^® Challenge has crowned a new king at the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. The ever-popular dedicated Super Stock/A-HEMI (SS/AH) annual competition featuring 1968-model Dodge Dart and Plymouth Barracuda factory stock race cars, saw No.1 qualifier Stephen Yantus battle to become the first new winner in five years.

Yantus, who earned the No. 1 qualifier position aboard his ‘68 HEMI-powered Plymouth Barracuda with an 8.477 second, 158.50 mph pass, put together a string of quick and consistent elapsed time laps at 8.412, 8.452 and 8.413 seconds through eliminations with a solo run and wins over Russ Campbell and past winner Bucky Hess (2001). He advanced to his first Dodge HEMI Challenge final round showdown to face Steve Comella who had qualified 15^th but made his way to his first final as well with wins over Jim Pancake, Gary Wolkwitz, and Steve Kent.

In the all-Cuda final round, Yantus beat Comella off the start with a 0.030 to 0.062-second reaction time and led the way to his quickest run of the weekend; an 8.410 second pass at 158.28 mph. With the win, Yantus earned his first coveted 42.6 lbs. Dodge HEMI Challenge trophy uniquely-crafted with a 426 HEMI cylinder head along with a $15,000 award. 

“We kept on plugging away, kept on chugging, and my whole team, my owner of the car, (engine builder and past winner) Charlie Westcott and Militia Racing Products built me the baddest bullet on the face of the planet,” said an emotional Yantus of the collaborative effort it took to get to the winner’s circle. “I mean that thing went 40s all day and we were the only car in the 40s. I owe everything to my whole crew and all of them. I was at driver and I got the call with this bad car. I’m just grateful just the we got down through here. You know, we’re all drag racers and they say sometimes you got to get lucky rather than be good. I got a lot of luck but the car hung itself out every time and we never slacked off. We had it on kill all day. It went .049 (seconds), 45, and back-to-back 41s. I can’t thank (engine builder) Charlie Westcott enough for what he does for us and this crew. It’s just a dream come true. We’ve been chasing this for a long time along with our families. It’s really emotional and I just I can’t thank everybody enough for making this happen.”

The victory by Yantus ended the four-year reign of Jimmy Daniel who had qualified No.2 in his 1968 Dodge Dart amongst the 15-car field of contenders. Daniel suffered his first-ever defeat since taking the wheel from his father Jim Daniel Sr. in 2016 against Jim Teuton in the first round of eliminations with an 8.60 sec. to 8.58 loss.

Prior to the final round, guest of honor and legendary Mopar racer, Herb “Mr. 4 Speed” McCandless, led the parade of Darts and Barracudas that participated in this year’s Dodge HEMI Challenge down Indy’s fabled return road aboard his own original 1968 Super Stock HEMI Dart in celebration of the classic muscle cars that contributed to Mopar and Dodge brands’ legendary reputation and success at the drag strip.

Highlights of the final elimination round of the Dodge HEMI Challenge, as well as the parade of participating Darts and ‘Cudas, will be shown during coverage of 66th annual NHRA U.S. Nationals on Sunday, September 6 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (EDT) on FS1 and then on the FOX national broadcast network from 1-4 p.m. (EDT). 

Acura Sweeps Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
First double win for Acura in IMSA competition with victories in DPi and GTD
Helio Castroneves, Ricky Taylor score second consecutive overall win of 2020
Mario Farnbacher, Matt McMurry and Shinya Michimi claim GTD honors

BRASELTON, Ga. (Sept. 5, 2020) – Acura swept the six-hour TireRack.com Grand Prix at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta today, as Helio Castroneves and Ricky Taylor piloted their Acura ARX-05 prototype to the overall honors, while the trio of Mario Farnbacher, Ricky Taylor and Shinya Michimi took their Acura NSX GT3 Evo to the win in the GTD class.

The win is the first overall “weekend sweep” for Acura in two and a half seasons of multi-class competition for the manufacturer in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship; and provisionally vaults Acura, Meyer Shank Racing and the full-season driver lineup of Farnbacher and McMurry to the top of the GTD points championships.

Acura Team Penske
Fighting back from an early-race penalty for a pair of pit lane violations during the first round of pit stops, Castroneves and Taylor recovered from a one-lap deficit to the field at the one-hour mark to regain the lead lap by the end of the second hour. The pair joined the battle for the race victory in their #7 Acura Team Penske ARX-05 in the final two hours. With just over an hour remaining, Taylor used lapped traffic to pass his teammate Dane Cameron in the #6 Acura and eventually build a 14-second lead over the field.

The #6 ARX-05 of Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya had an equally fraught race, with contact at the race start resulting in a spin for Cameron. Quickly recovering, Cameron was up to second place just 30 minutes into the contest. The pair remained in the hunt for the victory until the final minutes of the race, when contact with a GTD-class Ferrari that was returning to the circuit after sliding off course resulted in heavy damage to the #6 Acura, ending their day.

The crash resulted in a full-course caution and erased a seven-second lead for Castroneves. But he held on for the final two laps of green-flag racing as he and Taylor combined for the second consecutive win of 2020, following their victory last month at Road America.

Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo
In the always competitive GTD division for production-based cars, Farnbacher, McMurry and endurance-race addition Michimi prevailed in a typical multi-manufacturer battle for the class victory, with a strong double-stint to the finish by defending champion Farnbacher sealing the victory for the trio’s Acura NSX GT3 Evo, which also marked the first victory of 2020 for the 22-year-old McMurry in his 150th IMSA race start.

Combined with a trio of podium finishes earlier this season, Acura now leads the GTD Manufacturers’ Championship by eight points after six races in 2020. Farnbacher and McMurry lead the drivers’ title chase by 12 points, and Meyer Shank Racing also has a 12-point lead in the teams’ championship.

The #57 Heinricher Racing with MSR Acura of Alvaro Parente, Misha Goikhberg and Trent Hindman encountered early difficulties after a pair of off-course excursions in the opening hour. An additional spin in the second hour resulted in damage to the front bodywork of the #57 Acura, but the trio persevered to a sixth-place finish.

Next
The 2020 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next heads to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in three weeks-time, for the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio, on September 26-27.

Acura Motorsports social media content and video links from this weekend’s IMSA TireRack.com Grand Prix at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta are available on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD).  Produced by the CoForce Digital Media, the YouTube videos can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV.  

Quotes
Ted Klaus (President, Honda Performance Development) on today’s double victory for Acura: “This is a great day for Acura and HPD, and for all the hardworking associates on our IMSA programs, our excellent drivers and partner teams. This is also a great reward for [Acura Brand Officer] Jon Ikeda, who has spearheaded the return of Acura to IMSA competition as we prove the brand is the home of Precision Crafted Performance. Congratulations to everyone at Acura Team Penske and Meyer Shank Racing, and let’s keep it up as we head to our ‘home’ race at Mid-Ohio later this month.”

Ricky Taylor (#7 Acura Team Penske ARX-05) race winner, 2nd consecutive victory of 2020: “We’ve been fighting back all year, today was just a synopsis of our season. Coming from a lap down and a complete nightmare of a start of the race, but we’ve all made mistakes, and Helio’s recovery was brilliant. When he’s angry, look out! He fought back so hard. We got back to the front, and he made it look easy at the end. Acura, HPD and Team Penske, it’s an awesome combination.”

Helio Castroneves (#7 Acura Team Penske ARX-05) race winner, 2nd consecutive victory of 2020: “I made a mistake at the beginning, unfortunately. I like to think I drive like a 20-year-old, but sometimes I make the mistakes of a 20-year-old, too! Thankfully, [team president] Tim Cindric is always cool, and made all the right calls to get us back in the race, and we got the yellow [caution flag] that worked in our favor. Finally, we got in the lead thanks to this guy [Taylor]. It was just a great job from everyone: Acura, HPD and Team Penske. Two in a row, baby, let’s go for more.”

Mario Farnbacher (#86 Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo) GTD winner, first win of 2020, leads the GTD drivers’ championship after six races: “This win is such a relief for us, it’s something that we’ve come so close to getting but just couldn’t quite get there. The crew really worked their asses off during the pit stops today. We were really unlucky during the [season opening] Rolex 24, and we have progressively been working really hard to keep collecting points for the championship. Now, to finally get the victory it’s such a good feeling. There’s so many people working behind the scenes, HPD, Acura, MSR, that have all helped us to get here.”

Matt McMurry (#86 Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo) GTD winner, first win of 2020, leads the GTD drivers’ championship after six races, made his 150th race start in IMSA competition today: “Today the MSR guys just did everything right and the crew did so awesome – all of our pit stops were super-fast. Shinya [Michimi] started the race off really strong and put me in a good position for when I had to get in the car, and Mario finished perfectly. To get a win on my 150th race start is a pretty good feeling too. A big thank you to everyone at MSR, HPD and Acura for giving us a great car today.”

Mike Shank (team owner, Meyer Shank Racing): “This was a big win for us in many ways. We’ve come so close to getting a win [this year] and we just couldn’t make it happen. So this win, especially during an endurance event, was really good for us. This win also puts us in a good position in the championship. We’ve been staying consistent with our finishes which will help us in the long run. Shinya did a great job considering he has not been in the car since January. Matt continues to show improvements each race and Mario did what he needed to do to bring it home in the end. I’m really proud of these guys, especially the crew who just knocked it out of the park on pit stops today. I’m really happy with the result today.

CORVETTE RACING AT ATLANTA: Runner-Up Finish for Gavin, MilnerNo. 4 Corvette C8.R second in GTLM points behind teammates Garcia, Taylor

BRASELTON, Ga. (Sept. 5, 2020) – Corvette Racing’s Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner completed a stellar comeback to finish as class runner-up Saturday in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s TireRack.com Grand Prix at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The duo drove their No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R from nearly a lap down in the six-hour endurance race to nearly a second victory of the year in another highly competitive GT Le Mans (GTLM) class battle. The result advanced Gavin and Milner to second place in the GTLM Drivers’ Championship standings, and it meant Chevrolet maintained its advantage in the category’s Manufacturers’ standings. Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor finished fifth in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette to retain their lead in the Drivers’ Championship with five races remaining. They hold a 14-point advantage to their No. 4 Corvette teammates. The challenge by the No. 4 Corvette appeared in danger in the opening hour. Milner took the class lead just past the 30-minute mark and the race’s second restart following a full-course caution. He held the position until suffering a flat tire 64 minutes into the race, which brought out another caution.  After slipping back to sixth in class, Milner and Gavin fought for the next two hours in hopes of remaining on the lead lap – at most times running anywhere from two to five seconds ahead of the class leaders. In fact, the entirety of Gavin’s time in the car was spent trying to remain ahead of the leaders – much of it running against lead entries from other GTLM teams. The race came back to the No. 4 with the race’s fourth full-course caution with two hours to go. Gavin drove two full stints under green-flag conditions to keep his car in the hunt, and Milner re-entered with two hours and 50 minutes to go. After the final yellow-flag period, Milner was back on the tail of the GTLM field and retook the lead with 55 minutes to go. A quick stop thanks to fuel savings with 51 minutes left saw him cycle back to second – and ahead of two cars he had been running behind before the final stop sequence – for the stretch run. The Garcia/Taylor pairing saw its two-race win streak come to an end on a challenging day where the midday heat played havoc with the handling and track conditions. A chassis adjustment with less than three hours left helped the balance of the No. 3 Corvette for a final push, but a tire issue late in the going halted a podium challenge.  Corvette Racing’s next event is Sept. 25-27 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTLM: “It was a real battle the entire six hours. When I had Antonio behind me, I thought ‘OK he’s in a Corvette and will be a little bit nice to me!’ We managed to pull away from everyone else a little bit and managed it as best we could. It was still tough and hard. Then in the next stint it was the 911 we were battling, and I knew he wasn’t going to be anywhere near as nice. We also had to go to a slightly different tire set, and that made it a little harder. But yes, it was some of the hardest driving I’ve ever done around here – just to stay on the lead lap while we were praying for a caution. We finally got one, and Tommy drove brilliantly to get us back up there toward the front while saving some fuel. We managed to do the undercut with everyone else in pit lane and nearly got the 25; it just looked like at the end that it was in a class of its own. We’ll take second today. It gets us that much closer in the championship. In terms of that, it’s a good day in the championship for Tommy, me and the No. 4 Corvette team. I have to take my hat off to the crew. They did a phenomenal job on all the stops today. They were rock solid. It was a great day for Corvette Racing in that respect.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTLM: “I’ve never had to push so hard! The last two stints were such big, big pushes and giving it all we had. It didn’t look so great there for a little bit. We were unlucky with the puncture early on, and that set us back quite a bit. Ultimately all we needed was that one yellow, and we got it to get us back in the hunt again. Our Corvette today was super fast. I’m really happy with it… the balance was really, really good all day long. It was a great strategy call at the end. It’s not often that works but I was able to save some fuel in the train of cars there; thanks to Jordan who let me go just before he came in to save me a little more time. I was able to close the gap to the 24 and then threw everything at it for two laps before we stopped. That plus a shorter stop from fuel got us out ahead of the two cars ahead of us. We almost got ahead of the 25. A lot like qualifying, we’ll go back and say, ‘If I had just a second better on my in-lap or braking into the pitlane, maybe that would have put us just ahead.’ Even then the gap to them before we pitted was already big so trying to make up that much time and keep them behind would have been really hard. I’m really happy with the race today. Obviously you want to win, but P2 is great for the points. That’s what it’s going to take – getting all the points we possibly can. I think we may have had a little bit of a tire problem at the end so that yellow really helped us ultimately. But I’m definitely happy with today.”

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FIFTH IN GTLM: “Definitely not the result we wanted or expected today. The things that broke our way over the last four races didn’t happen today, but that is how it goes sometimes. Today was a classic long-distance GTLM race. I think nearly every car in the class led at one point, including us. The heat of this race made things difficult in the middle, and by the end we didn’t have enough to catch up over a stint. The good news is we have a healthy points advantage, and now Olly and Tommy are second. That’s great for Corvette Racing and Team Chevy. We will move to Mid-Ohio and try to get back on the podium.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED FIFTH IN GTLM: “This was a tough day. My stints in the heat were some of the most challenging conditions I think I’ve faced this year. The combination of the heat in the track and the tire compound made it difficult, but we tried to hang in there as best we could. The crew did a great job on pit stops; I don’t know how many spots we gained in the pitlane but it was a lot. Things didn’t go our way today like they had the last two months. We’ll go back, look at the data to see where we can make gains before coming back here in October for Petit Le Mans.”

Anthony Alfredo and the Blue Otter Polarized Chevrolet Team’s Strong Performance at The Track Too Tough to Tame Haulted By On Track Incident

27th    12th  10th

“I’m really proud of my team for bringing such a fast No. 21 Blue Otter Polarized Chevrolet to the race track, even though it was a tough day for us at Darlington Raceway for throwback weekend. On lap two the car bottomed out on the splitter, which caused our Chevrolet to shoot up the track and catch the wall. Fortunately, that was just cosmetic damage and we were able to continue. Our Richard Childress Racing pit crew did a great job getting our Chevy repaired and keeping us in contention. We were able to go to work and pass a lot of cars on track even after our initial incident. My team did a great job of putting us in position late in the race on older tires. We restarted in the fourth position and settled into fifth on older tires, which is a big deal at Darlington. It looked like our strategy was going to play out just fine until I saw the leader wreck. I went high to avoid him, but ran through the same rear end grease he went through and wrecked as well. It’s a shame it tore up a lot of good cars, including ours. It definitely wasn’t the finish we deserved, but I’m extremely proud of all my Richard Childress Racing guys and the speed we continue to bring each week.”  -Anthony Alfredo

JUNCTION CITY, KY (September 4, 2020) – Jonathan Davenport notched his third Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win of the season on Friday Night at Ponderosa Speedway. Davenport, the 3-time and reigning series champion, led all the way in winning the 16th Annual John Bradshaw Memorial and earning his 50th career LOLMDS win. Billy Moyer Jr. finished in second to equal his best career LOLMDS finish. Mike Marlar made a late-race charge on the outside to claim third. Zack Dohm came home fourth with Tim McCreadie coming from 12th to place fifth. Davenport took the lead at the start of the race with Jimmy Owens hot on his heels until the first caution of the race came out with 14 laps scored. The race then saw a long-stretch of green-flag racing as Owens and Moyer Jr. diced it up for second for several laps. A caution with 38 laps scored allowed for a clear track in front of Davenport.   The battle for second saw Moyer Jr. clear Owens. Owens faded to sixth with 12 laps remaining. The final caution appeared with four laps to go, setting up a single-file restart. Davenport opened up breathing room as he flashed across the finish line, beating Moyer Jr. by 1.3 seconds in the final results. Davenport, who raced at Ponderosa a few weeks ago on an off-weekend for the LOLMDS made it two-for-two in his trips over the last month to the Central Kentucky bullring. “Man, it’s been a struggle here for sure. We have had some really good years. We just try to not let the lows get too low. I’ve got to give this win to my guys. They have been working their tails off. Man, I cherish these wins. I didn’t know when I was going to get another one.” Moyer Jr. stayed in the hunt the entire distance and earned yet another podium finish with the series this year. “Congrats to Jonathan on the win. We have a new Capital piece that Marshall Green put together. I know I say it all the time, but those guys are great to work with. We made some changes after hot laps and it turned our night around. So all-in-all in turned out to be a good night.” Marlar came on strong near the end to challenge for the runner-up position. “I was trying to put on a show for the fans. I was really wanting to win one so close to my home. The track was awesome out there tonight, we could move around a little bit. I needed a few more things to go my way on the restarts, but we had a good car at the end for sure.” The winner’s Lance Landers Motorsports Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Nutrien Ag Solutions, Spartan Mowers, Lucas Oil Products, Penske Shocks, VP Fuels, ASC Warranty, and Midwest Sheet Metal. Completing the top ten were Tyler Erb, Jimmy Owens, Kyle Strickler, Hudson O’Neal, and Kyle Bronson.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series 
Race Summary 
16th Annual John Bradshaw Memorial 
Friday, September 4th, 2020
Ponderosa Speedway – Junction City, KY
Lucas Oil Time Trials
Fast Time Group A: Jonathan Davenport / 13.696 seconds (overall)
Fast Time Group B: David Webb / 13.743 seconds 

Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 17D-Zack Dohm[3]; 3. 25-Shane Clanton[2]; 4. D8-Dustin Linville[5]; 5. 97-Michael Chilton[4]; 6. 11B-Tommy Bailey[7]; 7. 1GK-Ryan King[6]; 8. 18-David Seibers[8]

FK Rod Ends Heat Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 21-Billy Moyer Jr[2]; 2. 157-Mike Marlar[3]; 3. 1T-Tyler Erb[1]; 4. 11H-Jared Hawkins[5]; 5. 9-Devin Moran[4]; 6. 12J-Jason Jameson[6]; 7. 4G-Kody Evans[7]

Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20-Jimmy Owens[2]; 2. 13W-David Webb[1]; 3. 81E-Tanner English[5]; 4. 14-Josh Richards[4]; 5. 57M-Cameron Marlar[7]; 6. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[3]; 7. 2S-Stormy Scott[6]; 8. 9G-Larry Greer[8]

Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 8-Kyle Strickler[1]; 2. 40B-Kyle Bronson[3]; 3. 39-Tim McCreadie[5]; 4. 71-Hudson O’Neal[2]; 5. 1G-Devin Gilpin[4]; 6. 16-Tyler Bruening[6]; 7. 16R-Justin Rattliff[7]

Tiger Rear Ends B-Main #1 Finish (12 Laps, Top 6 Transfer): 1. 97-Michael Chilton[1]; 2. 57M-Cameron Marlar[2]; 3. 9-Devin Moran[3]; 4. 1G-Devin Gilpin[4]; 5. 12J-Jason Jameson[7]; 6. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[6]; 7. 11B-Tommy Bailey[5]; 8. 1GK-Ryan King[9]; 9. 16-Tyler Bruening[8]; 10. 16R-Justin Rattliff[12]; 11. 4G-Kody Evans[11]; 12. 2S-Stormy Scott[10]; 13. 18-David Seibers[13]; 14. 9G-Larry Greer[14]

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 4) — For the third time in the last six seasons, the team from NHRA’s West Central Division (Division 5) captured the overall points title at the 36th JEGS Allstars event, held this year at Lucas Oil Raceway.  The victorious team, which shared a $20,000 bonus from JEGS Mail Order, got wins from Trevor Larson (Super Comp), Kris Thies (Super Street), and Allen Firestone (Top Sportsman), to help accumulate 1,300 points, outscoring the competition from the Division 4 team by 300 points. Division 2 tallied 800 points to finish third. The alcohol title was clinched by the Eastern Region after Jackie Fricke drove to the Top Alcohol Dragster title and Dan Pomponio earned a runner-up finish in Top Alcohol Funny Car. Larson, who has the distinction of being the only driver to double-up at the JEGS Allstars race, defeated Division 4 racer Christopher Dodd in what was easily the most memorable final round of the day. On the starting line, Dodd was perfect with a .000 reaction time but his advantage was almost nil since Larson had an equally-competitive .001 light. Larson won with an 8.909 run after Dodd broke out with an 8.873. Thies chipped in with three round wins of his own in Super Street after topping Division 2 racer Kevin MacNicol in a double-breakout final, 10.877 to 10.874. Thies was also stellar on the starting line with two near-perfect reaction times in his three round wins. Firestone, who already has two divisional victories this year, added the JEGS Allstars title when he slipped past defending JEGS Allstars champion Kynon Dinkel in the Top Sportsman final. Firestone also turned in an impressive performance with a 6.561 on his 6.56 dial-in.  The Division 4 team made a strong run at what would have been a record ninth overall championship with strong performances by Comp winner Craig Bourgeois, and Stock  star Slate Cummings. Bourgeois, a past national champion in his front-engine Nostalgia Dragster, won after reigning world champion Frank Aragona Jr. red-lighted in the final. Cummings continued his run of exceptional performances at the JEGS Allstars race with his fifth title. Cummings won in Stock Eliminator after his opponent, Division 5 racer Tyler Wudarczyk, encountered a problem on the starting line and received a foul start.  After just missing out on the Super Stock world championship last year, Division 7 racer Kyle Rizzoli visited the winner’s circle in Indy by beating Division 2’s Mike Crutchfield in the final. Rizzoli drove his Jim Whiteley-owned Camaro to a 9.47 on his 9.45 prediction for the win after Crutchfield broke out. The Super Gas title went to reigning world champ Jeremy Mason of the Division 3 team. Mason got the win light when opponent Vernon Rowland red-lighted. Rowland was one of several drivers to qualify for the Allstars in two classes, racing in Super Comp and Super Gas. Cody Webber picked up the Top Dragster victory over Division 5 racer Victoria Johnson on the strength of a .006 light and a 6.38 on his 6.36 dial. Johnson, a past winner of the Mile-High Nationals in Denver, broke out with a 6.56 on her 6.59 dial. Fricke drove to the Top Alcohol Dragster title by beating Randy Meyer Racing teammates Rachel Meyer and Julie Nataas on the way to the final, where she finished the job with a 5.299 to 5.406 win in a battle against Josh Hart, her East Region teammate. Representing the North Central Region, Ray Drew won his second consecutive JEGS Allstars crown when he stopped Dan Pomponio, 5.500 to 5.591. Each of the JEGS Allstars winners have earned the right to return next year as a blocker for their respective teams. In addition, any driver who goes on to win the Denso Spark Plugs U.S. Nationals title on Sunday will earn a double-up bonus from JEGS Mail Order.

Helio Castroneves claims pole in qualifying for Saturday’s TireRack.com Grand Prix
Second consecutive WeatherTech SportsCar Championship pole for Acura Team Penske
Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evos qualify fourth, sixth in GTD

BRASELTON, Ga. (Sept. 4, 2020) – Helio Castroneves claimed the second consecutive WeatherTech SportsCar Championship pole for Acura Team Penske Saturday at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta; while Shinya Michimi and Misha Goikhberg qualified their Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo’s fourth and six, respectively in the production-based GTD class.

Acura Team Penske
Castroneves took his #7 Acura ARX-05 to the pole in a hard fought 15-minute session, edging the #31 Cadillac prototype of Felipe Nasr by less than a tenth of a second. The pole is the second of the season for Castroneves, and the second consecutive pole for the #7 Acura Team Penske duo of Castroneves and co-driver Ricky Taylor, fastest qualifier last month at Road America.

Defending series champion Dane Cameron took his #6 Acura ARX-05 to third in qualifying, in the car he will share tomorrow with co-driver and fellow defending champion Juan Pablo Montoya.

Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3
Shinya Michimi, third driver for Meyer Shank Racing in the long-distance rounds of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, will start fourth in the GTD category, less than three-tenths of a second off the pole time around the challenging 2.54-mile Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta circuit. He will share his #86 Acura in tomorrow six-hour race with full-season drivers Mario Farnbacher and Matt McMurry.

In the #57 Heinricher Racing with MSR Acura, Misha Goikberg qualified sixth, less than four-tenths of a a second off his teammate, in the NSX GT3 Evo he shares with fellow full-season driver Alvaro Parente and endurance-race driver Trent Hindman.

Where to Watch
Live network television coverage from Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta begins at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, September 5, for one hour on the NBC Sports Network. Coverage will resume on NBCSN from 2:30 p.m. EDT to the finish. Live flag-to-flag race coverage also will be available on the NBC Sports App and NBC Gold with NBCSN Trackpass authentication.

Quotes
Helio Castroneves (#7 Acura Team Penske ARX-05) pole qualifier, his second pole this season and fifth career IMSA pole, third pole of 2020 for Acura Team Penske: “It’s all on the line [in qualifying]. You’ve got great competitors, and you’ve got to push it to the limit. Every time we go out there [for qualifying], for me, it’s great. And every time we achieve something great, doing something that you love, it’s just fun. Tomorrow’s six hours of racing, but again, this is something I love to do.”